Alberta musician Corb Lund challenges failed anti‑coal petition

Country musician and rancher Corb Lund led the Water Not Coal campaign to collect signatures for a petition that would force Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s government to consider banning new coal mining on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. Lund delivered more than 207,000 names, exceeding the 177,732 verified signatures required, but Elections Alberta counted 196,000 valid signatures and, after statistical sampling, verified only about 172,000, causing the petition to be declared unsuccessful.

Lund said the verification process was “unreasonable and not fair,” alleging that callers used random 1‑800 numbers to request personal details and that a recent breach of the provincial voter list raised privacy concerns. He announced his group will seek a judicial review of the decision. Premier Smith responded that the UCP government has already taken “substantive” steps: buying back coal leases covering 400 sq km, maintaining a ban on mountaintop removal and open‑pit mining, and mandating advanced water‑management technology. She added that further actions could be considered and that discussions would continue.