Water Not Coal Files Judicial Review Challenging Elections Alberta Decision
Edmonton, Alberta — July 29th, 2026 — Water Not Coal has filed an application for judicial review in the Alberta Court of King’s Bench, challenging the Chief Electoral Officer’s decision to deem the Water Not Coal Citizens’ Initiative unsuccessful. The application argues that the decision was unreasonable, procedurally unfair, and inconsistent with the purpose of Alberta’s Citizen Initiative Act (CIA), which is intended to facilitate public participation in direct democracy.
The filing was submitted on behalf of initiative proponent Corb Lund, who says the review is necessary to protect the integrity of citizen-driven democratic processes.
“More than 200,000 Albertans signed this petition in good faith, and they deserve a fair and reasonable process,” says Corb Lund. “We believe Elections Alberta applied standards that were stricter than the law requires, and that thousands of Albertans were effectively shut out by verification processes that don’t make sense. This judicial review is about ensuring that citizens’ voices weren’t lost in technicalities.”
The application argues that the Chief Electoral Officer misapplied the CIA and reached unreasonable conclusions during the validation and verification process. Key concerns raised in the judicial review application include:
- Misinterpretation of the CIA: Elections Alberta applied standards stricter than what sections 4 and 6 of the Act require, which undermined the legislative intent and purpose of the Act, which is to encourage citizen participation in direct democracy.
- Unreasonable verification rules: Elections Alberta modified its verification process to require electors to provide personal information in order to verify their signatures, and also, to provide precise, exact details with limited prompts or opportunity to clarify when needed — effectively demanding perfect recall months after signing — causing valid signatures to be rejected without justification. It also raises issues with verification calls not displaying “Elections Alberta” in caller ID as advertised, and lack of consideration of the recent data breach of the electors list, which may have affected response rates.
- Flawed statistical sampling: The review also challenges the sampling method; the 5% margin of error; the failure to account for uncertainty in small sample sizes; the application of the formula’s mid-point rather than the low-point; and the practice of replacing electors quickly when they did not immediately respond.
- Skewed results: The judicial review application argues that the process resulted in an overcounting of invalid signatures and the undercounting of valid ones.
The judicial review asks the Court to set aside the decision, declare the Water Not Coal initiative successful, or alternatively return the matter to Elections Alberta for reconsideration.
About Water Not Coal
Water Not Coal is a grassroots, non-partisan movement dedicated to protecting Alberta’s Eastern Slopes and headwaters from new coal mining development. The initiative brings together Albertans from across the province who share a commitment to clean water, healthy landscapes, and long-term economic stewardship. The movement submitted over 200,000 signatures from across Alberta to Elections Alberta on June 10th, 2026.
Media Contact:
Laura Laing
Water Not Coal
Laura@waternotcoal.ca
Cell. 403.969.0921
Originating Application for Judicial Review
Read the application filed with the Court of King's Bench of Alberta in full.
- Court
- Court of King's Bench of Alberta, Judicial Centre of Edmonton
- Parties
- Corby Lund (applicant) v. Chief Electoral Officer of Alberta (respondent)
- Filed
- July 29, 2026
- Heard
- August 12, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. · Justice Chambers, Edmonton Law Courts
- Counsel
- Matthew A. Woodley, Reynolds, Mirth, Richards & Farmer LLP
The application asks the Court to:
- set aside and quash the Chief Electoral Officer's decision;
- determine that the initiative was successful and direct that the proposal be submitted to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly; or
- in the alternative, return the matter to the Chief Electoral Officer for reconsideration.
The petition has closed · June 10, 2026 Thank you, Alberta.
You showed up — in coffee shops, breweries, libraries and at kitchen tables across the province — and put your name on the line for clean water and the Eastern Slopes.
The count is in — and we're not stopping. The petition fell just short of the threshold after Elections Alberta's review, and we're weighing our legal options and keeping up the fight for the Eastern Slopes.
What You Signed
“The Government of Alberta shall prohibit through legislation all coal exploration and mining activities within the Eastern Slopes of Alberta's Rocky Mountains, other than mines that are in actual production as of January 1, 2026. For clarity, this prohibition includes Northback Holdings' Grassy Mountain Project and Valory Resources' Blackstone Project as well as any projects to expand any producing mines.”
Drinking water for one in three Albertans starts in the Eastern Slopes.
Open-pit coal mining in the Rockies puts selenium into our rivers, dust into our air, and a known carcinogen into the watershed our farms, towns and cities depend on.
Successive governments have promised “no new coal” — and quietly walked it back. A citizen initiative petition is a binding response. Get the signatures, change the law.
Read more about why →Common questions
Why a physical signature? Will my information be public? What happens after we hit the threshold?
Updates & press
Stay involved in what comes next
The signatures are counted — but the fight for the Eastern Slopes isn't over. We're reviewing our legal options and pushing for the legislation Albertans asked for. Leave your email and we'll tell you what happens next and how you can help.