@superdog10.bsky.social:
Chaos is deliberately being created, maybe to muddy waters, when referendum is over, question whether it was free/fair, maybe invalidate? UCP aren’t competent to govern our province. $130 million piddled away on referendum when money should be spent on workers/businesses hit by trump tariffs.
@jvipondmd.bsky.social:
these accusations, 5 weeks before a referedum to be run by Elections Alberta, cast serious concerns about the organizations ability/desire to run a free and fair process.
We need the legislature to be called and a debate to occur.
#stopthereferendum
@notabot1.bsky.social:
There is no mandate to crime. This corrupt government must resign and call an election. FFS. The silence from PM Mark Harper is deafening.
@steve-p47.bsky.social:
This is EXTREMELY concerning considering Elections Alberta will be counting all the mail in ballots for the upcoming referendum.
We need an injunction issued to stop the referendum until we have absolute proof that Elections Alberta is free from any Government UCP) influence or control.
@sooz64.bsky.social:
This is disturbing, why are they constantly moving the goal posts?
@addleben.bsky.social:
So they can win. And because screw us, that’s why.
@sooz64.bsky.social:
Yep
@lukelebrun.ca:
This actually raises real questions of how Canada would hypothetically deal with millions of people fleeing Alberta at the same time, with many having lost their jobs and life savings
I think too many people are complacent about the possibility that the separatists could either win or set the stage for a second vote in 10 years
The logistics of how Alberta would actually separate would be a national shit show
How would Canada manage 2-3 million people, many without jobs or money, suddenly needing to relocate to Vancouver or Toronto?
Meanwhile, how much is rent going to go up in cities like Toronto and Vancouver if half the population of Alberta is looking to relocate and remain Canadian citizens?
@simongood.bsky.social:
The one of Albertas greatest strength is blind stupidity.
***
NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Corb Lund Calls for Immediate Coal Moratorium Amid Elections Alberta Staff Resignations Raising Questions over Water Not Coal Petition Validation
Lethbridge, Alberta, September 16th, 2026 — Musician and sixth-generation Albertan Corb
Lund, proponent of the Water Not Coal initiative, has issued a formal request to Premier
Danielle Smith calling for an immediate moratorium on all new coal development approvals,
expansions, and exploration in Alberta’s Eastern Slopes.
In a detailed letter delivered to the Premier last week, Lund warns that renewed coal activity
poses serious and irreversible risks to Alberta’s headwaters, fisheries, ranchlands, and downstream communities. He states that the Government of Alberta must pause all coal-related decisions until the courts, independent science, and a full public review have completed their work.
Concerns Raised About Petition Validation Process
Lund’s letter follows the July filing of a formal judicial review application with the Alberta Court of King’s Bench, which asks the Court to examine Elections Alberta’s handling of the Water Not Coal petition. The application raises serious concerns — including the reasonableness of decisions and procedural fairness — concerns now echoed by former Elections Alberta staff.
Fucking wow
Lund’s letter introduces new allegations contained in a separate letter sent to the Standing Committee on Legislative Offices from five former employees of Elections Alberta who resigned during the petition’s validation period.
These long-serving employees reported significant Internal disruption, shifting procedures, and a breakdown in oversight that they believe compromised the integrity of the validation process. These long-serving employees reported:
- Changing and inconsistent procedures
- Lack of access to training materials
- Abrupt shifts in signature validation criteriaOooo La La! On Smith’s orders or McClure’s?
- A work environment so unstable that the project risked failing legislated timelines
The staff, who previously validated the Alberta Forever Canada petition in less than half the
required time, stated that they were excluded from key decisions and denied access to materials needed to perform their duties.Fucking Hell! The letter quotes; - “We are reaching out to you about our concerns regarding the integrity of the petition
review process — specifically the lack of oversight, inconsistent processes, and
procedures that put into question the integrity of the final Water Not Coal petition
validation results.” - “We feel the barrage of process changes jeopardized the integrity of the validation
process and the identity and reputation of Elections Alberta.”That’s terrible! I had zero trust in Elections Alberta to begin with, re super sleazy Mr. McClure letting religious terrorist David Parker steal private voter data of nearly three million Albertans, and doing nothing to correct the massive harms done to us. I don’t give a shit that Smith’s new law neutered him, he has a responsibility to protect voter data, and do SOMETHING, even if Smith fires him as punishment.
“These departures, and the concerns they documented, raise legitimate questions about whether the Water Not Coal petition was reviewed in a fair, consistent, and procedurally sound manner,” Lund says, calling the issue one of public trust in democratic processes.
Lund’s letter follows a judicial review recently filed under the Water Not Coal initiative, which
challenges aspects of the province’s coal approval processes. He notes that the stakes for
Alberta’s Eastern Slopes — the source of drinking water for millions — remain “urgent and
unresolved.”
He also references Premier Smith’s recent public comment expressing interest in “continuing to work with Corb Lund on this issue,” stating that a moratorium is the necessary first step toward any meaningful collaboration.
Broad Public Support for Protecting the Eastern Slopes
The Water Not Coal petition has received more than 200,000 signatures, with 172,088
validated by Elections Alberta — representing roughly 10% of voters from the last provincial
election. Lund notes that this level of engagement demonstrates widespread, cross-partisan
concern about coal development in the Eastern Slopes.
“Concerned Albertans are not going away on this issue,” Lund writes. “This is not a niche topic — it is a matter of long-term public interest.”
Lund’s Requests to the Premier
In his letter, Lund respectfully asks Premier Smith to:
- Announce an immediate moratorium on new coal development approvals, expansions,
and exploration in the Eastern Slopes until the judicial review is complete and
independent, peer-reviewed environmental assessments are conducted. - Commit to a transparent process for evaluating existing approvals that may not have
fully considered cumulative watershed impacts. - Meet with Lund to discuss evidence-based measures to protect drinking water, fisheries,
ranchlands, and the long-term ecological and economic health of the Eastern Slopes.
“I have nothing to gain from this except keeping the water and ranchland intact.”
Lund emphasizes that his involvement is not political but rooted in stewardship. After meeting
with both pro-coal and anti-coal voices and conducting extensive research, he concluded that
coal mining in the Eastern Slopes would “permanently alter the landscape and have a serious
effect on our water for generations.”
“This is such an important issue for Alberta’s future that I have no moral choice but to remain
committed to it,” he says.
-#-
Availability
Corb Lund is available for interviews. A full copy of the letter Corb Lund sent to Premier Smith
is available by request.
Media Contact
Laura Laing
Water Not Coal
email hidden; JavaScript is required
Cell/Text. 403.969.0921
***
From: Laura Laing email hidden; JavaScript is required
Subject: News Release Corb Lund Water Not Coal requests Moratorium on Coal as Judicial Review is in Progress and new EA Allegations Arise
Date: September 16, 2026 at 8:56:51 AM PDTHello,
On behalf of Corb Lund, proponent of Water Not Coal, please see the attached News Release regarding Corb’s Letter to the Premier requesting a moratorium on coal development in the Eastern Slopes and outlining further concerns regarding allegations from former Elections Alberta staff who resigned during and following the Water Not Coal validation. A copy of this letter from former EA staff is also attached.
Sincerely,
Laura Laing
cell. 403.969.0921

Standing Committee on Legislative Offices
Brandon Lunty, MLA (United Conservative Party)
- Chair, Standing Committee on Legislative Offices
- MLA for Leduc–Beaumont
Justin Wright, MLA (United Conservative Party) - Deputy Chair, Standing Committee on Legislative Offices
- MLA for Cypress–Medicine Hat
Amanda Chapman, MLA (NDP) - Committee Member, Standing Committee on Legislative Offices
- MLA for Calgary–Beddington
Scott Cyr, MLA (United Conservative Party) - Committee Member, Standing Committee on Legislative Offices
- MLA for Bonnyville–Cold Lake–St. Paul
Nolan Dyck, MLA (United Conservative Party) - Committee Member, Standing Committee on Legislative Offices
- MLA for Grande Prairie
Rob Miyashiro, MLA (NDP) - Committee Member, Standing Committee on Legislative Offices
- MLA for Lethbridge–West
Chelsae Petrovic, MLA (United Conservative Party) - Committee Member, Standing Committee on Legislative Offices
- MLA for Livingstone–Macleod
Tara Sawyer, MLA (United Conservative Party) - Committee Member, Standing Committee on Legislative Offices
- MLA for Olds–Didsbury–Three Hills
David Shepherd, MLA (NDP) - Committee Member, Standing Committee on Legislative Offices
- MLA for Edmonton–City Centre
Peggy Wright, MLA (NDP) - Committee Member, Standing Committee on Legislative Offices
- MLA for Edmonton–Beverly–Clareview
*The copy below was contained in a letter addressed to the Standing Committee on Legislative Offices/members above. A copy of the letter was also received by Corb Lund.
Dear Committee Members:
On behalf of the former Elections Alberta (EA) Service Centre manager, and four former Service Centre Supervisors, I am sending our concerns relating to the mismanagement of the validation and verification of petitions, [ … ]
As valued employees of Elections Alberta for several election cycles, we have provided call centre support and oversight for referenda, recall, provincial elections and enumerations. We recruited and managed the centre successfully and have been asked to return to assist with these projects throughout the years. Several of us were long-term management staff within the provincial and federal levels of government prior to employment with Elections Alberta (EA).
[…] two qualified, long-term EA Directors were terminated without cause, including the Director responsible for overseeing the processing of petitions. Both terminated staff were dedicated and knowledgeable, providing invaluable guidance through the validation and verification of the Alberta Forever Canada petition. Our Director worked long hours, trusted our abilities and provided us with any and all supports required to fulfill the completion of this petition in a timely, accurate – and most importantly – consistent manner.
[…]
We designed and presented new templates to accurately count the MLA recall petitions, the public funding of private schools petition, and to prepare for the upcoming coal mining petition, along with the Alberta Independence petition and were told that the forms were acceptable.
On the day the Water Not Coal petition arrived, we were told the templates that we had been using for previous recalls and petitions were no longer going to be utilized.
We had staff scheduled to arrive the following morning for training and to begin petition validation. We the Supervisors, had not been given access to any training material or the templates we were expected to use with the service agents that arrived for training. Over the next couple of weeks the process went from bad to worse. Most disturbingly, policies and procedures kept changing and service centre staff often had no idea of what these changes were.
This included the criteria used for determining whether individual signature lines were valid.JFC!!!!It was becoming increasingly apparent that the project was in jeopardy of meeting the time limit requirements as set by Legislation as the validation processes kept changing.
The EA Service Centre manager nor the Supervisor Team were part of the discussions or decisions of the ever changing new processes despite having the experience of being part of the
successful Validation Team of the Forever Canada Petition. We understood it was the largest
petition brought forward to Elections Alberta and we completed it in less than half the time
Legislation allowed. Neither the new direct contact nor the Deputy CEO had been involved with the Service Centre Team for the Forever Canada Petition.
The work environment became increasingly difficult and we could no longer feel confident or
supported in the work we were undertaking. There was no communication, there was no trust and it no longer was a safe environment.!!!!!!Following the validation of the petition and prior to the verification stage, the EA Service Centre manager and two supervisors made the difficult decision to leave EA. We did not believe our services were appreciated. We did not feel respected and felt we were being treated unprofessionally. We had concerns whether the process was being completed in a fair, equitable, and consistent manner with the many daily and sometimes hourly changes to the processes. Two of the other supervisors worked for four more days and then left with the same concerns.
The EA Service Centre manager sent the Chief Electoral Officer a text message informing him that he and two supervisors were walking off the job and offering to meet with him to discuss this decision upon his return. Additionally, a supervisor sent HR a text identifying our inability to work within such a difficult environment, with ever-changing processes. To date, these concerns have not been met with a response. Therefore, we are now reaching out to you about our concerns of the integrity of the petition review process, specifically the lack of oversight, inconsistent processes and procedures that put into question the integrity of the final Water Not Coal petition validation results. We are all available should you wish additional information and greater detail on the barrage of process changes that we feel jeopardize the integrity of the validation process and the identity and reputation of Elections Alberta.
Thank you for your time,
(Names redacted)
I think McClure is a separatist and racist anti immigrant. Now I don’t trust the last provincial election results. Not in the fucking least, and I for sure do not trust the hideously ugly racist separatist referendum process, or the vote count when it comes in. Very interesting graph below.
