The City of Calgary on Monday received a formal petition to recall Mayor Jyoti Gondek under Alberta’s recall legislation.It’s the first since the UCP government introduced recall provisions under the Municipal Government Act in 2022.“This is the first notice of recall petition that has been received by the City Clerk’s Office since the legislation took effect,” City Clerk Kate Martin in a news release..The petition was filed by resident Landon Johnston, a Calgary HVAC company owner, on January 30 under the Municipal Government Act with no other details apart from an email address. The Western Standard has reached out for comment.Now that it is certified to be legitimate, a 60-day signature collection period is in effect and will end on April 4. The petition must be received by the City Clerk’s Office on or before the 60-day signature collection period ends to be considered valid..Gondek has faced withering criticism over taxes, her refusal to attend a Hanukkah ceremony in December over the war in the Middle East and most recently Calgary’s single use ‘napkin’ bylaw that went into effect last week..Since she was elected in October, 2021 Gondek’s approval ratings have been in a free fall. According to a ThinkHQ poll in December 2023, her approval rating stood at 30%, with 61% disapproval — the lowest approval rating for a mayor in Calgary’s history.Recall legislation was formally introduced by former premier Jason Kenney in 2020 and came into effect on April 7, 2022. Neighbouring BC has similar legislation to recall MLAs but Alberta’s was the first to be extended to municipal officials and school boards.But Calgarians hoping to oust Gondek might want to hold their collective breaths; it’s an almost impossibly high bar to meet.A petition is considered sufficient if it includes signatures from a minimum of 40% of the population who are eligible to vote for the elected official named in the notice of recall. .That means a total of 514,284 signatures of 1,285,711 people registered to vote in the last election will be required to pass the petition. In addition, they have to be physically signed and verified..By comparison only 393,090 voted in the 2021 election, or about 46%. Gondek received 176,344 of them.“All signatures must be original signatures and a recall petition may not be signed in digital form,” Martin said.If a petition is successful, there is a further 45-day assessment period. The City Clerk must then, at the first council meeting after determining whether the recall petition is sufficient or insufficient, make a declaration to the council as to whether the recall petition is ‘sufficient’ or ‘insufficient’. .According to the City of Calgary website, if the petition is declared sufficient:(a) the individual named in the notice of recall petition is recalled,(b) the individual is no longer a member of Council or of any Council committee, and(c) the position to which the individual was elected is vacant.If there are 12 months or more before the next general election, which is Oct. 20, 2025 — and there will be — a by-election will then be called to fill the vacant seat. If a recall petition is declared insufficient, the City Clerk must publish the result on the city’s website. .Changes aren’t permitted after submission. Once a notice of petition has been filed, no further recall petitions in relation to the same council member will be accepted. .The mayor’s office has declined to provide a formal comment but issued the following statement:“In October 2021, Calgarians put their faith in me to be a mayor who could bring balance and stability to this city at a time when polarized ideologies stood to divide us,” it said. “I remain steadfastly committed to the work of building a future that holds opportunity and prosperity for everyone who lives here. We have work to do. Onward.”
The City of Calgary on Monday received a formal petition to recall Mayor Jyoti Gondek under Alberta’s recall legislation.It’s the first since the UCP government introduced recall provisions under the Municipal Government Act in 2022.“This is the first notice of recall petition that has been received by the City Clerk’s Office since the legislation took effect,” City Clerk Kate Martin in a news release..The petition was filed by resident Landon Johnston, a Calgary HVAC company owner, on January 30 under the Municipal Government Act with no other details apart from an email address. The Western Standard has reached out for comment.Now that it is certified to be legitimate, a 60-day signature collection period is in effect and will end on April 4. The petition must be received by the City Clerk’s Office on or before the 60-day signature collection period ends to be considered valid..Gondek has faced withering criticism over taxes, her refusal to attend a Hanukkah ceremony in December over the war in the Middle East and most recently Calgary’s single use ‘napkin’ bylaw that went into effect last week..Since she was elected in October, 2021 Gondek’s approval ratings have been in a free fall. According to a ThinkHQ poll in December 2023, her approval rating stood at 30%, with 61% disapproval — the lowest approval rating for a mayor in Calgary’s history.Recall legislation was formally introduced by former premier Jason Kenney in 2020 and came into effect on April 7, 2022. Neighbouring BC has similar legislation to recall MLAs but Alberta’s was the first to be extended to municipal officials and school boards.But Calgarians hoping to oust Gondek might want to hold their collective breaths; it’s an almost impossibly high bar to meet.A petition is considered sufficient if it includes signatures from a minimum of 40% of the population who are eligible to vote for the elected official named in the notice of recall. .That means a total of 514,284 signatures of 1,285,711 people registered to vote in the last election will be required to pass the petition. In addition, they have to be physically signed and verified..By comparison only 393,090 voted in the 2021 election, or about 46%. Gondek received 176,344 of them.“All signatures must be original signatures and a recall petition may not be signed in digital form,” Martin said.If a petition is successful, there is a further 45-day assessment period. The City Clerk must then, at the first council meeting after determining whether the recall petition is sufficient or insufficient, make a declaration to the council as to whether the recall petition is ‘sufficient’ or ‘insufficient’. .According to the City of Calgary website, if the petition is declared sufficient:(a) the individual named in the notice of recall petition is recalled,(b) the individual is no longer a member of Council or of any Council committee, and(c) the position to which the individual was elected is vacant.If there are 12 months or more before the next general election, which is Oct. 20, 2025 — and there will be — a by-election will then be called to fill the vacant seat. If a recall petition is declared insufficient, the City Clerk must publish the result on the city’s website. .Changes aren’t permitted after submission. Once a notice of petition has been filed, no further recall petitions in relation to the same council member will be accepted. .The mayor’s office has declined to provide a formal comment but issued the following statement:“In October 2021, Calgarians put their faith in me to be a mayor who could bring balance and stability to this city at a time when polarized ideologies stood to divide us,” it said. “I remain steadfastly committed to the work of building a future that holds opportunity and prosperity for everyone who lives here. We have work to do. Onward.”