Country music singer Corb Lund must now resubmit his recently approved citizens’ petition to stop coal mining on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains after the provincial government passed Bill 14.The bill removes several requirements that future referendum proposals must meet before petitioners can start collecting signatures.These include the proposal being constitutional, factually accurate, and having clear subject matter statements.After the amendments went into effect, petition applications made before Thursday were deemed to have never been made if an initiative petition had not been issued.Lund said he is disappointed but will resubmit his application.“This kind of disingenuous behaviour by the government is disappointing,” Lund said..Coal mining debate heats up in Alberta as Corb Lund files citizen initiative.“But as frustrating as this is, we will continue this fight, reapply for a new petition, and fill out as many forms as we have to in order to stop coal mining in the headwaters of our rivers.”Lund has opposed coal mining in the eastern slopes for several years, saying new mines threaten water sources and agricultural land downstream.Chief Electoral Officer Gordon McClure said in a release that Elections Alberta will develop fact sheets to help people understand the revisions, and the information will be posted on its website when it becomes available.Before Bill 14 was approved, Lund needed to collect 177,752 signatures (10% of ballots cast in the last provincial election) from Canadian citizens aged 18 years or older residing in Alberta within 120 days of the petition’s approval.Elections Alberta says applicants may now submit a notice of intent with the same subject matter within 30 days to have the required application fee waived.
