The petition to oust Calgary's mayor needs 8,571 signatures a day to work

The petition to oust Calgary's mayor needs 8,571 signatures a day to succeed

The Canadian Press

A process to remove Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek from her position officially kicked off on Monday.

A Calgary business owner named Landon Johnston decided to submit a recall petition that could see Gondek lose her job.

It’s something he was able to do because of the recall legislation act that was added to the Alberta Government’s Municipal Governance Act (MGA) in 2022.

The MGA essentially oversees how municipal governments operate.

So, how likely is it for Johnston to succeed in his quest?

Looking at the requirements for the recall petition and political chatter from around the city over the last couple of days, Gondek seemingly has a good chance to see her term through.

Here’s a breakdown of the legislation, the recall petition requirements, and how Johnston’s attempt could work or fail.

Recall legislation and Alberta’s elected officials

In 2022, the Government of Alberta amended the MGA to include provisions related to the recall of an elected official, including MLA, school board officials, and municipal officials like Calgary’s mayor and councillors.

As per the legislation, eligible voters or electors can submit a petition to recall elected officials.

Johnston, who is the representative of the recall petition against Mayor Gondek, has 60 days — from February 5 to April 4 — to collect signatures from at least 40% of the population (1,285,711) within the City of Calgary and submit his petition to the City.

All of those signatures need to be original, witnessed, and written by hand.

Everyone who can be considered a legible signee of the recall petition has to meet the following requirements:

Over the voting age (18) on or before October 18, 2021
A Canadian citizen
A resident of Calgary on Election Day

The recall petition needs 514,284 to be considered by the City Clerk. That’s 8,571 signatures per day by April 4.

393,090 people voted in the 2021 Calgary Municipal Election; that represents a 46.38% voter turnout.

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Will it be impossible for Johnston to get the more than 500,000 signatures needed to submit the petition?

No, but according to some, it’s highly unlikely.

“Symbolic” value

In a post on X, Calgary-based political scientist Duane Bratt said that the bar to remove Gondek is very high, comparing the number of voters during the election when she ultimately won the mayor’s office to how many signatures are needed to remove her.

“The value of the petition is symbolic,” he wrote. “Not to remove Gondek from office.”

Reactions, however, were mixed across the board.

Unfortunately the way they have the law setup, no petition will ever pass the threshold.

Over 500k physical signatures (no electronic) collected within 60 days. Thats 8333 physical signatures per day.

They’ve made it impossible for a reason. Illusion of using it as an option.

— Canadian Conservative (@CanuckCons) February 5, 2024

It’s very doubtful that the organizers will reach the threshold. That’s not the point. This is about building a right wing organization to replace the current mayor and much of council in the next election. The signatures are crucial data for this effort. https://t.co/n6WFAJ0qaF

— Brian Mason (@bmasonNDP2) February 5, 2024

CalgaryRecall supports this action; we are gathering momentum to Recall Ward 11
Recalling a councilor is more realistic

We are not associated with the Gondek recall

Unfortunately the way they have the law setup, no petition will ever pass the threshold.

Over 500k physical signatures (no electronic) collected within 60 days. Thats 8333 physical signatures per day.

They’ve made it impossible for a reason. Illusion of using it as an option.

— Canadian Conservative (@CanuckCons) February 5, 2024

— CalgaryRecall (@CalgaryRecall) February 5, 2024

If the threshold is met, what’s next?

There’s a 45-day time period in which the petition’s sufficiency (including everything mentioned) is assessed if it’s submitted with the required number of signatures.

If the petition is declared sufficient, the individual in the notice of recall — Mayor Gondek — is removed and will no longer be a member of any council committee, and the position she was elected to (in this case, the mayor’s office) is vacated.

A byelection will be called to replace her if she’s removed 12 months before the next municipal election.

If she’s removed with less than 12 months to go before the election, either a byelection will be called or a new mayor will be appointed by the council.

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