City outlines rules on recall petitions for council members

In a little more than a month, Calgarians could have a chance to recall members of city council. 

But a political scientist is suggesting the chances of anyone actually being recalled are quite low, thanks to hurdles in provincial legislation.

City council will be briefed on the new rules at its meeting on Tuesday.

The organizer of a recall must first register with the city and pay $500.

Then they must gather signatures on a petition from voters. The number of signatures must equal 40 per cent of the population in a specific ward or if the mayor is the recall target, 40 per cent citywide. 

However, only eligible voters can sign the petition.

In most city wards, that means more than 60 per cent of eligible voters would have to sign for a petition to succeed, according to a document released by the city.

And those signatures must be gathered in 60 days or less.

High bar to clear

A political studies professor at Mount Royal University, Lori Williams, said that bar may be extremely challenging for any petition organizer to meet.

"It's hard to imagine without extraordinary organization and a groundswell of support for the recall move that this could work," said Williams.

Under provincial legislation, petitions can only begin to be gathered 18 months after a municipal election. 

Williams pointed out the recall period opens just days before Alberta's spring provincial election campaign officially gets underway, which could complicate efforts for anyone seeking to gather signatures.

To her, the province's recall legislation is basically political theatre.

"It's meant to look as though there is a meaningful mechanism to hold an elected official accountable between elections. But it's been made so insurmountable that it's almost impossible for it to happen."

As an example, the city estimates in that Ward 5, 40 per cent of the population is 42,684 people. 

But there are only 43,271 eligible voters in the ward. This means a successful petition drive would need 99 per cent of all voters there to support a recall.

In the last election, 16,616 people actually voted in Ward 5's councillor race.

In most city wards, more than 60 per cent of voters would need to sign a petition for a recall effort to succeed.

Attempts expected

Between controversies surrounding some councillors and the fact there were a number of close ward races in the last election, Coun. Kourtney Penner said she would not be surprised to see some citizens taking a look at this new tool to keep politicians accountable.

But that said: "Do I think this is ever going to play out? No. Is it good to have a mechanism? Yes," said Penner.

"It's not bad legislation to have but it needs to be refined based on the actual metrics of either plausibility and consistency."

Under the provincial recall legislation, the window for municipal recall petitions is between Apr. 22, 2023 and Dec. 31, 2024.

Once a petition with a sufficient number of signatures is verified by the city, the seat on council would be declared vacant. That would clear the way for a possible byelection.

The legislation also specifies that there can only be one attempt to recall an elected official during each individual term of office.