Calgarians hoping to recall city mayor Jyoti Gondek say poorly worded recall legislation makes their quest nearly impossible.
Amendments made in 2022 to the Municipal Government Act permit the recall of municipal officials. The city says 514,284 signatures are needed to recall Gondek, or 40 per cent of the city’s popluation.
Kristy Koehler, executive director of the citizen’s advocacy group Common Sense Calgary, said over half a million signatures are required to recall the mayor but only 390,383 total votes were cast for all of the mayoral candidates combined in the 2021 election.
“The requirement to collect signatures from a minimum of 40% of the population is insurmountable,” Koehler told True North.
“Add in requirements for paper signatures, witnesses, and the short time limit of 60 days, and the odds are stacked against the petitioner.”
Petitioner Landon Johnston agrees the criterion is ridiculous. He said the recall legislation includes population data for those under 18, but only adults can sign the petition.
“I’m a very spiteful person and I’m bad at math and I’m very passionate,” he told True North. “So I think those three things just tell you that I’m going to do it anyways.”
Alberta Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver said the province is reviewing the recall provisions to increase councillor accountability and strengthen oversight after receiving feedback from stakeholder engagement sessions and online surveys. He also said the bar to remove an elected official is high, as it should be.
“It should not be an easy thing to remove someone from office when they have been duly elected by the community,” McIver said in a statement to True North.
“Alberta is the only province or territory in Canada that enables the recall of a municipal councillor. It is intended to hold elected officials accountable throughout their term, and not just during elections.”
Johnston said the recall effort is a “job review” for Gondek. He said the city needs clean streets, public safety training, and funding for police.
“They’re not fulfilling their duties and responsibilities,” he said of Calgary city council, adding that Gondek is at the top.
Gondek has said she won’t resign until the next election in October 2025. In an
interview with CTV, she said the recall effort “stings a little bit.”
A December 2023 ThinkHQ survey conducted among 1,116 Calgarians revealed a 30 per cent approval rating for Gondek’s performance. That rating was down six points from June and came after Gondek announced a 7.8% residential tax hike.
ThinkHQ president Marc Henry said the numbers facing Gondek and council are the lowest he’s seen in Calgary.
A recall event held Saturday afternoon outside Calgary City Hall drew hundreds of people to sign petitions and volunteer to collect more signatures.
Johnston plans to head downtown every Saturday to collect signatures. He said he has between 500 and 1,000 volunteers working on collecting signatures, with more emailing him every day.
The recall petition must be signed in person. Updates about the campaign are being posted at https://recallmayorgondek.com.
