Alberta independence organizers claim signature threshold met, according to reports

Organizers behind a petition on Alberta independence believe they have gathered enough signatures to trigger a potential referendum.

According to multiple sources, canvassers with the Stay Free Alberta group were told Monday night the petition had reached the required threshold under Alberta’s Citizen Initiative Act.

CTV News has reached out to the group for confirmation but has not yet received a response.

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The threshold is about 10 per cent of eligible voters, or roughly 177,000 signatures. If enough valid signatures are confirmed by Elections Alberta, the question could be added to Oct. 19’s referendum.

The petition remains open until May 2, and every signature must still be verified.

At the same time, the province is proposing changes to the Citizen Initiative Act and the Recall Act that would prevent future petitions to start or continue 12 months before and after a general election.

Justice Minister Mickey Amery told CTV News Edmonton that the goal is to give voters a clear and predictable window for citizen-led initiatives.

The proposed amendments would also allow scrutineers appointed by both the justice minister and petition organizers to observe the signature verification process.

The changes would not apply to petitions already underway.

With files from CTV Edmonton’s Angela Amato