Petitions

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A petition is a way for members of the public to express an opinion to City Council and request action on a specific issue.

What is a Petition?

A petition is a way for members of the public to express an opinion to City Council and request action on a specific issue.

Petitions are regulated by the Municipal Government Act (MGA). The MGA has specific requirements that must be met in order for a petition to be considered sufficient by the City Clerk. Petitions that have met these requirements are formally presented to City Council. Petitions that don’t meet the requirements are circulated to City Council as correspondence.

Those wishing to submit a petition under the parameters of the MGA should seek legal advice, when possible, to fully understand the extent of their obligations.

How Can Petitions be Used?

According to the Municipal Government Act (MGA), a petition can request that City Council take a specific action.

Petition for Meeting

Electors may submit a petition requesting that City Council call a meeting with the public to discuss the matters stated in the petition.

Advertised bylaw and resolutions

The MGA requires that some bylaws and resolutions are publicly advertised. Once they have been publicly advertised, electors may submit a petition that calls for a vote of the electors to determine whether the proposed bylaw or resolution should be passed.

New bylaw, bylaw to amend or repeal a bylaw or resolution

Electors may petition for a new bylaw, or a bylaw to amend or repeal an existing bylaw or resolution, on any matter within the jurisdiction of City Council.

Petition for Local Improvement

A local improvement is a project that benefits a specific area of the city, rather than the city as a whole. A local improvement is funded either entirely or in part by a tax. Examples of common Local Improvements include sidewalk reconstruction or installation of alley lighting.

A group of property owners in the municipality may petition City Council for a local improvement
Property owners who would be liable to pay the local improvement tax can petition against the local improvement

See local improvements for more information.

Limitations on Petitions

The Municipal Government Act (MGA) prohibits certain petitions, including:

Petitions for a vote on proposed planning, development, and road closure bylaws and resolutions even though they are advertised (Section 231(1) of the MGA)
Petitions for new bylaws or against existing bylaws or resolutions regarding Financial Administration, Assessment of Property, Taxation, Planning and Development and Intermunicipal Collaboration (Section 232(2) of the MGA)
Petitions against necessary local sewer improvements and private connections to water and sewer improvements (Section 408 and 409 of the MGA)

Recall a Member of Council

Electors may petition to recall a member of Council from office through the recall petition process.

Petition Requirements

The Municipal Government Act (MGA) lists a number of requirements that petitions must meet in order to be considered sufficient:

Purpose Statement

A petition must consist of one or more pages, each of which must contain an identical statement of the purpose of the petition.

Representative Statement

Each petition must identify a representative.

The representative must sign the petition declaring that they are the representative of the petitioners for all purposes and that City Administration may direct any inquiries about the petition to them.

Petition Signatures

The type of petition determines who is eligible to sign it.

Petition for vote of the electors on advertised bylaw and resolutions or new bylaws

Only residents who are eligible to vote in the municipal election in Edmonton may sign the petition: At least 18 years old when signing the petition, a Canadian citizen, resident in Edmonton (Section 222 of the MGA.)

Petition for local improvements

Only the owners of property who would be liable to pay the local improvement tax can sign a petition in regard to local improvements. (Sections 392, 393 and 408 of the MGA)

Information Petitioners Must Provide

Every petitioner signing the petition must provide the following information in legible print:

their printed surname and printed given names or initials
their original, inked signature
their street address or the legal description of the land on which the petitioner lives
their telephone number or email address (if any)
the date on which they signed the petition

Dates of Signatures Collected

For most petition types the only signatures that can be counted are ones collected within 60 days of the date on which the petitioner delivered the petition to the City Clerk.

Signatures for petitions that seek a vote of the electors regarding a proposed Financial Administration bylaw must be collected within 15 days of the last date the bylaw was advertised.

A petition for a new bylaw has no time limit for the collection of signatures.

Signatures may not be added to any petition, once it has been submitted to the City Clerk.

Number of Signatures

The petition must contain enough eligible signatures to equal 10% of the City’s population.

Petitions for or against a Local Improvement must contain enough eligible signatures to equal two thirds of the property owners who would be liable to pay the tax associated with the local improvement. The combined value of the property owned by petitioners must be at least half of the total assessed value of all the property in the local improvement area.

Witness Obligations

Every signature on the petition must be witnessed by an adult person. The witness must sign the document next to the name of the petitioner whose signature is being witnessed.

The witness must swear an affidavit that to the best of the person’s knowledge the signatures witnessed are those of persons entitled to sign the petition.

Submission Deadlines

The Municipal Government Act (MGA) requires petitions to be submitted within a certain time frame:

Advertised bylaw and resolutions

Petitions that seek a vote of the electors regarding a proposed Financial Administration bylaw - within 15 days after the last date of advertising
Petitions that seek a vote on another advertised bylaw - within 60 days after the last day of advertising

New bylaw, bylaw to amend or repeal a bylaw or resolution

Within 60 days after the bylaw or resolution was passed

How to Submit

The petition representative must contact the Office of the City Clerk.

Email city.clerk@edmonton.ca or call 780-496-8178, to arrange a time to deliver the original petition.

What Happens Next?

The Municipal Government Act (MGA) requires the City of Edmonton, through Edmonton Elections, to assess whether the petition meets sufficiency requirements. This means counting the number of valid signatures on the petition and confirming that the petition meets all other legislated standards.

The MGA requires the City of Edmonton to inform City Council on the sufficiency of the petition within 45 days after the date on which a petition is filed.

Questions?

Email city.clerk@edmonton.ca or call 780-496-8178.