The agency Elections Alberta has recently processed two distinct citizen petitions concerning environmental regulation and provincial sovereignty, resulting in divergent outcomes and legal challenges.

亞伯達省選舉局最近處理了兩項關於環境監管與省主權的公民請願，導致截然不同的結果並引發法律挑戰。

The petition initiated by the organization 'Water, Not Coal' to prohibit coal mining in the Eastern Slopes of the Rocky Mountains was deemed unsuccessful. While 196,000 signatures were identified as valid, the verified total reached only 172,000, falling short of the 177,732 threshold. Elections Alberta attributed this discrepancy to the inability or unwillingness of electors to verify their data. Conversely, the petition lead, Corb Lund, posits that the verification methodology—specifically the use of statistical extrapolation from a sample of 384 individuals—was flawed. Lund further contends that a prior breach of voter data diminished public willingness to provide personal information to third parties. Despite Premier Danielle Smith's assertion that the administration has mitigated environmental risks through the acquisition of 40,000 hectares of land and the prohibition of mountaintop removal mining, Lund characterizes these measures as insufficient and suggests a judicial review may be sought.

由「水，而非煤」組織發起、要求禁止在洛磯山脈東坡採煤的請願被判定為失敗。雖然有 196,000 個簽名被視為有效，但核實後的總數僅達 172,000 個，未達到 177,732 個的門檻。亞伯達省選舉局將此差異歸因於選民無法或不願核實其資料。相反，請願領隊 Corb Lund 認為核實方法——特別是使用 384 人的樣本進行統計推論——是有缺陷的。Lund 進一步主張，先前發生的選民數據洩漏降低了公眾向第三方提供個人資料的意願。儘管省長 Danielle Smith 聲稱政府透過收購 40,000 公頃土地及禁止山頂移除採礦來降低環境風險，但 Lund 認為這些措施不足，並暗示可能會尋求司法覆核。

Parallelly, the agency has commenced the verification of a petition submitted by 'Stay Free Alberta' regarding provincial secession from Canada. This process follows a complex judicial trajectory: an initial ruling quashed the petition due to statutory non-compliance and a failure to consult First Nations, yet a subsequent judicial order mandated that verification proceed pending an appeal. The petition group claims to have secured approximately 302,000 signatures, significantly exceeding the required 178,000. Although Premier Smith has scheduled a referendum for October 19 to determine if a binding vote on separation should occur, she has indicated that the protracted nature of the appeal process precludes a binding secessionary vote this autumn.

與此同時，該局已開始核實由「保持自由亞伯達」提交的關於省份脫離加拿大的請願。此過程遵循複雜的司法軌跡：初步裁定因不符合法定要求且未諮詢原住民族而撤銷請願，但隨後的司法命令要求在等待上訴期間繼續進行核實。請願團體聲稱已獲得約 302,000 個簽名，遠超 178,000 個的要求。雖然省長 Smith 已將全民公投定於 10 月 19 日，以決定是否應就分離問題進行具約束力的投票，但她指出，由於上訴過程冗長，今年秋天無法進行具約束力的分離投票。

Alberta currently faces a period of administrative tension as citizens challenge the validity of electoral verification methods and the government manages competing demands for environmental protection and constitutional autonomy.

亞伯達省目前面臨行政緊張期，因為公民質疑選舉核實方法的有效性，而政府則在處理環境保護與憲法自主的競爭需求。