'Recall Gondek' campaign officially deemed insufficient, city cost exceeds $30K

An effort to remove Calgary's mayor through a recall campaign has been officially deemed insufficient, Calgary's city clerk declared Monday.

An effort to remove Calgary's mayor through a recall campaign has been officially deemed insufficient, Calgary's city clerk declared Monday.

To make matters worse for organizers, city staff believe all the signatures collected were invalid for the purposes of the motion.

The petition to recall Jyoti Gondek started in February and, under legislation set out in the Municipal Government Act (MGA), requires the petitioner to collect more than 514,000 valid signatures within 60 days.

City clerk Kate Martin said staff counted 69,344 unverified signatures since the petition was dropped off at Elections Calgary last month.

"I, Katarzyna Martin, city clerk at the City of Calgary, hereby declare the recall petition to recall Mayor Jyoti Gondek received April 4, 2024, to be insufficient," Martin told council.

The cost to verify the petition has been $30,559 so far, which includes salaries for the six limited-term staff hired for the process.

The campaign was started by Landon Johnston, who said he wanted to send a message to the mayor and council that many Calgarians are upset with spending and tax increases. The effort was also launched to highlight the nearly impossible bar set under provincial recall legislation, Johnston told CTV News.