Campaign to impeach Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek gains momentum but faces 'insurmountable' challenges

Calgarians hoping to recall Mayor Jyoti Gondek say poorly worded recall legislation is making their quest impossible.

Amendments to the Municipal Governance Act in 2022 will allow the recall of municipal officials. The city says it needs 514,284 signatures to recall Gondek, or 40 percent of the city's population.

Christy Koehler, executive director of the Calgary citizen advocacy group Common Sense, said more than half a million signatures are needed to recall the mayor, but the total votes cast for all mayoral candidates in the 2021 election are 390,383.

“The requirement to get signatures from at least 40 percent of the population is not going away,” Koehler told True North.

“Add in the requirements for paper signatures, witnesses and a short 60-day deadline, and the odds are stacked against the applicant.”

Petitioner Landon Johnston agrees that this criterion is ridiculous. He said the recall legislation included references to under-18s, but only adults could sign the petition.

“I'm a very obnoxious person, I'm bad at math and I'm very passionate,” she told True North. “So I think those three things tell you I'm going to do it anyway.”

Alberta Municipal Affairs Minister Rick McIver said the province is reviewing recall rules to increase accountability and oversight of councilors after receiving feedback from stakeholder engagement sessions and online surveys. He also said that the process of removing the elected official is high.

“It should not be easy 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 allows the recall of a municipal councillor. It aims to hold elected officials accountable not only during elections, but throughout their term.”

The recall is a “job review” for Gondek, Johnston said. He said the city needs clean streets, public safety training and police funding.

“They're not fulfilling their duties and responsibilities,” he said of Calgary City Council, adding that Gondek is at the top.

Gondek said he would not resign until the next election in October 2025

In an interview with CTV, he said the recall effort “stings a little bit.”

A December 2023 ThinkHQ poll of 1,116 Calgarians showed a 30 percent approval rating for Gondek's performance. The rating is down six points from June and comes after Gondek announced a 7.8% housing tax hike.

ThinkHQ president Mark Henry said the numbers before Gondek and council are the lowest he's seen in Calgary.

A recall event outside Calgary City Hall on Saturday afternoon drew hundreds of people to sign petitions and volunteer to collect more signatures.

The City of Calgary today banned the Gondek Memorial Campaign from using the forecourt of City Hall. The organizers did not want to cause trouble and held the petition behind the city hall. It was good, but it was an extreme abuse of power by Gondek. https://t.co/x2HqcBu3GJ

— Kean Beck (@TheRealKeean) February 11, 2024

Johnston plans to go downtown every Saturday to collect signatures. He says he has 500 to 1,000 signature-collecting volunteers who email him every day.

A withdrawal request must be signed in person. Campaign updates will be posted at https://recallmayorgondek.com.