A motion to recall Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek has been filed.

The city issued a press release on Monday stating that the notice had been officially reviewed and found to be compliant with the province’s Municipal Government Act.

The law was updated by the provincial government in 2022 to allow eligible voters to file petitions to recall politicians, including mayors and municipal councillors.

This is the first notice of a recall petition received in Calgary since the law came into force.

Landon Johnston, a local business owner and Calgary resident for about ten years, filed the petition on January 30 to hold the mayor “accountable” in his first term.

Johnston, who spent $500 filing the petition, says he is unhappy with Calgary’s leadership.

For the recall resolution to be implemented, the petition must receive the support of at least 40 percent of Calgary’s population in 2019 within 60 days of today.

This means that 514,284 handwritten, non-digital signatures would be needed to have a chance of success.

If these signatures are collected and the petition is submitted within the specified time period, there is a 45-day period during which “the adequacy of the petition is assessed.”

If that is deemed sufficient, the city said, Gondek would be removed from office and would no longer be a member of the city council or any city committee, and the position of mayor would be vacant.

If the motion is deemed insufficient, a statement to that effect will be posted on the city’s website and no further motions to remove Gondek from office will be accepted for the remainder of her term.

Gondek responded to news of the petition in a statement on Monday.

“In October 2021, the people of Calgary trusted me to be a mayor who could bring balance and stability to this city at a time when polarized ideologies threatened to divide us,” the email to CBC News said.

“I remain unwaveringly committed to the work of building a future that provides opportunity and prosperity for all who live here. There is work ahead of us. Forward.”

More signatures than Calgary voters in 2021

An online poll of more than 1,100 people in December found that Gondek’s approval rating had fallen to 30 percent from 36 percent in June 2023.

However, political scientist and professor at Mount Royal University Duane Bratt describes obtaining more than half a million signatures as “virtually impossible.”

“They are demanding over 500,000 signatures, even though fewer than 400,000 people voted in the last local election,” Bratt said.

“But this is not about forcing a recall or Gondek’s removal. It is a symbolic action. But that does not mean that it is pointless.”

Duane Bratt, a political scientist at Mount Royal University, says the recall petition is “remarkable” and could affect the public’s perception of Mayor Jyoti Gondek. (Mike Symington/CBC)

Bratt says if the petition does indeed receive a significant number of signatures before the April 4 deadline – even if that number is still not enough to be considered sufficient – the outcome could be politically damaging for the mayor.

“This is not just protests in front of a city hall. This is not a series of columns criticizing you. This is not a backtracking on the paper bag policy or the backlash against the property tax. This is coming from a private individual.”

The political scientist believes that the number of signatures ultimately collected will be an indicator of how serious the people of Calgary are about this issue.

Johnston says he will do everything in his power over the next two months to get the required number of signatures, including setting up a website and trying to find volunteer poll workers.

“I will do absolutely everything I can under the law to remove the mayor. But I am well aware of the real likelihood of that happening,” he said in an interview with CBC News.

For example, Johnston would have to collect nearly 8,600 signatures per day to reach the minimum number of signatures required for his recall petition to even be considered.

“She will hear about it and maybe reconsider her approach.”

A copy of the original notice of recall can be found on the Elections Calgary website.