A petition is a formal request to Council for:

• an action to be taken
• express public opinion to Council.

Petitions can be made in response to three different matters:

1. Bylaws - Electors may petition for a new bylaw, or a bylaw to amend or repeal an existing bylaw.
2. Advertised Bylaws and Resolutions - Electors may petition against advertised bylaws or resolutions.
3. Local Improvements - Ratepayers can petition for a local improvement. Property owners affected by a proposed local improvement can petition against the local improvement.

A petition must be completed in a specific way in order to be valid.  For detailed instructions visit the Alberta Government's Petition information for electors web page.

The minimum number of signatures varies depending on the purpose and nature of the petition. Petitions to amend an existing bylaw or resolution or to pass a bylaw by Council require signatures from 10% of the population. Signatories must be over 18, residents of Red Deer and eligible to vote.

The requirements for a valid petition are quite technical, in order to ensure the integrity of the process.

• Each page of the petition must include an identical purpose statement which sets out which bylaw/resolution the petitioners are acting on.
• In addition to signatures, the petition must include, for each petitioner, their printed full names, street address, telephone number or email address, and the date of signature.
• Further, every signature must be witnessed by an adult who also submits an affidavit.
• Petitions must also include a statement by a ‘petition representative’  attesting that various steps were properly completed.

Online petitions can be a great way to raise awareness or express public opinion on an issue but are not sufficient under the MGA.

If a petition is formally filed with the City it will be assessed for sufficiency within 45 days A sufficient petition would then be acted on in accordance with the MGA.. In most cases the 10% threshold is not met; however the petition is still representative of community interest in the matter, and is provided to Council like all written submissions.

Where a petition is submitted on a matter that subsequently proceeds to a public hearing, all affected persons are entitled to submit written or verbal comments, even if they previously signed the petition.