Role of Election Commissioner Moved to Office of the Chief Electoral Officer
November 22, 2019
EDMONTON – Bill 22, the Reform of Agencies, Boards and Commissions and Government Enterprises Act came into effect on November 22, 2019, dissolving the Office of the Election Commissioner and transferring all its responsibilities to the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (Elections Alberta).
All investigations begun by the Office of the Election Commissioner will continue under Elections Alberta’s statutory mandate.
Prior to July 2018, when the Office of the Election Commissioner was created, Elections Alberta was responsible for receiving complaints and conducting all investigations regarding non-compliance with the Election Act and the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act. Elections Alberta is once again tasked with performing this regulatory role. It will resume this role in accordance with its duty to act independently and to apply the election and election finance legislation consistently and fairly.
Transition activities will be taking place, commencing with a review of the current activities of the former Office of the Election Commissioner, to determine ongoing budgetary, workload, and resource needs.
A timeline for the appointment of an Election Commissioner has not yet been identified. The Chief Electoral Officer, Glen Resler, who is an independent, non-partisan officer of the legislature, will perform the role during the transition period.
Persons that have information about a possible offence they believe was committed under the Election Act, Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act or the Local Authorities Election Act, can continue to submit their complaints:
- by email, at: complaints@albertaelectioncommissioner.ca;
- by phone, toll-free at: 1.833.232.6487; or
- online, at: albertaelectioncommissioner.ca/complaints.
Elections Alberta is an independent non-partisan office of the Legislative Assembly responsible for administering provincial elections, by-elections and referenda.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Pamela Renwick
Director, Operations and Communications
Suite 100, 11510 Kingsway Ave NW
Edmonton, Alberta T5G 2Y5
780.427.7191
Pamela.Renwick@elections.ab.ca
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