Definitions

1   In this regulation, "Act" means the Recall and Initiative Act.

Application for initiative petition

2   In addition to the information required by section 3 of the Act, a proponent must provide the proponent's mailing address and telephone number in the application for the issuance of an initiative petition.

[am. B.C. Reg. 76/2022, s. 4.]

Approval in principle

3   (1) If the chief electoral officer is satisfied that the application is complete and that the proposed petition meets the requirements of the Act and this regulation, the chief electoral officer must notify the proponent that the application is approved in principle and that the petition will be issued.

(2) In addition to notifying the proponent under subsection (1), the chief electoral officer must publish a notice of the approval in principle in the Gazette and in at least one newspaper circulating in British Columbia.

(3) An application that has received approval in principle and the draft Bill accompanying the application may be inspected at the office of the chief electoral officer during regular office hours and may be photocopied on payment of a fee of 20¢ per page.

(4) The chief electoral officer must issue the petition 60 days after the notice is published in the Gazette.

Title and summary

4   (1) The chief electoral officer must determine the following for each application that is given approval in principle under section 3:

(a) a descriptive title for the initiative, not exceeding 10 words;

(b) an accurate summary of the initiative, not exceeding 200 words.

(2) The title and summary referred to in subsection (1) must be an impartial reflection of the legislative proposal that is the subject matter of the proposed initiative.

Issuance of petition

5   (1) The chief electoral officer must issue the petition by sending the proponent a copy of the petition, in the form set out in the schedule, for each electoral district.

(2) All signatures collected for a petition must appear on the copy of the petition issued by the chief electoral officer or a photocopy of that copy.

(3) Paper used for photocopies of petitions must comply with the standards set by the chief electoral officer.

Registration of canvassers

6   (1) A person who wishes to canvass for signatures on an initiative petition may apply to the chief electoral officer to be registered at any time after the application is submitted under section 3 of the Act.

(2) An application under subsection (1) must be accompanied by the following:

(a) the name, residential address and telephone number of the person who wishes to canvass for signatures;

(b) an identification of the initiative with respect to which the person wishes to be a canvasser;

(c) a declaration by the person who wishes to canvass for signatures

(i) that the person is a registered voter,

(ii) that the person will have been resident in British Columbia for at least 6 months before the date on which the person intends to begin canvassing, and

(iii) that the person will comply with the Act and this regulation.

(3) An application under subsection (1) must be signed by the applicant and the proponent.

[am. B.C. Reg. 76/2022, s. 3.]

Duties of canvassers

7   (1) A canvasser must comply with the following when canvassing for signatures on a petition:

(a) the canvasser must carry the identification issued by the chief electoral officer and, if requested to do so, must produce it;

(b) the canvasser must not knowingly make any false or misleading statements about the petition or the initiative that is the subject of the petition;

(c) the canvasser must not remove, cross out or interfere with a signature on a petition;

(d) the canvasser must not use information obtained in canvassing for signatures for a purpose other than a purpose contemplated by the Act or the regulations under the Act.

(2) A canvasser may divide or group petition sheets for an electoral district to facilitate the collection of signatures if a copy of the cover sheet issued by the chief electoral officer accompanies the petition sheets during signature collection.

(3) The canvasser must ensure that persons who sign the petition

(a) sign in ink on the preprinted side of the signature sheets, and

(b) sign only once.

Submission of completed petition to chief electoral officer

8   The proponent or a person authorized in writing by the proponent to do so must submit all of the pages of the completed petition to the chief electoral officer within 90 days of the day on which the petition was issued.

Eligibility

9   (1) In order to be eligible to sign an initiative petition and have one's signature counted for the purpose of section 7 (1) (b) of the Act, the residential address of the person signing, as required by section 7 (2) of the Act, must be the residential address at which the person is registered as a voter under the Election Act.

(2) Repealed. [B.C. Reg. 293/2006, s. 1 (a).]

[en. B.C. Reg. 376/97, s. 1; am. B.C. Regs. 421/99; 293/2006, s. 1 (a).]