Remain holds three-to-one lead as Alberta referendum count continues

Albertans’ vote to remain in Canada held at about 75 per cent Tuesday morning as the referendum count reached 84 per cent of voting places, and eight of the other nine questions on the ballot were passing.

As of 11 a.m., 1,427,592 votes had been counted for Alberta to remain a province of Canada and 467,683 for the provincial government to start the legal process toward a binding separation referendum, or 75.3 per cent to 24.7 per cent, according to unofficial results on the Elections Alberta results site. Results were in from 4,745 of 5,583 voting areas and locations.

Elections Alberta counts a voting place as reporting once any question there has been entered, so many locations still have ballots left to count on some questions.

In southeastern Alberta, all reporting voting places were in for Cypress-Medicine Hat, where Remain had 68.1 per cent, 16,916 votes to 7,906. In Brooks-Medicine Hat, Remain had 63.2 per cent, 13,842 to 8,073, with 71 of 73 voting places reporting.

Taber-Warner, which includes Bow Island and Foremost, remained the closest in the region. Remain had 53.6 per cent there, 9,789 to 8,486, with 65 of 70 voting places reporting. That was the fourth-lowest Remain share of Alberta’s 87 electoral divisions.

The option to begin the separation process led in only two divisions: Central Peace-Notley, where it had 51 per cent, and Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre, where it had 50.9 per cent. Drumheller-Stettler was close behind, with Remain at 51.5 per cent. Those patterns also appear on Mainstreet Research’s live results map, which draws on the Elections Alberta count.

Support for Remain was highest in Edmonton and parts of Calgary. In Edmonton-Strathcona, where all voting places had reported, Remain had 90.4 per cent.

On the other nine questions, the five on immigration, social programs and voting were passing comfortably. Question 1, on greater provincial control over immigration, had 54.5 per cent support. Question 2, limiting provincially funded programs to citizens, permanent residents and those with Alberta-approved status, had 55.9 per cent. Question 3, a 12-month residency rule for social supports, had 58.1 per cent, Question 4, a fee for non-permanent residents’ use of health care and education, had 57.5 per cent, and Question 5, proof of citizenship to vote, had 63.9 per cent.

The constitutional questions were closer. Question 7, on abolishing the Senate, had 53.5 per cent, Question 6, on provinces choosing their own superior court judges, had 51.6 per cent, and Question 9, giving provincial laws priority over conflicting federal laws, had 51 per cent. Question 8, letting provinces opt out of federal programs while keeping the funding, was the only one trailing, at 48.9 per cent.

Overnight, several of the constitutional questions had been behind. They moved ahead as more ballots were counted Tuesday morning.

Premier Danielle Smith, who said in a post on X Monday night that Albertans had voted for a stronger Alberta in a united Canada, is scheduled to address the province at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday.

Provincial rules require the unofficial count to be finished within 48 hours of polls closing. Official results are scheduled to be announced Oct. 29.