Alberta separatists say they are delivering 301K signatures on petition for referendum
Posted May 4, 2026 5:32 am.
Last Updated May 4, 2026 12:53 pm.
A group of Alberta separatists gathering signatures to trigger a referendum on pulling the province out of Confederation is set to hand in its petition sheets Monday.
Mitch Sylvestre, the head of Stay Free Alberta, says it plans to deliver the thousands of names to Elections Alberta’s head office in Edmonton.
More than a month ago, Sylvestre said the group had already collected much more than the approximate 178,000 signatures required since it started in January.
The question of separation could go on a provincewide ballot as early as October, as Premier Danielle Smith has said she would move forward if enough names are gathered and verified.
However, the petition could face another hurdle.
An Edmonton judge is expected to rule this week on a court challenge launched by a group of Alberta First Nations that say the petition violates treaty rights.
Additionally, the Centurion Project, a separatist group, publicly distributed a list naming nearly three million electors in Alberta and their addresses. Elections Alberta is probing the matter.
The app was taken down on Thursday after Elections Alberta obtained a judge’s injunction ordering the group to shut it down.
The Centurion Project has since said it will comply with Elections Alberta’s investigation, which, among other things, is looking into how the group got a hold of the list.
Such voter lists are only distributed by Elections Alberta to elected officials, political parties and party officials. Provincial law dictates that it can only be used to solicit donations, recruit party members and communicate with electors.
