Alberta Preliminary Count Shows 76% Favour Remaining in Canada

Conceptual illustration of a ballot box and Canadian flag

Updated: 20 October 2026, 8:07 a.m. EDT (Toronto)

Alberta’s preliminary referendum count showed a strong majority choosing to remain in Canada on Tuesday morning, 20 October, rather than begin the legal process for a future binding vote on separation.

Elections Alberta’s unofficial tally, checked shortly after 6 a.m. MDT, recorded 1,350,412 votes for remaining in Canada and 428,312 for starting that process. Of the 1,778,724 valid votes counted on Question 10, approximately 76 per cent favoured remaining. These figures are provisional and may change as counting continues.

The question was one of ten put to voters on Monday, 19 October. It was non-binding and did not itself authorize Alberta to leave Canada. The alternative to remaining was to commence the constitutional process required for a separate, binding provincial referendum.

The Guardian reported that Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomed the emerging result and Premier Danielle Smith also expressed support for remaining in Canada. The report independently corroborated the roughly three-to-one split in the preliminary count.

Counting on the other questions, covering immigration, provincial services and constitutional powers, was still underway. Elections Alberta lists 29 October for official results. Its reporting indicator measures locations that have started submitting at least one question, so it should not be read as confirmation that every ballot on every question has been counted.

Comments

Wainwright Fire Being Held as Crews Continue Monitoring

Updated: 18 October 2026, 4:17 a.m. EDT The fire that spread beyond Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta was being held by 11 p.m. MDT on Saturday, 17 October, the Municipal District of Wainwright said in an update reported by The Associated Press . The district said property and critical infrastructure were protected and no evacuation order was in place at that time. Firefighting crews would continue monitoring the area, according to the district’s statement cited by Agence France-Presse . The overnight update followed an earlier rapid spread of flames in strong winds. Defence Minister David McGuinty confirmed that people had died and others were injured in the incident. Authorities had not provided a confirmed casualty total or established the cause in the reports reviewed for this update. The RCMP were involved in the investigation, AP reported. The Canadian Armed Forces said a range fire was reported at about 4 p.m. Saturday and had extended beyond the training area, accordin...

Marchment Goal Gives Sharks First-Period Lead Against Maple Leafs

Updated: 19 October 2026, 8:54 p.m. EDT — game in progress Mason Marchment scored in the first period to give the San Jose Sharks a 1–0 lead over the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Monday, 19 October. San Jose still held that advantage with 12:35 remaining in the second period in the NHL’s official game centre . Marchment’s third goal of the season came at 13:54 of the opening period on a backhand shot, with Tyler Toffoli credited with the assist. The teams finished the first period level at nine shots apiece, leaving Marchment’s finish as the only goal at the intermission. ESPN’s live coverage independently confirmed the scorer, timing and 1–0 second-period score. Yaroslav Askarov started in goal for San Jose opposite Toronto’s Sergei Bobrovsky. Toronto entered the game with a 3–4–2 record, while San Jose was 4–3–1. This is an update on the opening stages of the contest; the game remained underway and no final result had been recorded at the checkpoint above.

Alberta Early Count Backs Greater Provincial Control Over Immigration

Updated: 20 October 2026, 11:49 a.m. EDT (Toronto) Alberta’s unofficial referendum count showed majority support on Tuesday morning for giving the provincial government greater control over immigration, as counting continued after Monday’s vote. At the 9:46 a.m. MDT update on 20 October, Elections Alberta recorded 740,455 Yes votes and 598,066 No votes on Question 1. That put support at about 55.3 per cent of the 1,338,521 valid votes counted for that question. The proposal asks whether Alberta should take increased control over immigration to reduce it to more sustainable levels, prioritise economic migration and give Albertans first priority for new employment opportunities. The figures are an interim count of responses to that proposal, rather than an announcement of new immigration rules. Global News reported that margins on several immigration and constitutional questions were much narrower than the vote against pursuing a future separation referendum. Its Tuesday report also pu...

9 To 5 Canada

Search This Blog