CANADA VIBES NEWSROOM · MISE À JOUR | UPDATED
July 21, 2026 · Eastern Time
Stay Free Alberta says it collected nearly 302,000 signatures, well above the required threshold, for an independence referendum question set for October 19, 2026.
Update — July 21, 2026
Signature verification is under way at Elections Alberta, proceeding under security after a court allowed the process to continue while an earlier ruling is appealed. Results are expected by July 27. Organizers report roughly 302,000 signatures, well above the ~178,000 threshold. The separation question is set for Alberta’s province-wide referendum on October 19, 2026.
Elections Alberta has begun verifying signatures collected on a petition calling for a separation-related question to be added to the provincial ballot. Verification results are expected to be published by July 27.
The organizing group, Stay Free Alberta, says it gathered nearly 302,000 signatures, well above the roughly 178,000 required to force the question onto the ballot.
Premier Danielle Smith announced on May 21 a tenth referendum question asking voters whether Alberta should remain part of Canada or pursue a path toward a binding referendum on separation. The announcement followed a legal challenge over whether Indigenous communities had been adequately consulted.
The separation question will be one of ten questions put to Albertans in the province-wide referendums scheduled for October 19, 2026.
What to watch
- Publication of signature-verification results, expected by July 27.
- Possible reactions from the federal government and other provinces.
- How the referendum campaign unfolds ahead of the October 19 vote.
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