But rather than act on them immediately, she’ll ask Albertans to ratify her ideas or reject them in referendums this fall. Those nine or 10 questions amount to more direct democracy than Alberta has ever reckoned with. Albertans will have at least nine yes-or-no questions before them in an Oct. 19 omnibus referendum — plus separation, if a petition drive prevails. According to the latest Statistics Canada population estimate, about 281,000 people in Alberta were non-permanent residents as of October. Alberta’s non-permanent population actually began to fall last year, down 15,000 from the start of 2025.

Source: CBC News February 21, 2026 10:27 UTC