Elections | Referendums

OPINION Cornell Van Ryk, a resident of the MD of Pincher Creek, has been posting his thoughts on the Oct. 19 referendum questions to social media. After readers asked us to bring the series to the paper, he agreed to walk Breeze readers through the ballot. He describes himself as a political junkie with no […]

If you turn the pages of this week’s issue with a sigh and feel weary at the sight of yet another referendum story, I understand. I feel it too. This week’s paper leans more toward hard news than usual. It wasn’t planned, it’s simply how the stories came together. There’s an article on campaign signs […]

For some Piikani and Kainai members, the Oct. 19 referendum raises a question that isn’t on the ballot: what a provincial vote can mean for treaties signed with Canada. For others, the harder question is whether they can prove who they are at the polls. Both concerns came up Aug. 29, when about 30 members […]

Signs promoting Alberta independence have been knocked down or taken repeatedly in Pincher Creek since they went up Sept. 8, according to a volunteer with the campaign that placed them. They asked not to be named for fear of being targeted in the community. They filed a report with RCMP on Sept. 10 for the […]

Crowsnest Pass voters will head to the polls this fall after council set the date for a byelection to fill the seat vacated by Colleen MacDonald. At its Aug. 18 regular meeting, council passed a motion setting Nov. 17 as election day and Oct. 20 as nomination day. Barbara Kelly was appointed returning officer, with […]

The fight over coal mining near the headwaters of the Oldman River is headed to court. Corb Lund‘s Water Not Coal campaign has asked a judge to overturn Elections Alberta‘s decision that its petition, signed by more than 200,000 Albertans, fell just short of forcing a referendum. One of the two projects the petition targeted […]

A citizen initiative petition proposing a referendum on Alberta becoming an independent country has been declared successful after Elections Alberta verified enough signatures to satisfy the requirements of the Citizen Initiative Act. The agency announced Friday that statistical verification estimated 222,597 valid signatures from an initial submission of 286,593 signatures, surpassing the required minimum of […]

Water Not Coal is asking people contacted by Elections Alberta during petition signature verification to share their experiences, as the campaign weighs a legal challenge with a filing deadline of Aug. 2. “We’re still gathering our information. We’ve put out a public call,” campaign proponent Corb Lund says. “We want to understand their experience and […]

Elections Alberta began verifying signatures July 6 on a citizen initiative petition seeking a referendum on Alberta independence, with results due by July 27. The petition, titled A Referendum Relating to Alberta Independence, proposes the question “Do you agree that the Province of Alberta should cease to be a part of Canada to become an […]

Submission from Allan Garbutt, Cowley   Let me get this straight. Our premier and her government claim to believe in direct democracy. That is, they will do what the people ask them to do. The citizen petitions and subsequent referendums seem to be an example of this. For those items that do not generate petitions, […]

Corb Lund’s campaign to halt new coal mining along Alberta’s Eastern Slopes has cleared its threshold, but Premier Danielle Smith says the question won’t appear on the Oct. 19 referendum ballot, despite earlier indications it would. On June 10, Lund and a group of Water Not Coal supporters unloaded 18 bins of signature sheets from […]

Corb Lund’s campaign to halt new coal mining along Alberta’s Eastern Slopes has cleared its threshold. Organizers delivered more than 205,000 signatures to Elections Alberta on June 10, about 27,000 more than the 177,732 signatures required under the Citizen Initiative Act. Lund and a group of Water Not Coal supporters arrived at the Elections Alberta […]

The personal information of 2.9 million Albertans — including names, addresses and in some cases phone numbers — was published publicly on a website by the Centurion Project Ltd., a third-party organization that obtained Alberta’s list of electors without authorization. Elections Alberta confirmed the breach on April 30 and obtained an emergency court injunction the […]

Pat Rypien is stepping into her first term as mayor of Crowsnest Pass with a clear goal: to strengthen communication, build trust and ensure residents feel included in decisions that shape their community. Rypien won the mayoral race decisively, taking more than 76 per cent of ballots cast in the Oct. 20 municipal election. Deep […]

As ballots were counted following the October 2025 municipal elections, voter participation told two very different stories across the neighbouring communities of Pincher Creek and Crowsnest Pass. While the Town of Pincher Creek saw a steep decline in voter turnout compared to the 2021 municipal election, Crowsnest Pass residents showed renewed enthusiasm at the polls. […]

Bernice Cyr holds claim to the sixth and final Pincher Creek council seat by just four votes over Blaise O’Rourke, according to unofficial results from the Oct. 20 election. Cyr received 252 votes while O’Rourke had 248. The Town of Pincher Creek will confirm official results on Friday, Oct. 24. Wayne Oliver was acclaimed mayor […]

Ballots have been counted and Pat Rypien has won the Crowsnest Pass mayoral race with 1,515 votes in the Oct. 20 municipal election. Rypien defeated current councillor Glen Girhiny, who received 393 votes, and Douglas Raines with 78 votes. Eleven candidates competed for six council positions. Tony Vastenhout topped council polls with 1,428 votes, followed […]

The Town of Pincher Creek is accepting nominations for six councillors and one mayor for the municipal election. Candidates can submit forms until noon on Sept. 22 at the town office. ABmunis offers free webinars for municipal election candidates What to know before running in 2025 municipal elections  

The Village of Cowley is seeking candidates for three councillor positions in the municipal election. Nominations must be submitted between 10 a.m. and noon on Sept. 22 at the village office. ABmunis offers free webinars for municipal election candidates What to know before running in 2025 municipal elections      

Livingstone Range School Division is accepting nominations for seven school trustee positions across three wards. Candidates can submit nomination forms at six locations throughout the division until noon on Sept. 22.