We’re less than two weeks out from the Oct. 19 separation vote that Alberta Premier Danielle Smith was determined to put us all through come hell or high water and the election gong show continues unabated.
With the hardest part yet to come, we all have to know its only likely to get worse from here on in – and it won’t end on election day, either, or even when the ballots are counted.
The word just in from Elections Alberta is that at least 3,000 ballots can’t be counted as received because – as the provincial election administration office explained it yesterday – voters failed to properly identify themselves in the mail-in voting process.
So if you think your ballot may not have been counted, folks, just remember that it’s probably your fault, nothing to do with the complicated and confusing process or the inaccurate instructions sent out in some cases by Elections Alberta.
Well, I don’t suppose we could have expected Elections Alberta – which is understaffed, underfunded and recently plagued by departures of veteran staffers – to take the rap for this problem. And the United Conservative Party certainly isn’t going to.
That may explain why Elections Alberta appears not to have put out a news release about this particular development, although it did mention in a release published last Thursday that, as of then, “over 5,700 applications were rejected due to a variety of reasons, including elector ineligibility, duplicate requests, and invalid addressing or other information.”
The 3,000 voters reported on yesterday have been contacted by Elections Alberta, media said, and “if they provide the required information, by email, we can process their special ballot, a spokesperson told The Globe and Mail.
But this is hardly going to help the agency, as the Globe politely put it, “assuage concerns about election integrity in the home stretch of the referendum campaign.” Both sides of the separation question have encouraged supporters to vote from home.
For those of you unable to peek behind The Globe’s paywall, here’s a link to a brief from The Canadian Press.
In addition to the highly divisive separation referendum – composed by the Smith Government to get around court rulings that said the question sought by a separatist group’s “citizen initiative” campaign was unconstitutional – there are nine wordy and confusing questions also drafted by the government designed to push contentious immigration and constitutional agenda demanded by the party’s influential separatist and MAGA wings.
As such, it will be one of the largest and most complicated electoral events in Canadian history, with as many as 45 million ballots for the 10 referenda, which are supposedly to be counted manually within 48 hours.
At this point, the purpose of this exercise – which is expected to cost Alberta taxpayers at least $130 million – appears to be to keep Premier Smith from being given the bum’s rush by her United Conservative Party’s large and likely now dominant separatist faction.
Premier ‘not affiliated’ with persons named in Globe report
Meanwhile, Premier Smith continues to insist through her spokesperson she knows nothing about the meetings between leaders of the so-called Alberta Prosperity Project and U.S. State Department officials on three occasions in Washington in 2025.
Ms. Smith “is not affiliated with these individuals’ activities and has no knowledge of these alleged meetings,” Press Secretary Sam Blackett told The Canadian Press on Monday.
An investigative report in last Saturday’s Globe and Mail said the three men – Bonnyville gun-store owner Mitch Sylvestre, lawyer Jeffrey Rath, and surgeon Dennis Modry – offered the American officials “access to fresh water and royalties on crude oil, in exchange for help transitioning to independence.” The Globe named Dr. Modry as the source of that information, which both Mr. Sylvestre and Mr. Rath deny.
Mr. Sylvestre, who is also president of the UCP constituency association for the Bonnyville-Cold Lake UCP riding, said he only attended one of the meetings.
PIA demands immediate investigation of Globe allegations
Also Monday, Public Interest Alberta’s Together No! campaign demanded that Premier Danielle Smith order Elections Alberta to begin an immediate investigation of allegations the same Globe and Mail report that Republican campaign operatives from the United States interfered in the separation referendum campaign.
“The premier of Alberta bears a responsibility to the Crown, and we believe she is obligated to request an investigation,” PIA Executive Director Bradley Lafortune said in a news release sent to media Monday.
“Albertans with clear and proven ties to the United Conservative Party appear to have been colluding with American operatives,” Mr. Lafortune said. “The issue is not Danielle Smith’s personal ‘affiliation’ with these individuals – the issue is whether she takes the reported allegations seriously enough and whether she will act on behalf of Alberta to get to the bottom of this.”
Readers shouldn’t hold their breath waiting for a response to PIA’s call.
NDP goes to court over voters list denial
Finally, the Opposition NDP went to court yesterday seeking an injunction to prevent the UCP Government from blocking political parties from accessing information needed to scrutineer the referendum vote.
A cabinet order on Sept. 17 temporarily removed the ability of scrutineers to access provincial voters lists, supposedly to ensure the security of voters’ personal information. “The UCP’s actions weaken election oversight and undermine confidence in the integrity in our democratic institutions,” NDP House Leader Christina Gray said in a news release.
“Once again, Danielle Smith and the UCP are changing the rules at the last minute for their own political advantage,” Ms. Gray said. “Smith changed the law three times to help separatists, and she’s gerrymandering electoral boundaries. Now, her government is making it harder to properly scrutineer the vote and reach pro-Canada voters.”
The court reserved judgment.
UCP walks back married couples’ AISH and ADAP cuts
In an unrelated matter yesterday, the UCP walked back a cruel policy that had significantly reduced benefits to married couples in which both partners received Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped or Alberta Disability Assistance Program benefits.
The restoration of benefits – which cost disabled couples on AISH as much as $464 a month and those on ADAP as much as $416 a month – was made “in response to feedback from clients, families and community partners,” a government news release said.
This is no doubt true and one imagines the backlash from loved ones and supporters of people often not able to advocate for themselves was fierce.
The news release was misleadingly headlined, “Stronger supports for Albertans with disabilities.” A sub-head admitted, “Alberta’s government is restoring benefits for eligible couples.”
“Affected clients will also receive retroactive payments fully reimbursing the difference back to the August 2026 period of assistance, when the adjusted rate was first applied,” the news release said. “This change will help provide greater financial stability for these couples and families. No action is required, and clients will receive their retroactive payment before the end of the year.”
If both married partners were on AISH, their monthly income will return to $1,940 each from the reduced $1,708 each imposed by the government in August. If they were on ADAP, their payments would return to $1,740 from $1,532.
The date of the promised repayment is not known.
Other problems created by the UCP with its transition from AISH to ADAP will presumably continue.
The Seppies have committed treason. The UCP has been supporting the seppies. Add the two together, and it equals tossing this government out on its ear and banning the UCP from politics.
Danielle’s gong show: flood the zone with sh*t in order to neuter the democratic process. Complete & utter betrayal of Albertans.
I noticed a minor error in the 4th paragraph: “So if you think you ballot” perhaps could be “your ballot”.
While this whole thing is designed to promote confusion, and errors, at least Elections Alberta is catching some of the mistakes made by voters and trying to show this as being a fair process.
Thank you, OA. It’s been fixed. DJC
My ballot finally checked itself in, although it makes no sense that it did so nearly three weeks after another one from my household which was mailed in the same mailbox inside a post office at the same time. Could it be that scrutineers are rampantly challenging the special ballots? Did someone in a supervisory role at Elections Alberta finally let it through? Everything was in order. I’m thinking there was such a challenge and my ballot was set aside because the “approved” date was changed from July to the same date in October as the “received” date. The other ballot in my household retained its July “approved” date. I kept screenshots.
I’d be curious to know when the dust settles if there’s any kind of gender, constituency, age or other imbalance in the rejected ballots, and what role scrutineers played in rejecting ballots.
I urge everyone who mailed in a special ballot to check on its status. Go back to the email you received from Elections Alberta and click on the link. If it hasn’t been “received” by October 16, you have the right to vote on the final day of the advanced polls on Saturday, October 17, or on Monday, October 19. Check the location of your polling stations. Advance polls in my area change locations for the final day.
It is correct to watch your ballot carefully, as who knows what could happen with the entire voters’ list circulating in the ether.
I was one of the folks who got a ballot with the $50,000 fine threat, which I crossed out with a (big Sharpie, chosen for its symbolism) pen as instructed by Elections Alberta. Could that lead to a ballot being detained for questioning?
I did not have a postal code on my ballot, although one did appear on the outer envelope it was mailed in. I chose not to alter my ballot by writing in the postal code. Instructions said to contact Elections Alberta for a replacement ballot if any information was incorrect. I figured if the postal code was left off, it was irrelevant due to the ballot having a bar code. Obviously the outer envelope was correct and my information at Elections Alberta is correct or I wouldn’t have gotten the ballot.
Why did everything about this vote feel like walking into a trap?
@abs
My wife and I also received that version of the ballot; I phoned EA and their instructions were to cross out, as you did.
These 3,000 screwed up ballots are the first of many SNAFU’s to be expected during this referendum that will allow Smith to declare the results inconclusive, ushering in a separation referendum.
We should also keep in mind that the next time we hear from Jason Kenney doing his elder statesman cosplay, he started this ball rolling.
5700 out of 658 k = 0.8 % total errors so far; 3000 out of 658 k = 0.5 % total errors being offered mitigation.
Considering what gong show this whole exercise has been, these are remarkably low error rates.
I went back to the rejected special ballots in the 2023 general election for comparison. So far those figures track. In 2023, 313 special ballots ballots were rejected at the count, out of a total 51,351 cast, or 0.064 percent.
7,423 special ballots were rejected in total, including ballots not returned by the deadline.
https://www.elections.ab.ca/uploads/2023-Provincial-General-Election-Report.pdf
So Danielle Smith is now doing a Trump with Rath, Modry and Sylvestre? “Who, who? Never heard of that guy. Don’t know him.” Right. Before Danielle ran for UCP leadership, she claimed her first call was to Modry for advice. After she became premier, Modry was the person who set up the personal call between Smith and pastor Artur Pawlowski where she said she was reminding prosecutors almost weekly about her concerns over the Coutts border charges. In January 2026, Modry told an independence rally in Stony Plains that Smith had told him she’d be prepared to stay on as the leader of an independent Alberta. Then, Modry disappeared from public view – after it was revealed that a BC judge had ruled he misappropriated $1.3 million dollars from elderly relatives with dementia. At last check, Modry had still not repaid the money back to his relatives’ estates. So where is Dennis Modry these days? Does Danielle still have his number on speed dial. Are we to believe that two people who obviously talked frequently about Alberta independence never mentioned any meetings in DC? Modry recorded the phone conversation involving him, Pastor Art and Smith. Did he record any others? Inquiring minds would like to know.
I hear Texas is lovely this time of year.
I heard that David Parker skedaddled off to Texas, when Elections Alberta asked his “Centurion” (aka, latest vanity) Project about that voter list. Does anyone know if Parker’s still there?
Last I google searched, was inconclusive.
Extradition would be interesting.
Mike J. Danysh: I am not sure. Has David Parker even paid the over $100,000 in fines he owes to Elections Alberta?
It is a complicated process, but when you consider all the questions asked and having to hand count ballots, unfortunately this is only the tip of the iceberg or the start of the gong show.
It is true that Elections Alberta is very constrained by what Smith and the UCP have set up. It is almost as they are being set up for failure, or as said, a discredited result that will provide an excuse to proceed to another referendum regardless.
This is all very unfortunate and difficult for all those people who work diligently to try ensure our electoral process works and goes smoothly, as well as for Albertans in general. However, it is on brand for Smith, who is divisive and has been said many times before, leaves chaos in her wake.
I submitted a request for mail in ballot on August 10th. It was mailed to me on September 8th, Election Alberta advised me that they received it on September 20th, I was advised that my kit had been received and my ballot had been cast. However fifteen day later, on October 5th. I received an email that an important document was missing and I would have to email an other one, which I did. This is a bloody gong show, they are messing with the ballots, I will attempt to vote again on election day.
The system is running like a fine-tuned engine. Disabled people living below the poverty line are being nickeled and dimed whike public money goes to pay for hockey rinks so that billionaire team owners have somewhere nice to watch their high-priced meat puppets in action. Great job by the Coilers giving second chances to those who have strayed from the path.
“Ms. Smith “is not affiliated with these individuals’ activities and has no knowledge no knowledge of these alleged meetings,” Press Secretary Sam Blackett told The Canadian Press on Monday.”
Denying or distorting publicly known and agreed upon facts and the creation of counter narratives is a deliberate and calculated case of collective gaslighting.
It is a classic example of a post truth political system using its power to distort and corrupt language in order to distort and manipulate thought in the audience of the governed.
For example, the unambiguous reality is one where “these alleged meetings,”” have been widely reported on and have been confirmed by individuals directly involved in those same meetings:
“In a recent interview with NBC News, Modry said, “It’s heartening to us at each of the three meetings that we’ve had with the U.S. administration to be informed that the entire U.S. administration is supportive of Alberta becoming a sovereign country.””
What is also undeniable fact is the following, “Alberta Prosperity Project co-founder Dennis Modry, left, and CEO Mitch Sylvestre, right, pictured with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, centre, at a United Conservative Party event in May 2025. A judge ruled two months earlier that Modry misappropriated $1.3 million from his aunt and uncle. (Bonnyville Cold Lake St Paul UCP Association/Facebook)”
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/dennis-modry-misappropriated-funds-9.7105913
See also,
https://energi.media/alberta/alberta-separatists-us-interference-duane-bratt/
The premier of Alberta may or may not be “affiliated (“to associate as a member) with these individuals’ activities”, but she associates with and is associated with various individuals promoting Alberta separatism, according to all of the publicly available evidence. Or,
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-power-prime/201209/six-reasons-why-politicians-believe-they-can-lie
These rejected ballots.., is anyone really surprised? Especially after what they did to the “Water Not Coal” petition. This referendumb, reminds me of back alley craps. The dice are loaded and this fake government will do what it takes, to screw Alberta and Canada.
One of the things we all need to realize is that the UCP is using what is, according to populist thinking, the most democratic method– i.e.”direct” (referendums, plebiscites, recall votes, etc) democracy, vs. representative democracy– as a deliberate tactic to discredit democracy itself.
They WANT us to see how badly it works….Then they will shrug, smile and say “you’d never run a business this way, wouldya?!?”
Yet another rationale for privatization and a further erosion of the institutions of civil society.
Here’s one more fish to slap Smith with, figuratively of course:
One of her referendum questions, if successful, would make it possible to block the Pacific pipeline, because it would make provincial powers override federal powers:
https://x.com/andrew_leach/status/2107929948682072102
That’s what happens when you write referendum questions on a bar napkin or whatever she did without thinking things through. Fool.
Smith and gang reduced the amount of money disabled people receive??????? Has she not been to a grocery store. What sort of animal does that? Oh, right we had some one like that in B.C., Christy Clark when she deducted nickel for nickel what a child received from their non custodial parent if the custodial parent was on provincial disability. Some one ought to have Smith live on that $1400 and change per month. If she didn’t hold her referedum and used the money for the disabled things would have been better for these clients.
The screw ups with the voting, sounds like a game plan from the maga crowd south of the 49th. Surely there must be some laws against all of her stupidity, but then most likely previous government did not consider people as self centered and dumb and Smith and her gang.
Thank you for these posts which provide us with information the msm isn’t.
There’s only one reason why we see this assault on the human dignity of the poor.
Governments across this country, especially — but, sadly, not exclusively — seem to be more fearful of social assistance recipients “double-dipping”, i.e, receiving more income from disparate sources than they are “entitled to”, than of poor people dying in the streets.
So they claw back, and they nickel and dime, and they basically treat poverty as a crime perpetrated by the poor, instead of an economic crime perpetrated against them.
I’ve never been a fan of universal basic income, because if applied to people with jobs, it removes the responsibility of paying a living wage from their employers, where it properly belongs. But given the changes occurring in our labour markets, I’m beginning to adjust my opinion on it, at least with respect to those who are not employed and those unable to be employed.
Rays. I missed a word. It was in my head, but didn’t get to my keyboard.
The first sentence in my second paragraph should have read, “Governments across this country, especially — but, sadly, not exclusively — conservatives, seem to be more fearful of …” etc. etc. It probably makes more sense now lol.
e.a.f.: An NDP MLA tried living off of AISH income for one month, and they struggled. Danielle Smith has no care for them, and that’s been established.
The UCP and Danielle Smith are heartless and cruel. Those on AISH aren’t their concern. I think that this referendum is skewed. The UCP and Danielle Smith can’t be trusted.