Alberta's Referendum Site Sparks Controversy

0:00It's April 27th. This is Canada News Today, powered by AI. I'm Corey with the story. Alberta is dropping a standalone referendum this October 19th on non-big questions about immigration and provincial rights. A pro-immigration group called, Our Alberta Advantage, just hit elections Alberta with a complaint over the government's shiny new website. They say it's straight up campaigning for yes votes using taxpayer dollars, twisting facts to sway the public. That site blasts temporary residents for costing over $1 billion a year in health and education services. But critics point out it skips how these folks pay taxes and boost the economy through work and student visas. An amendment to the Election Act, one year back, lifted ad rules for referendums not tied to elections, letting the province run with this. Avonitionanda, the Edmonton lawyer behind the group, calls it a loophole that messes with democracy by stacking the deck. Premier Daniel Smith clapped back at a news conference, saying the page dishes neutral

1:00facts from public town halls via the Alberta next panel. She's upfront, the government's pushing hard for yes, believing Albertans want sustainable immigration and stronger sovereignty. Not everyone's buying it. An IT worker in Strathmore fired up a parody site, Alberta Referendum, hours after launch. It's pulled over 17,500 views, slamming the one-sided spin on why ER weights are long, for why immigration's the villain. Elections, Alberta's digging into the complaint now as the fall vote looms. With both sides firing shots, this could shape how Albertans weigh their future in the province.