Referendum · October 19, 2026
Stay Free Alberta logo — the map of Alberta with the words Stay Free
Stay Free AlbertaPutting Albertans First

Albertans First —
so that you have self‑determination

The Path to the Referendum
Mitch Sylvestre among supporters waving Alberta flags
“ In the past, our freedom was won through blood and battles. We are born free — and to Stay Free, Alberta, we must give our time: to show up, to have the courage to listen, and to work hard. This is the price of liberty now.
— Mitch Sylvestre · Proponent of the Citizen Initiative
Our Mission

The Path to Self‑Determination

A Referendum Relating to Alberta Independence

Mitch Sylvestre signing the citizen initiative application at Elections Alberta
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December 22, 2025

Application Approved — Constitutional Referendum

Proponent Mitch Sylvestre applied under the Citizen Initiative Act for a constitutional referendum: “A Referendum Relating to Alberta Independence.” Elections Alberta approved the application on December 22, 2025.

The Notice of Intent was received by Elections Alberta on December 11, 2025, the application was approved on December 22, 2025, and the initiative petition was issued on January 2, 2026 — starting the 120-day clock. Elections Alberta set the signature requirement at 177,732: 10% of the votes cast in the previous provincial general election.

Mitch Sylvestre signing the citizen initiative application at Elections Alberta
Mitch Sylvestre files the citizen initiative application at Elections Alberta.

Sources: [1] Elections Alberta, Current Citizen Initiative Petitions (Notice of Intent, approval, issue dates, requirement); [2] Elections Alberta, July 24, 2026.

Volunteers collecting signatures
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Jan 2 – May 2, 2026

Signatures Collected

Four months of door-knocking, community halls, and weekend tables in the cold. By Stay Free Alberta’s affirmed count, Albertans signed 301,620 times — far beyond the required threshold of 177,732.

More than 7,000 volunteer canvassers carried the petition into every corner of the province. Stay Free Alberta coordinated and administered the collection, organization, and internal review of every signature sheet. When the sheets were sealed for delivery, the compiled count stood at 301,620 signatures — and roughly 1,500 more were still in transit with Canada Post.

STAY FREE CALGARY, ALBERTA

Thousands at a town hall in Calgary's Big Four Building
Thousands packed the Big Four Building in Calgary during the drive.
Town hall audience with an Alberta Independence sign
Town halls filled in every city — Albertans came to listen, question, and sign.
Volunteers at a Sign Here petition table
“Sign here!” — volunteers kept the tables open in every kind of weather.
Volunteers holding the Alberta flag at a winter roadside signing table
Weekend tables in the cold — winter on the highway shoulder.
Canvassers signing at a table on a mountaintop with a helicopter behind
No corner too far: an official signing table on a Rocky Mountain summit.
Albertans signing the petition at a table in California
Snowbirds signed too — a collection table in California, March 2026.
An Albertan signing the petition at the pyramids of Giza with an Alberta flag
Albertans signed wherever they were — even at the Great Pyramids.
Map showing signing locations in Panama
Panama.
Map of signing locations across Alberta
Signing locations across Alberta — every region of the province stood up.
Map of signing locations in Edmonton and area
Edmonton & area signing locations.
Map of signing locations in Calgary and area
Calgary & area signing locations.
Map of signing locations across North America
Albertans signed wherever they were — collection reached travelling Albertans across North America.

EVERY MOMENT MATTERS: THE ALBERTA ADVANTAGE

Sources: [1] Statutory Declaration of Mitch Sylvestre, affirmed May 4, 2026 (Stay Free Alberta records); [2] The Canadian Press, May 4, 2026 (more than 7,000 canvassers); [3] Elections Alberta, Current Citizen Initiative Petitions.

Supporters carrying petition boxes
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May 4, 2026

Petition Submitted — Affirmed & Delivered

All petition materials — the initiative petition, every original signature sheet, and the affirmed declaration — were delivered to Elections Alberta.

The petition arrived at Elections Alberta headquarters in Edmonton in 42 banker boxes, cheered in by hundreds of supporters. The Signature Count of 301,620 was affirmed by a Statutory Declaration — solemnly declared by proponent Mitch Sylvestre before a Commissioner for Oaths & Notary Public in Edmonton on May 4, 2026, with the same force and effect as if made under oath. At the direction of Elections Alberta, the completed signature sheets were delivered the same day.

AB — Staying Strong & Free: scenes from the signature delivery.

Mitch Sylvestre arriving at Elections Alberta with supporters
Mitch Sylvestre arriving at Elections Alberta with supporters, May 4, 2026.
Mitch Sylvestre delivering the signature sheets to Elections Alberta officials
Delivery day: handing the signature sheets to Elections Alberta, May 4, 2026.
Letter to Premier Danielle Smith, May 4, 2026
The letter to Premier Smith: “Albertans have spoken… give Albertans the vote on the clear constitutional questions they’ve asked for.”
Statutory Declaration affirming 301,620 signatures
The Statutory Declaration affirming the 301,620-signature count before a Commissioner for Oaths & Notary Public.
Supporter flying the Alberta flag at the delivery rally
Delivery day under a big Alberta sky.
Crowd of supporters with Alberta flags at the delivery
Hundreds gathered outside Elections Alberta to see the boxes go in.
Mitch Sylvestre surrounded by media at the delivery
The media scrum — every camera in Edmonton found the story.
Mitch Sylvestre speaking at the Stay Free Alberta podium
Mitch addresses Albertans before the boxes go in.

Sources: [1] Statutory Declaration, affirmed at Edmonton, May 4, 2026 (pictured above); [2] Elections Alberta, “Citizen Initiative Petition Received,” May 2026; [3] The Canadian Press, May 4, 2026 (42 boxes; delivery); [4] Letter to Premier Smith, May 4, 2026 (pictured above).

Stay Free Alberta victory medal
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July 24, 2026

Petition Verified: Deemed Successful

Elections Alberta has verified the petition: 222,597 signatures verified — well above the 177,732 required. The Chief Electoral Officer has publicly reported that the petition met the success threshold.

How the numbers moved through the legal process:

  • 301,620delivered — Stay Free Alberta’s count, affirmed by Statutory Declaration (May 4)
  • 286,593initial count logged by Elections Alberta on the sheets received
  • 279,337valid signatures counted (Citizen Initiative Act s.6(4))
  • 222,597verified by random statistical sampling at a 95% confidence level (s.6(5))
  • 177,732required — 10% of the 1,777,315 votes cast in the 2023 provincial election

Where the differences went: roughly 1,500 signatures were still in transit with Canada Post on delivery day — recorded in the affirmed declaration — and never reached the count. Another 15,027 of the affirmed 301,620 did not appear in Elections Alberta’s initial log of 286,593 (no official breakdown has been published). Of the signatures logged, 7,256 could not be counted as valid — incomplete addresses, missing declarations, witness-timing defects, and 292 duplicates. Random statistical sampling then set the verified figure at 222,597. Even after every reduction, the petition finished at 125% of the legal threshold, with about 7.5% of all provincial electors signing. Verification ran July 6–23; results were announced July 24, 2026.

Democratic Integrity

Reported by Elections Alberta · July 24, 2026

  • No fraudulent use reported. No individual contacted for verification reported that their information was on the petition fraudulently.
  • Decoy-name screen: clean. On May 1, 2026 the Chief Electoral Officer directed that verification also determine whether any of the seeded (decoy) names planted in the List of Electors appeared on the petition. Elections Alberta confirmed that none of the signatures submitted came from the seeded names — ensuring the integrity of the process.
  • Verifiable contact process. Verification calls displayed Elections Alberta caller ID, and electors could confirm a call’s legitimacy with Elections Alberta directly.

Sources: Elections Alberta — Verification Completed, Results Announced (July 24, 2026) · Elections Alberta — Verification Begins (July 6, 2026) · Elections Alberta — Current Citizen Initiative Petitions

Sources: [1] Elections Alberta, “Citizen Initiative Petition Verification Completed, Results Announced,” July 24, 2026 (all counts, rejection reasons, sampling method); [2] Elections Alberta, “Verification Begins,” July 6, 2026; [3] Statutory Declaration, May 4, 2026 (301,620 affirmed count).

Mitch Sylvestre
Pending

Court of Appeal Ruling

Under the Court of Appeal’s partial stay, the next steps in the citizen initiative process are on hold while the appeal is heard. If the appeal succeeds, the initiative moves forward.

How we got here: after the petition was issued, the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation and the Blackfoot Nations asked the Court of King’s Bench to review the Chief Electoral Officer’s decision to issue it. On April 10, 2026 Justice Leonard paused certification while the challenge was heard — signature collection itself was never stopped. Then on May 13, 2026, Justice Leonard quashed the CEO’s decision to issue the petition, ruling that the Crown owed First Nations a duty to consult before a petition aimed at an independence referendum could be issued, and that no consultation had taken place. Mitch Sylvestre appealed.

Watch: the fight continues for democracy — Stay Free Alberta.

On June 29, 2026 Justice Alice Woolley of the Court of Appeal suspended the effect of that ruling with a partial stay pending the appeal: signature verification was allowed to proceed — and it did, July 6–23 — but the steps that follow a successful petition are paused until the appeal is decided. Those final steps: the Chief Electoral Officer forwards the results to Alberta’s Minister of Justice, and Cabinet then directs — by Order in Council — that Elections Alberta put the proposed question to voters in a referendum. The signatures are counted, verified, and publicly reported; if the appeal succeeds, the quashing is overturned and those final steps can proceed.

Sources: [1] Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation v Alberta (Chief Electoral Officer), 2026 ABKB 278 (CanLII) (certification stay); [2] 2026 ABKB 375 (CanLII) (quashing judgment, under appeal); [3] Elections Alberta, notice of the June 29 partial stay, July 2026; [4] Red Deer Advocate, “Court of Appeal grants partial stay,” June 29, 2026.

Albertans rallying with flags
October 19, 2026

Referendum

Alberta has set a referendum for October 19, 2026 — we are hopeful our clear question will be put to Albertans at that time.

A successful citizen initiative petition puts the question to a province-wide vote. More than 222,000 verified Albertans have already asked for their say — the first successful citizen initiative in Alberta’s history. Alberta has set a provincial referendum for October 19, 2026; the path for our verified question to reach Albertans runs through the Court of Appeal, and every door knocked and every dollar raised between now and then carries that ask forward.

Watch: on to October 19 — Stay Free Alberta.

Sea of Alberta flags at a rally
A sea of Alberta flags — the movement that carries the question to the ballot.
Albertans gathered at a rally
The road to October 19, 2026.

Sources: [1] Elections Alberta, July 24, 2026 (petition deemed successful); [2] The Canadian Press / CP24, “Separation petition deemed successful,” July 24, 2026; [3] CBC News, July 24, 2026.

The Proposed Question

“Do you agree that the Province of Alberta should cease to be a part of Canada to become an independent state?”