Separatism referendum cost $84 million, exceeded Elections Alberta’s budget

Posted November 5, 2026 6:13 pm

1 min read

7:59 The road ahead: how Alberta’s referendum could reshape the fight for provincial powers

Alberta’s elections agency says last month’s historic separation vote came with a price tag of $84 million.

Officials from Elections Alberta shared the total when they appeared at a legislature committee on Thursday.

Chief electoral officer Gordon McClure says the Alberta referendum price tag is nearly $50 million more than the agency’s annual budget could pay for and that it needs the government to cover the rest through additional funding.

He says roughly $26 million is needed just to pay staff who counted more than 22 million ballots that were cast in the 10-question vote.

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McClure and other officials say the referendum was crushing for staff, with many working 16-hour shifts or longer, and one who developed appendicitis and put off getting treatment.

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Elections Alberta is also asking for an additional $9 million in funding to start preparing for next year’s general election, which it says it will be able to deliver on time despite the government planning to bring new electoral maps into law in the coming weeks.

— More to come…

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