Alberta voting locations extend hours after late openings, delaying referendum results

EDMONTON: Counting was underway on Monday in Alberta, Canada's oil-rich province, as citizens decided whether to hold a binding independence referendum, raising concerns about national unity amid tensions with the United States. Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed concerns that Alberta's vote was occurring at an inopportune time, urging Canadians to unite against US President Donald Trump's trade war and annexation threats.

While polls suggested less than a quarter of people in the province favored independence, separatist leader Mitch Sylvestre remained optimistic. "We're hoping to win," he stated, speaking at a restaurant in Edmonton, where his team watched the results. Most polling stations were scheduled to close at 8pm (0200 GMT Tuesday), but over 100 would close later due to delayed openings, Elections Alberta announced.

Over 1.4 million of Alberta's 3.1 million eligible voters had already cast advance ballots, which were being counted starting at 5pm. Results may not be available until early Tuesday. David Gallagher, who voted earlier in Edmonton, called for a non-independent Alberta, stating, "I want to stamp it down and stop it." Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, a conservative, said she would vote against independence but called the referendum to address a deeply divisive issue.

If a majority votes to separate, she pledged to proceed with a binding referendum. Smith accused Prime Minister Carney's predecessor, Justin Trudeau, of igniting the separatist movement by trying to suppress oil production to advance his environmental agenda. Alberta's independence movement has also garnered support from Trump allies.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called Alberta a "natural partner" for the United States, while Elon Musk, a top Trump supporter, posted on X that Alberta "should separate." Sylvestre alleged that Carney had threatened the province during the final days of the campaign, saying, "Voting against Canada is dangerous." Some voters, like 44-year-old Haley Erdegard, expressed discomfort with the notion that Alberta was unfairly burdened with sharing oil revenues with the rest of Canada, arguing that "the whole point of privilege is that if you have more than somebody else, you're supposed to share."