Toronto Star
· collected 2026-09-26 · by Dayne Patterson The Canadian Press
Albertans are set to vote on October 19 in a referendum that includes questions about staying in Canada and taking more control over who can immigrate to the province. Five specific questions focus on whether Alberta should regulate immigration more strictly, potentially charging newcomers for core services or limiting their access to them. Premier Danielle Smith has emphasized balancing newcomer intake with the cost of social services but faces criticism from opposition leader Naheed Nenshi, who claims these policies are discriminatory and a way to deflect blame for economic issues onto immigrants.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-26,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
CALGARY - Albertans soon head to the polls to not only vote on Confederation but also on a raft of questions on immigration – questions that in recent months have spawned more questions.
asserted
that → head → questions
On Oct. 19, Albertans vote on whether they want to stay in Canada or whether it’s time to hold a second binding referendum on leaving Confederation.
asserted
it → vote → Confederation
It’s one of 10 questions Albertans are being asked to vote on.
asserted
Albertans → ’ → questions
Five others focus on immigrants, including whether the province should take more control over who is allowed to arrive and whether some newcomers should pay or have to wait a certain period to access core services.
asserted
newcomers → focus → services
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said they welcome newcomers but must balance that with the prohibitively high cost of social services.
But the five referendum immigration questions have spurred questions about how the province plans to take more control over the process, what the new limits will be, what fees some newcomers might be charged and whether the new rules will apply to those who have already arrived.
uncertain
who → say → those
Earlier this week, Smith and Finance Minster Jason Nixon, asked by reporters if some rule changes will apply to those already in Alberta, said it needs to be determined and only if voters give them the go-ahead on Oct. 19.
asserted
voters → ask → Oct.
“We have to talk about that as a cabinet.
asserted
We → have → cabinet
I want to see if we even have a mandate to do it,” Smith said.
asserted
Smith → want → it
The immigration questions emanate from a series of town halls Smith held around the province last summer workshopping ways to shield the province from federal overreach.
asserted
Smith → emanate → overreach
The meetings sparked fiery exchanges on immigration, including loud cheers for mass deportations at one town hall in Lloydminster.
asserted
meetings → spark → Lloydminster
Smith has faced criticism that charging some newcomers premiums to access education and health care amounts to a discriminatory head tax.
asserted
charging → face → tax
She has pushed back, saying that many other jurisdictions charge temporary residents premiums to access public health care.
asserted
jurisdictions → push → care
Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said the immigration questions aren’t about money or the economy, but about blaming newcomers.
asserted
questions → say → newcomers
“The government doesn’t know what these questions mean,” he said.
asserted
he → know → what
He noted Smith in 2024 urged the federal government to help Alberta fast track more newcomers to her province only now to warn that too many newcomers is unsustainable.
asserted
newcomers → note → province
“She suddenly realized that immigrants were a helpful scapegoat for her government’s failures, so now she’s become anti-immigrant,” Nenshi told reporters Friday.
asserted
Nenshi → realize → reporters
Not so, Immigration Minister Joseph Schow said Friday in an interview.
asserted
Schow → say → interview
He said it’s about putting Alberta’s economic needs first.
asserted
it → say → needs
”(The discrimination argument) is a very narrow-minded view of what we’re trying to do as a province,” Schow said.
asserted
Schow → try → province
“The prime minister knows that he has bills to pay, and he knows that Alberta pays those bills and we want to continue to be that economic driver of the country.
asserted
we → know → country
The province says temporary workers cost the province $1 billion a year in health care and education but only contribute $150 million in taxes.
asserted
workers → say → taxes
“These are services that are important for people to have access to, but they’re also services that are expensive, and as taxpayers, Albertans should have the ability to get access to these services,” he said.
asserted
he → have → services
Schow said a twelve-month requirement is “at least a reasonable starting block” to ask people to live in Alberta.
asserted
requirement → say → Alberta
When asked to define Alberta-approved immigration status, Schow said: “in terms of the finer parameters, we’re still working that out.”
asserted
we → ask → that
When asked what fee the province might charge newcomers for health care or education, Schow said they’re looking to get a mandate first.
uncertain
they → ask → mandate
“Then we’ll make a path forward about what that number looks like for us,” he said.
asserted
he → make → us
When asked why the government wasn’t defining what the immigration target might be before Albertans vote, Schow said that number will change from year to year.
uncertain
number → ask → year
Schow said it’s about the province setting its priorities for workers in industries that are in high demand, and that labour mobility is important.
asserted
mobility → say → demand
“This comes down to industries that are in need and us submitting our allocation requests particularly in the provincial nominee program,” he said.
asserted
he → come → program
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 26, 2026.
asserted
report → publish → Press
The Aporia
