The Decibel Alberta separatist campaign faces legal hurdles
11 snips
May 6, 2026 
Matthew Scace, a Globe and Mail reporter in Alberta who covers provincial politics and the separatist movement. He walks through the halted petition count due to a court injunction. He explains the First Nations treaty challenge and concerns about foreign influence. He also covers the Centurion Project, a leaked voter database and ensuing privacy and legal probes.
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Petition Delivery Turned Into Public Rally
- Mitch Sylvester delivered boxes of petitions to Elections Alberta amid a large rally with many Alberta flags.
- Matthew Scace described it as a four-month, door-to-door petition drive culminating in about 301,000 signatures announced on site in northwest Edmonton.
Counting Paused By Injunction Over Treaty Concerns
- Elections Alberta would normally sample and estimate petition validity but cannot start because a judge issued a temporary injunction.
- Justice Shana Leonard paused counting while she considers a First Nations challenge about treaty rights and foreign interference risks.
First Nations Seek Constitutional Gate For Referendum Questions
- Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation sued arguing a separation referendum could infringe constitutionally protected treaty rights and raise foreign interference risks.
- They asked the court to require citizen-initiative questions be constitutional and to block the petition approval altogether.