Albertans have voted to stay in Canada, CTV News projects, and those living in Calgary played a big role in that decision. Twenty-two of Calgary’s 26 ridings all voted more than 80 per cent according to the current unofficial results as of 4 a.m. on Tuesday. The remaining four ridings were all more than 75 per cent in support of staying, with Calgary-South East being the lowest result in the city at 76.8 per cent. In that riding, there were 24,509 votes cast to stay while 7,407 voted for another referendum. Calgary’s Mayor Jeromy Farkas says, despite the positive outcome, the whole debate caused damage to the city’s – and Alberta’s – reputation. “(It) has caused the rest of the country to really doubt what our commitment really is. It’s also lost us a lot of talent and investment,” he said. “My vote to remain was not an endorsement of the status quo but it was a show of confidence to support our premier (and) support our prime minister. They’re working together, they’re showing how our country can work and we are so much better off as a globally connected Canadian city.” Outside the centre, all other southern Alberta regions also chose Option 1 of Question 10, although the rural regions voted lower than those living in urban areas. Taber-Warner, which voted 53.5 per cent in favour of remaining (9,431 votes), was the lowest support among those regions, followed by Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills, which voted 55.2 per cent (14,921 votes) to stay. Referendum is over, but what now? Now that the official vote is over, Alberta will no longer pursue this process to separate. But the “no vote” will not eliminate the possibility for a future government to revisit the idea. “I’ve said that publicly that I think we’ve won. We’ve won in the sense that the goal was to have a serious, adult discussion about how Alberta’s place can be improved within Confederation,” said Let Alberta Decide co-chair Keith Wilson on Monday, “even if that means the risk that we go all the way and hold a second vote in the future for secession.” Jeffrey Rath, legal counsel for the separatist Alberta Prosperity Project, said he thinks a “political movement” has been created. “We’re not going to stop until Alberta becomes a free and independent country and becomes the wealthiest country in the world,” he said. Elections Alberta says official results of the 2026 referendum will be released on Oct. 29. With files from Stephen Hunt and Rachel Aiello
