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Alberta to Appeal Ruling That Halted Independence Petition

The move puts public funds behind a private drive during active probes of a massive voter list leak.

Overview

  • Justice Shaina Leonard of Alberta’s Court of King’s Bench quashed the decision to issue the independence petition on Wednesday after First Nations challenged the process.
  • Premier Danielle Smith said the province will appeal, drawing letters and commentary that question using taxpayer money to defend a citizen‑run effort.
  • Elections Alberta says a list with personal data for more than 2.9 million voters was shared with the Centurion Project, and both the agency and the Alberta RCMP are investigating.
  • The leaked file included addresses, phone numbers and voter IDs posted to a public database, raising privacy risks for households whose information was exposed.
  • Take Back Alberta and founder David Parker face $120,000 in fines for 2023 third‑party advertising breaches and have filed a Charter challenge to void the penalties, as the legislature closed a spring sitting that passed 18 bills and tabled a roughly $9.5‑billion deficit.