A pro-immigration group has submitted a complaint to Elections Alberta, claiming the province’s new referendum website wrongfully uses taxpayers’ money to campaign in favour of one side.
Avnish Nanda, the Edmonton lawyer who helped create the group, called Our Alberta Advantage, says the Alberta government website is written in a way to influence yes votes by either misrepresenting situations or leaving out certain information.
“That undermines the spirit of democracy,” Nanda told CBC News.
As an example, Nanda pointed out that the Alberta Referendum 2026 website notes temporary residents cost Alberta taxpayers more than $1 billion per year in social services.
On the same page, the website lays out immigration questions, including one weighing a provincial fee for non-permanent residents to use the health care and education systems.
Nanda said this is misleading because it doesn’t include information on how much newcomers pay in taxes.
“People who work here on work visas, student visas, they pay taxes. They contribute to our economy. They pay for the same services the government now wants to charge more for. So I think that’s fundamentally missing from the website,” he said.
On Oct. 19, Albertans will vote on nine questions dealing with constitutional matters and changes to the immigration system. The referendum questions reflect some of the issues that arose at town halls held across the province last year by the Alberta Next Panel.
In a referendum tied to a general election, the provincial government is held to advertising restrictions.
However, an amendment to Alberta
