An Alberta man has created a spoof website to push back against what he calls “biased information” published by the UCP Government.
The province announced earlier this week it would be using public money to create a website persuading voters to cast ballots in favour of sweeping immigration and constitutional reform.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith claims the Alberta Referendum 2026 site is a way to get information on nine questions posed to the public this October.
But from the beginning, critics pointed to a somewhat unbalanced approach. One economist told CTV News the page “doesn’t tell the entire story.”
Strathmore resident Stephen Elaschuk says that’s putting it lightly.
“What it’s doing is presenting a very narrow slice of the questions,” he told CTV News. “To treat this huge swath of people as somehow a net-negative on this province is frankly dumb.”
‘This is dumb’
Enter the Alberta Referendumb 2026 website.
Published Friday, the spoof page offers voters what Elaschuk calls the “real story.” He has deemed it a “public interest project.”
“Alberta has been built by people who can smell bulls-- ” the website reads. “Albertans aren’t dumb, (but) this government thinks we are.”
The page is modeled after the original government website, with some text and photo changes.
“A referendum is supposed to ask voters a question,” one page reads. “This one starts by giving you the answer. Albertans are being asked to vote, but only after the government tells us what the ‘right’ answer is.”
“Albertans know the difference between facts and a sales pitch.”
“I’m here in Strathmore,” Elaschuk said, in a Friday interview with CTV News. “It’s not exactly the big (Albertan) cities. But even the conversations I have out here is, ‘this is dumb.’”
Elaschuk, who works in IT, also produces a political podcast.
He says his site has been attracting a lot of attention since it was published. In fact, it even received an online share from independent Canadian Senator Paula Simons on Friday.
Simons is from Alberta.
“I don’t think the government should be mounting a pressure campaign to persuade people with our own tax dollars,” Elaschuk said.
“The government is playing us for fools,” he said. “This is all extremely dumb. Why do they have to use all of these tricks to try to fool us like we’re dumb instead of just laying things out?”
Swaying voters
First announced in February, the referendum proposals include limiting health care and education only to newcomers with “Alberta-approved immigration status.”
Also on the ballot is the proposal to charge non-permanent residents a “reasonable fee” for health care and education.
The votes around immigration have already upset some Albertans.
Elaschuk specifically takes issue with Smith’s claims that mass migration in recent years has put a strain on education and health care — especially after the government-led “Alberta is Calling” campaign.
“Alberta spent millions of dollars – and it’s (the Alberta is Calling campaign) still an incentive to bring tradespeople here.
“We asked for this!” Elaschuk said. “We called for this!
“The premier is on record saying she wanted to double the population of the province of Alberta – and so to then suddenly turn around and try to frame it as ‘this is a huge, unsustainable problem’ when is this not what you wanted? So where is the problem?" he asked.
“It was a lack of foresight and planning then? But we can then scapegoat a class of people who maybe aren’t able to defend themselves?”
The Premier’s Office would not comment on the website, but did tell CTV News it “will listen to the will of Albertans when they vote on these government referendum questions.”
“If an initiative were to receive a ‘no’ vote,” a statement reads, “then our government will re-evaluate our approach to align with the will of Albertans.”
The referendum is scheduled for Oct. 19.
— with files from CTV News’ Cassidy McMackon and The Canadian Press
