u/skilbofragns

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Windsor, Amherst, and Pictou are potential areas where this could happen.

Anyone have friends or family there? What do they think?

"Drinking wells drop," Drew writes. "They say the rain isn't enough to make up for how much has been lost from the aquifers — the deep underground natural reservoirs that feed those wells."

Original article

This should concern every Canadian, regardless of where they stand politically.

The story began after Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi wrote to CSIS in June asking for regular updates on whether foreign governments might attempt to influence the province's Oct. 19 referendum. Nenshi said he was concerned following public comments from members of Donald Trump's administration about Alberta separatism, along with the ongoing controversy surrounding an alleged breach of Alberta's voter list.

In its response, CSIS Director Dan Rogers confirmed that the agency is monitoring the situation.

The letter states that "democratic events such as the upcoming referendum could create the conditions foreign actors seek to exploit" through misinformation and disinformation designed to advance narratives aligned with their interests.

The referendum itself was announced by Premier Danielle Smith, who added a tenth question to Alberta's planned October referendum asking whether Alberta should remain a province of Canada or whether the provincial government should begin the constitutional process toward holding a binding referendum on separation.

The warning also comes as Elections Alberta, the RCMP and the province's privacy commissioner investigate allegations that the Centurion Project, a pro-independence organization, improperly obtained Alberta's voters list after it had originally been provided to the Republican Party of Alberta. Both organizations have denied any wrongdoing.

Political scientist Jean-Christophe Boucher told CBC that the greatest risk isn't necessarily hacking ballot boxes. It's the amplification of misleading narratives through social media, podcasts, influencers and coordinated online campaigns designed to manipulate public opinion and deepen divisions.

Meanwhile, Premier Smith's office dismissed the NDP's concerns as "fearmongering," while saying Alberta's Provincial Security and Intelligence Office is working alongside federal agencies and that Smith herself has received top-secret security briefings from CSIS.

Whatever your views on Alberta separatism, the warning from Canada's intelligence service highlights something much bigger.

Democracy depends on informed citizens. When misinformation, disinformation and foreign influence begin shaping public debate, trusted journalism becomes part of our democratic infrastructure.

This is one of the reasons CBC matters.

Public broadcasters don't exist to campaign for governments or opposition parties. They exist to ask difficult questions, provide context, separate verified facts from speculation, and help Canadians understand complex issues before they cast a ballot.

As foreign interference becomes an increasingly serious challenge, protecting Canada's democracy also means protecting Canadians' access to independent, fact-based journalism.

What more should Canada be doing to protect elections and referendums from foreign interference while preserving open democratic debate?

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Corb Lund says he's not done fighting coal mining in the Rockies, despite his petition not making Alberta's October 19 referendum ballot. What do you think about the outcome?

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From The Goose Media

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The Chamber also found nearly half of surveyed members would consider moving their business out of Alberta if separation actually moved ahead.

This is one of those stories people are going to have strong opinions about, so please keep the comments respectful. We're all Albertans, some of us just have different ideas on how to make our province great.

But whatever anyone thinks of Ottawa, that’s a serious warning from the business community.

Are we really willing to risk all of this for a referendum we already know the answer to?

"When the prize is big enough, Washington has shown again and again it will back coups, sanctions, and outright wars to get access to it. This isn’t child’s play, and nobody should be fooling themselves into thinking Alberta is somehow exempt from that pattern just because it’s Canadian soil. And the early moves already look familiar: quiet meetings with separatist organizers, a credit line floated to bankroll a friendly breakaway government, and infrastructure permits signed before independence is even on the books. That’s the same sequence that’s preceded American involvement elsewhere — relationships and money laid down well before any flag changes. The oil sands sitting under Treaty 8 territory are exactly the kind of prize that’s moved American foreign policy before, and the playbook is already running.

 

The 51st state isn’t a joke. It’s a plan.

But here’s what Trump, Smith, and the separatists don’t seem to understand: this isn’t a clean transaction. It’s an Indian war they didn’t know they were walking into…"

- bmorinstories

OP

They’re asking the same questions most of us would ask if it were going up near our homes, our farms, our schools, and our kids’ ball diamonds.

What happens to the water? What about the noise? The gas supply? The farmland? The emergency generators? And why does something this big need to sit so close to where people already live?

That’s not really a left or right thing. That’s small-town Alberta doing what small towns do best, looking out for each other when something doesn’t pass the smell test.

There may well be a place for data centres in Alberta. But rural communities deserve straight answers, real consultation, and a fair shake before the big players start carving up the map.

Olds may be small, but judging by this turnout, they’re not exactly easy to push around.

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