A third investigation is now underway into a massive privacy leak involving an Alberta separatism group and the names and addresses of nearly three million Albertans.
Last week, RCMP and the province’s elections agency announced their own probes into an online database of the province’s voter list published by a group called The Centurion Project.
Alberta’s Information and Privacy Commissioner Diane McLeod’s office said Thursday she is also looking into whether the group’s actions violate the privacy law that protects personal information.
It also comes as the scope of the leak comes into sharper focus.
Elections Alberta said it believes 23 people were given full copies of the list while another 545 accessed it through a searchable database the group made publicly available.
The Centurion Project, has said its goal was to identify and recruit as many supporters of Alberta independence as possible ahead of an expected referendum this fall.
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The database was traced back to an official voter list Elections Alberta had legally distributed to a provincial political party. Elections Alberta said, somehow, the Republican Party of Alberta’s legitimate copy of the list unlawfully ended up in the hands of The Centurion Project.
Project leader David Parker would not reveal who gave them the list and said the project relied on a third party for the data. It has promised to co-operate with investigators.
Political activist David Parker, of Take Back Alberta and The Centurion Project, speaking to supporters in Edmonton, Alta. on Wednesday, April 29, 2026.
Global News
The names, addresses and electoral districts of millions of Albertans were posted in a searchable online database for an unknown amount of time.
The site did not require identity verification and was accessible to anyone who had the link for it. It listed the names and home addresses of the province’s prominent politicians, top elections official, senators, judges and Crown prosecutors and public figures such as journalists.
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Elections Alberta says cease-and-desist letters have been issued to people The Centurion Project says accessed the list, while those who had full copies have been ordered to go a step further.
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“The 23 people who were provided the list are required to provide a signed declaration they have complied with the direction. They have 48 hours to comply,” Elections Alberta said on Thursday morning.
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A spokesperson for Elections Alberta, Michelle Gurney, didn’t provide names for those receiving cease-and-desist letters, but some in the separatist movement have shared on social media letters they received.
The letters, signed by chief electoral officer Gordon McClure, explain that the Centurion Project was not legally entitled to have the voter list, as such lists are only provided to political parties, party officials, legislature members and election candidates.
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Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi told reporters he was happy to see progress in the investigation with the cease-and-desist letters but that he’s still concerned the list ended up in the wrong hands.
“The thing I’m worried about is that the Centurion Project took the database down from the public, but they still have access to it,” he said.
Political activist David Parker, of Take Back Alberta and The Centurion Project, speaking to supporters in Edmonton, Alta. on Wednesday, April 29, 2026.
Global News
The data leak has raised safety concerns for many, including those seeking anonymity from abusive partners.
Police have said if people believe they’re at risk of serious harm because their address was exposed, they should contact police.
The leak has also been the subject of a heated debate in the legislature.
The NDP revealed this week that a United Conservative Party caucus staffer attended a virtual meeting held by the Centurion Project two weeks before the issue came to light.
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During the meeting, the NDP has said, the group’s leader demonstrated how the website worked.
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Smith has insisted the staffer had no reason to believe at the time that the database wasn’t above board and that she didn’t know about the voter list leak until she read media reports last week.
Nenshi said Smith is either lying or needs to take responsibility for an “incompetent” caucus culture.
The NDP said it notified police about the breach the day after the April 16 meeting. Smith has said the NDP should have also told her government, even though the caucus staffer was in the meeting.
Smith’s caucus tried to get legislature Speaker Ric McIver to formally sanction Nenshi over failing to inform the government, saying failure to do so put public officials at risk.
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Nenshi said he acted responsibly and didn’t trust Smith on the issue, given her prior ties to the founder of the Centurion Project.
McIver said he would issue a decision Monday.
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The database was taken down last week following a court order, and Elections Alberta and RCMP have announced separate investigations into the data breach.
On Thursday afternoon, the commanding officer of the Alberta RCMP reiterated police are investigating the alleged misuse of the list of electors and asked for patience.
“We appreciate the significant public interest surrounding this investigation – the apparent inappropriate release of your personal information is of great concern to the public and to the RCMP,” deputy commissioner Trevor Daroux said in a statement.
“However, the RCMP’s primary responsibility must be to protect the integrity of the investigation and therefore are limited on details that we can share publicly, including confirming comments made by third parties.”
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RCMP said it recognizes there is a lot of public commentary surrounding the situation and encouraged the public to rely on official statements from police.
With files from Karen Bartko, Global News
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