{"id":696447,"date":"2026-05-27T05:16:28","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T05:16:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/696447\/"},"modified":"2026-05-27T05:16:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T05:16:28","slug":"alberta-separation-question-creating-uncertainty-for-provincial-investment-not-good-for-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/696447\/","title":{"rendered":"Alberta separation question creating uncertainty for provincial investment: \u2018Not good for us\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Businesses and economists say the proposed Alberta separatism<\/a> referendum question is creating uncertainty that could hurt investment in the province.<\/p>\n

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Some Alberta companies say the political climate has already prompted concern from investors and, in at least one case, consideration of moving operations elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Anthony Nelson, co-founder of 2S Water, said his investors began raising questions shortly after Premier Danielle Smith unveiled the referendum question last week.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a number of investors who said, \u2018OK, what\u2019s your plan for getting out of Alberta?\u2019\u201d Nelson said.<\/p>\n

The Oct. 19 referendum will include a question on whether Alberta should remain in Canada or if the province should hold a binding referendum on separation. Nine other questions announced in February deal with immigration and constitutional matters.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2:03
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCarney compares Alberta separatism to Brexit, calls it a \u2018dangerous bluff\u2019\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Nelson said the uncertainty has led him to consider relocating the company to British Columbia or Ontario in order to maintain investor confidence.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe startup community attracts a lot of investors from Eastern Canada and the U.S., and those investors are concerned,\u201d Nelson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve put money into this place, they\u2019re looking for a good return on investment and now all of a sudden we\u2019ve got a premier who\u2019s trying to create chaos.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not good for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Municipal leaders say they are also fielding questions and attempting to reassure organizations wary of the potential economic impact.<\/p>\n

Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack said businesses should play a role in the public discussion.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI do think it\u2019s going to be important for businesses to speak up in this discussion, to remind people about the economic reality,\u201d Knack said.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t6:27
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAlberta separatism threat \u2018going to cause businesses to pull back\u2019: U of A economist\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

University of Alberta economist Chetan Dave said political uncertainty tied to separation discussions can dampen business confidence, particularly among larger firms.<\/p>\n

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\u201cBusinesses do not like \u2014 especially big businesses \u2014 this kind of political uncertainty,\u201d Dave said.<\/p>\n

He added even the prospect of a referendum can have consequences for investment decisions \u2014 regardless of the outcome.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven the threat of this kind of separation is going to cause businesses to pull back.\u201d<\/p>\n

More ambiguity means investment dollars stay on the sidelines, projects get more expensive and delays become more likely, said Deborah Yedlin, president and CEO of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce.<\/p>\n

\u201cUncertainty is the enemy of investment, and we\u2019re now introduced to new elements of uncertainty,\u201d she said last Friday.<\/p>\n

The referendum news came a week after Smith and Prime Minister Mark Carney resolved one of the last remaining sticking points in the energy accord they signed late last year: an agreement on how to implement an increase in the industrial carbon price.<\/p>\n

The memorandum of understanding lays out conditions that could see a new Alberta-West Coast pipeline built to enable more bitumen exports to Asia.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t need this,\u201d Yedlin said of the separatism debate ratcheting up just as the regulatory logjam holding back resource development shows signs of loosening after a decade.<\/p>\n

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Yedlin said there\u2019s a concern the rest of the country doesn\u2019t appreciate the gravity of the situation, and that businesses based elsewhere in Canada aren\u2019t immune to the risk of separation.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt has to be something that we take seriously as a country and as a province because this is not worth breaking up the country for.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1:58
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCarney warns Alberta separation referendum question is \u2018dangerous bluff\u2019\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Candace Laing, head of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, said the country has already been contending with economic costs beyond its control while also recognizing the need to remove self-imposed barriers.<\/p>\n

\u201cProlonged uncertainty around constitutional or political separation brings real risks for investor confidence, economic growth and Canada\u2019s global competitiveness at exactly the wrong time,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are legitimate concerns being raised in Alberta around competitiveness, market access and economic opportunity. Canada\u2019s democratic system is strong enough to address those concerns constructively while continuing to build a stronger, more competitive national economy together.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Alberta government has emphasized efforts to strengthen the province\u2019s economy, despite the investment concerns.<\/p>\n

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Earlier this month, Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration Minister Joseph Schow said Alberta is expanding investment in sectors including aerospace, defence and advanced manufacturing, while also seeking new export markets.<\/p>\n

In a statement, Schow\u2019s press secretary said Alberta continues to offer a stable environment for investment.<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite global pressures, Alberta continues to lead the nation in economic growth, investment attraction and job creation \u2014 a testament to the confidence businesses have in our province,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t15:00
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPremier Danielle Smith address to Albertans revealing separation referendum question\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\u2014 with files from Lauren Krugel, The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

\n\t\t&copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Businesses and economists say the proposed Alberta separatism referendum question is creating uncertainty that could hurt investment in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":696448,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[7611,25159,25158,48,46,43,134,44,714,41,39,42,40],"class_list":["post-696447","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-alberta-legislature","tag-alberta-referendum","tag-alberta-separatism","tag-canada","tag-economy","tag-headlines","tag-money","tag-news","tag-politics","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/696447","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=696447"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/696447\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/696448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=696447"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=696447"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=696447"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}