Elections Alberta puts $84-million price tag on October referendum

Elections Alberta told a legislature committee the October referendum cost $84 million, more than double the roughly $37 million spent on the 2023 general election. Chief electoral officer Gordon McClure said the vote ran nearly $50 million over the agency's annual budget and sought $59 million in extra funding, which the bipartisan committee approved. About $26 million is needed to pay staff who hand-counted more than 22 million ballots, with further costs for rented spaces, security, IT and postage. Roughly 75 per cent of voters chose to stay in Canada. Officials described crushing staff hours ahead of the 2027 election.