Calgary Herald October 21, 2026

Oct 21, 2026

Coverage from Calgary Herald highlights Alberta leaders’ early news conferences in response to a Monday referendum result showing a strong majority voting to remain in Canada. Provincial NDP leader Naheed Nenshi and federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre each frame the early fallout and cite broader grievances, including uncertainty around a potential separation referendum. The report also connects the outcome to business and investment expectations while addressing immediate provincial health concerns from rising flu cases.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

Calgary referendum fallout

Business and investment response

Political reactions from Nenshi and Poilievre

Alberta flu and immunization update

Both leaders held separate newsconferences in Calgary,welcomingearly results showing a strong ma-jority of Albertans voted to remainin Canada while appearing to minefrustrations laid bare in the lead-upto and aftermath of Monday's refer-endum. NOAH BRENNANAND DANIEL GONZALEZ While referendumvotes were still be-ingtabulated Tuesday,provincialNDPLeader Naheed Nenshi and federalConservative Leader Pierre Poilievrewasted no time taking political shotsat their respective rivals in the earlyfallout of Alberta's referendum vote. Nenshi accused Premier DanielleSmith of bringing about a costly andAlberta businesses shifting their focus to growthafter decisive referendum vote to stay in Canadawide referendum would include aquestion on separation,the issue hasloomed over the province's economyand business leaders. That cloud of uncertainty has nowlifted. “Enough time has been lost to thisreferendum.There's much work todo.Let's get going,"Business Councilof Alberta president Adam Leggesaid in a statement.Three-quarters ofAlbertansvoted to remain in Canada in Mon- CHRIS VARCOE Let's get back to business-andmore growth. Ever since the UCP governmentannounced last May that aprovince- FOOD Shortcuts thatbringjoy backtoyourkitchen A7 # PARKER SEARCH LESSONS Police outline improvements A2 CALGARYINFLUENZAHERALDSEASONHigher numberof kids sick A2Vote result rouses political leadersPrime minister and premier thankaddressing other provincial mattersAlbertans for voting in referendumsuch as health care. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre,speaking in Calgary on Tuesday,positioned his party as the best choice to address grievances driving separatism.JIM WELLS day's referendum,instead ofopting to kick-start the process ofholding a binding vote on indepen-dence. FRANCE PM vows'massive'police presenceat riots NP3 divisive referendum to appease sep-exercise”that came at the expense of aratists within her political base.Meanwhile,Poilievre seemed to useearly results of immigration-relatedquestions to position federal Conser-vatives as the best choice to addressgrievances driving separatist senti-ment in Alberta and Quebec. As of 3 p.m.Tuesday,more than 1.4millionvoteshadbeen castforAlbertatoremain aprovince of Canada,whilejust more than 475,000votes were castin favour of Alberta holding a future,binding referendumon separation. Nenshi characterized the refer-endum as an unnecessary“political It removes a thicket ofunpredict-ability,paving the way for futuregrowth opportunities. “This resounding result to remainin Canada is very good news for theAlbertainvestment climate,”JoeLougheed,chair of the HeritageFund Opportunities Corp.,said in aninterview. OILPATCH Dealmakertakesaim at potentialtargets NP7 FLU/COVID 0GTOBER19 GALL760-1131 "Albertans didn't ask for this refer-endum.Nobodywanted this exceptforPremier Danielle Smith,"Nenshisaidat the provincial NDP caucus office inCalgary's Beltline,speakingin frontofAlberta and Canadian flags.“What we've learned is that everysingle time Danielle Smith is offeredthe choice to do what is right for Al-berta or do what is right for DanielleSmith,she'll pickDanielle Smitheverytime,"he said.SEE REFERENDUM ON A4 “Global capital is like water-it flows to where it gets the bestreturn at the lowest risk.And theseparation question was creating aquestion mark on risk...With thisbehind us,I’m very positive aboutAlberta and its economy.” For Alberta businesses andinvestors,Monday's result followsmonths of division surroundingthe issue,and its effect on majordecisions. After the company's annual meet-ing last year,ATCO chief executiveNancySouthern told reporters theseparation issue was “absolutely”affecting investments as the compa-ny was looking to find partners foroffshore projects.SEE VARCOE ONA3 Deals with Devilsare paying offfor Conroy NP9 A2 wEDNESDAY,OCTOBER 21,2026 CALGARY HERALD CONTACT THE HERALD News tips/information: 403-235-7433 Or email us

FAQs

What did Alberta voters decide in Monday’s referendum?

A strong majority of Albertans voted to remain in Canada, while a smaller number supported holding a future binding referendum on separation.

How did Naheed Nenshi and Pierre Poilievre react to the early results?

Nenshi criticized Premier Danielle Smith and framed the referendum as unnecessary, while Poilievre positioned his party as the best option to address grievances related to separatist sentiment.

What health issue is covered alongside the referendum in the report?

The article discusses rising flu activity in Alberta, including hospital admissions of children with flu symptoms and references to the provincial immunization program.

Oct 21, 2026

Uploaded by นรินทร์