CALGARY/DRAYTON VALLEY/EDMONTON/OLDS, Alberta—Waving an Alberta flag outside a United Conservative Party event in Olds, Alta., Randy Ackert says he supported separation from Canada long before the issue entered mainstream politics.
As motorists honked in support or shouted disapproval along 46th Avenue on June 24, the crop insurer, a longtime Olds resident, said reactions to Alberta independence have grown noticeably stronger as the debate increasingly spills from political circles into everyday life.
On Oct. 19, Albertans will vote on whether the province should remain in Canada or begin the legal process toward a binding referendum on separation—one of 10 ballot questions that will test frustrations with Ottawa and Alberta’s future within Confederation….