Elections Alberta announced that it has validated approximately 223,000 signatures from a petition by Mitch Sylvestre and Stay Free Alberta for the province’s independence. “As a result of a judicial decision on June 29, 2026, Elections Alberta has conducted the verification and determination process for the ‘A Referendum Relating to Alberta Independence’ citizen initiative petition,” Elections Alberta said. Stay Free Alberta appealed the decision. As reported by LifeSiteNews, Stay Free Alberta said a few months ago that it had gathered enough signatures to trigger a referendum on the issue as allowed by provincial law. In a June 29 ruling, the Alberta Court of Appeal allowed Stay Free Alberta a partial stay of Leonard’s ruling, allowing Elections Alberta to go ahead and verify the signatures.