Alberta will hold its provincial election in the fall to avoid a conflict with a major natural disaster.
Legislation passed earlier this week moves Alberta's fixed election date from the last Monday in May to the third Monday in October, similar to municipal elections.
On the weekly call-in radio show Your province, your prime ministerSmith said Saturday that dealing with a natural disaster at the same time as an election is a challenge.
“This is crazy, we can’t do this anymore,” she said.
Governor Daniel Smith introduced Bill 21, also known as Emergency Regulations Amendment Act of 2024Last month, he introduced a proposal in the Alberta legislature to help the province better respond to emergencies.
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The bill also amends a range of emergency-related policies, allowing the province to quickly take over local emergency response efforts in extreme circumstances.
Last year, nearly 30,000 residents were forced from their homes by early May during a record wildfire season, just days after the official start of the spring election campaign.
NDP Leader Rachel Notley told reporters last month she was not opposed to revisiting the election date in light of more frequent natural disasters due to climate change.
However, she said Smith could have considered voting earlier, such as in February 2027 or October 2026.
“For an administration that has a reputation for being self-serving and opportunistic, to give itself another six months in office seems very self-serving and opportunistic,” Notley told reporters at the time.
Smith said Saturday that wildfires, flooding and drought will be ongoing problems during the summer. She said trying to delay the election beyond June would start to impact summer vacations and festivals.
Smith said holding an election in March or April is also out of the question.
“There’s no way you can have an election in March or April because there’s still snow on the ground and there’s still ice outside, so you can’t even put up a lawn sign on the lawn,” she said.
“That’s also the time period when you typically use up your budget, so you can’t bring it forward any further.”
The next provincial election is scheduled for Oct. 18, 2027, Smith said.
— Information from The Canadian Press
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