WATCH — Here’s how life could change in a province that separates from Canada | videoclip | Kids News - CBC

In the thousands of pages of negotiations that would surely result if Alberta were to secede from Canada, at least one chapter would likely be dedicated to the Town of Banff. This tourist mecca is already a jurisdictional anomaly: situated on federal parkland that the town has leased for $550,000 a year since it incorporated in 1990. Residents own their homes but not their land; that's also leased from Ottawa. The province operates the local hospital and schools, but the federal government has veto power over most bylaw changes. In short, governance is complicated. And with Oct. 19 approaching — when Alberta will vote on, among other questions, whether to hold a referendum on separating from Canada — many of those who live in this mountain resort town are worried about the future. The Town of Jasper, roughly 300 kilometres northwest of Banff, faces similar issues, given it's also based in a federal park in Alberta. But it's the questions raised particularly in Banff, which has almost twice the population of Jasper, that indicate the scale of the seismic shift should a province secede.

The 20th annual Cape to Cabot road race is taking place tomorrow. The grueling 20 km trek sees participants running from one historic landmark to another: From Cape Spear to Cabot Tower on top of Signal Hill. The race starts at 8 a.m., and because of that there are a few related road closures in St. John’s. Between 7:45 and 11a.m. there will be numerous road closures along the route. A full list can be found online at VOCM dot com. Expect traffic impacts from 7:45 a.m. to 11 a.m. on routes including Blackhead Road, Southside Road, Water Street, Harbour Drive, Duckworth Street, Temperance Street and Signal Hill Road.

On Monday, Albertans vote on whether to stay in Canada or hold another binding referendum on quitting Canada. If the vote goes as polls suggest, a majority of Albertans will mark an X to stay in Confederation, and Premier Danielle Smith has said if that’s so, she expects everyone to accept it and move on. Leaders of the independence movement contest that. And political watchers are divided about whether separation — previously a fringe sentiment — will now be a prominent, permanent feature of Alberta’s political landscape, as in Quebec. Julian Castro-Rea, a political-science professor at the University of Alberta who studies the separation debates in Quebec and Alberta, believes as long as Alberta feels alienated from the Canadian capital — feeling that Ottawa benefits from Alberta’s resource economy without giving back — the movement will have fuel. “Even if the referendum is lost, the westernization will still be around, because it’s kind of a way which, traditionally, Albertans have related to the rest of Canada,” says Castro-Rea, who believes western alienation may remain indefinitely. Story continues below advertisement

It’s no secret the long-held Canadian consensus on immigration has fractured — pulled apart by a rapid increase in new arrivals post-pandemic and growing affordability challenges. Now, that fracture is starting to show up at the ballot box. The Parti Québécois won a minority mandate in Quebec on a platform that included promises of tighter immigration controls, which the party linked to protecting French culture and easing pressure on public services and housing. And when Albertans head to the polls Monday to vote on whether to hold a future referendum on separation from Canada, they’ll also be answering five separate questions on immigration being pushed by the government of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. Those questions include:— Should the province should have more say over economic immigration?— Should provincially funded services should be restricted to citizens, permanent residents and those with “Alberta-approved” immigration status? Story continues below advertisement

Three-quarters of Canadians surveyed believe Prime Minister Mark Carney should press forward with his economic changes without seeking another election mandate, feeling there is no time to waste as the trade war with the United States drags on. A new Canada Pulse Insights poll of just over 1,500 Canadians shows 73 per cent want Carney to move ahead with fast-tracking infrastructure projects, relaxing certain environmental reviews, altering labour strike rules and pursuing closer economic ties with Europe. That support is strong all across the country with 83 per cent in British Columbia, 77 per cent in Quebec, 73 per cent in Atlantic Canada, 71 per cent in Ontario, 67 per cent in Saskatchewan/Manitoba and 65 per cent in Alberta.