EDMONTON — Alberta NDP leader Naheed Nenshi bashed Premier Danielle Smith on Thursday over the growing cost of Alberta's October referendum, claiming that the frustrations are amplified by the UCP's lack of transparency about how much money they are spending on the vote. “Albertans are paying the bills for the UCP’s separatist referendum, and the cost keeps growing,” said Nenshi.Individuals raised concerns about the cost of Alberta's referendum on Sunday after a Postmedia story revealed that the UCP paid a company $300,000 to build their referendum website. The UCP said the website is to inform voters ahead of the referendum, particularly regarding the nine referendum questions on immigration and other topics proposed by Smith, but critics have pointed out that it is being used to advocate for individuals to vote in favour of the changes.."Every single dollar spent on this referendum is $1 that isn't being spent addressing the issues that Albertans care about every single day, and what's the benefit? Nothing," Nenshi said. "There is no benefit to Albertans of going through this exercise. "The premier thinks there's a political benefit to herself, but there's no benefit to everyday people. This referendum will not reduce your grocery bills. It won't reduce your utility bills. It won't help you find a family doctor. It won't build a school."The newly revealed cost, on top of an estimated $130 million price tag to run the referendum, plus $1.5 million for a panel to produce an economic analysis on Alberta independence, and $365,000 spent on television advertisements and promotional videos, brought the reported cost above $132 million."That's a lot of lighting, hair, and makeup," Nenshi said. .Nenshi claims the known cost is $132 million, but because of the UCP’s lack of transparency about the referendum's price tag, it could be significantly more expensive. "The government didn't want you to know these numbers," Nenshi said. "They certainly didn't share these numbers with you, and Albertans shouldn't have to rely on access to information requests to find out how their tax dollars are being spent.""The government should be upfront. The government should be transparent. The government should tell people the truth about the full cost of everything they do, particularly this referendum campaign." Compounding the cost, according to Nenshi, are concerns raised by businesses about the uncertainty caused by the referendum's independence question, and a Calgary Chamber of Commerce report claiming the Alberta economy could lose up to $62 billion annually in an independent Alberta. .Smith believes most Albertans support her referendum questions, and results from the Alberta Next Panel survey back that belief, but her confidence has led some Albertans to ask why the premier is holding a referendum rather than making the policy decisions outright or holding an election to get a mandate. "We didn't need this referendum," Nenshi said. "If the premier really wanted input on some of this stuff, she could have put these questions with the last municipal election. She could have waited until the next provincial election and sought a mandate for these things."The premier told reporters in April that she believes you ask questions only if you want an answer and intend to act on it, and that if Albertans vote against her proposals, she will "judge it at that time." "She's already admitted that she's going to move forward on her nine questions, regardless of the results of the referendum. She's already passed motions in the House on them. This is all theatre; it's performative, and it has no real impact on Albertans."
