Alberta Federation of Labour holds Day of Action in Okotoks on eve of referendum vote

A small group gathered in Okotoks' Sheep River Park on Sunday afternoon as part of a province-wide Day of Action organized by the Alberta Federation of Labour's Fight Back Now campaign. The event, which included a motivational message followed by a march, was originally scheduled for Saturday but postponed due to windy weather.

The Okotoks protest was one of at least 15 pro-Canada events held across Alberta, including large-scale gatherings in Edmonton and Calgary. All were geared to Albertans opposing Premier Danielle Smith's push for a referendum asking voters 10 questions, including one on separation.

Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan, in a press release before the protests, called for strong voter turnout. "We need to vote like our future depends on it, because it does," McGowan said. "But we also need to protest the referendum itself. It's not real democracy; it's manipulation. At the same time, we need to send a strong message that we will never allow our province to be turned into MAGA North."

As reported in July, the Town of Okotoks had postponed community engagement on recreation centre expansion, citing the October referendum as a distraction from meaningful local consultation.