Alberta's October referendum could reshape Bow Valley's temporary workforce

Alberta's October 19 referendum includes five immigration-related questions that could significantly restrict services for the province's 260,000 temporary workers and non-permanent residents — and the Bow Valley, which relies heavily on this workforce, stands to lose the most.

One in three residents of the Bow Valley (Canmore, Banff, Lake Louise and the MD of Bighorn) were born outside Canada. According to Statistics Canada's 2021 Census, the immigrant population in Banff stood at 27.2 per cent and in Canmore at 21.1 per cent — both above Alberta's 23.2 per cent average. The largest immigrant population in Banff comes from the Philippines at 28.4 per cent; in Canmore, the UK leads at 20.5 per cent with the Philippines second at 14.5 per cent.

Natasha Lay, executive director of Bow Valley Immigration Partnership, said changes affecting non-permanent residents could ripple through workplaces, health care, and community systems already facing recruitment pressures. "If we want a strong Bow Valley for the future, we need the conditions that help all residents participate, contribute, and belong," she said. "Any change impacting non-permanent residents, including the region's temporary workforce, could have significant local impacts."

Ericson Dizon, founder of the Filipino-Canadian Association of the Bow Valley, said he worries officials framing the questions haven't considered the perspective of temporary foreign workers and new immigrants. "I wonder if they had walked over to the other side of the fence and looked at it from that point of view," he said.

Banff's Family and Community Support Services engages with hundreds of residents per week through provincial programming. The program operates on an 80/20 funding partnership with the Alberta government, which pays up to 80 per cent of costs. Any change to non-permanent resident eligibility could affect funding and service capacity.

Voters will decide the referendum questions on October 19. Lay said voters need clarity on local impacts, not just policy wording, and should hear directly from temporary residents themselves about how the changes would affect them.