‘Why should I choose Alberta?’: Referendum questions on immigration could leave businesses short of workers, observers say

Sally Zhao came to Alberta from the United Kingdom on the promise of opportunity, but if she had to make the same choice today, she might not choose Canada at all.

Zhao, the chief executive of a Calgary-based non-profit that helps immigrants, says some of the questions on the ballot in Alberta’s upcoming referendum could make the province less welcoming to newcomers.

“Why should I choose Alberta if I cannot access support?” said Zhao, who’s now a Canadian citizen.

The referendum poses 10 questions — one on whether Alberta should hold another vote on leaving Canada, four on potential changes to the country’s Constitution and five focused on immigration.

The immigration questions ask voters about a wide range of topics, such as whether they support Alberta seeking “increased control” over immigration, decreasing immigration levels and charging some immigrants extra when they access education and health care.

One of the 10 questions asks whether people with non-permanent, legal immigration status should live in Alberta for at least one year before qualifying for provincially funded social support programs.

While immigrants use social services and health care, a recent report authored by University of Calgary economist Trevor Tombe for the Calgary Chamber of Commerce suggests their contributions outweigh their toll on provincial coffers.

Immigrants under 40 contributed net $1 billion to provincial tax revenues in fiscal 2026, after provincial family programs, workers’ compensation and social assistance are accounted for, the report found. Immigrants overall paid $4.1 billion in taxes this year.

Zhao leads The Immigrant Education Society, a non-profit that helps about 3,000 clients per day, many of whom could be affected by the upcoming referendum. The organization has around 260 staff from more than 40 countries who help newcomers learn English, access employment services and more.

Immigrants, she says, come here because Alberta welcomes them.

Zhao argues some of the changes proposed in the questions reflect “unfair treatment” of immigrants.

“(It’s kind of like) welcoming a guest to your house and they say, ‘OK, now no food. The food is only for the family members.’ Guests just sit there without eating,” she added.

Amid a countrywide push to build major infrastructure projects — from pipelines to ports — some observers warn this is not the time for Alberta to be creating uncertainty for newcomers.

“Who’s going to build this stuff?” said Peter Veress, an immigration consultant at Vermax Group.

The province has a long history of relying on workers from elsewhere. Nearly half of Albertans were born outside the province, with 26 per cent being from outside Canada and another 23 per cent born elsewhere in the country, according to Statistics Canada.

Mark Parsons, the chief economist at Alberta bank ATB Financial, says Canada’s population growth is slowing significantly while the workforce ages.

“The baby boomers will be exiting the workforce, by and large, over the next decade,” Parsons said. “We’re going to see declines in labour force participation rates.”

That means fewer workers to build.

“What immigration does is it keeps the workforce growing,” Parsons said. “We’re going to need an expanding workforce to undertake all these projects.”

After Canada saw record-smashing population growth for several years, Ottawa began reducing the number of permanent and temporary residents allowed into the country in 2024, following public backlash.

The result was the country’s slowest population growth in 80 years, as Canada accepted fewer non-permanent residents, while permanent residents and citizens had fewer children.

Many of Veress’ clients are employers looking to attract talent to the country and fill labour gaps.

Those businesses are “very concerned” about the potential for added costs or red tape that could emerge from some of the referendum questions getting a majority yes vote, according to Veress.

Temporary foreign workers are already a last resort for his clients, he added.

“When they’re already going to that strategy, it’s because they absolutely need it to make sure that their projects are actually done on time and on budget,” Veress said. “Delays cost money, investment and jobs.

“Alberta employers compete internationally for talent,” Veress said. “People have choices, and they will go to where they feel most welcome.”

FP West: Energy Insider brings you behind the closed doors of the oilpatch, with exclusive insights from insiders every Wednesday morning. Sign up now.