The votes will be fully counted on Tuesday, and it is unclear when a definitive result will be available.
Alberta has some of the world's largest oil reserves, and public opinion there has often been more similar to that in neighboring US states than to opinion in the rest of Canada, the AP news agency writes. As a result, greater autonomy is regularly debated.
But at the moment, many Canadians are also united in their dislike of US President Donald Trump, which has likely weakened the independence side in the referendum.