Alberta changes fixed spring election date to reduce natural disaster risk

Alberta will now see its provincial elections take place in the fall to avoid clashing with major natural disasters.

Legislation passed earlier this week pushes Alberta’s fixed election date from the last Monday in May to the third Monday in October, following a similar format to municipal elections.

Speaking on her weekly phone-in radio show Your Province Your Premier, Premier Danielle Smith said Saturday it’s challenging to manage natural disasters at the same time as an election.

“It’s bananas, and we just can’t do that anymore,” she said.

Smith introduced Bill 21, also known as the Emergency Statutes Amendment Act 2024, in the Alberta legislature last month to help the province better respond to emergencies.

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The bill also includes changes to a number of emergency-related policies that would allow the province to quickly take over local emergency response efforts in what it considers extreme circumstances.

Almost 30,000 residents were forced from their homes by early May during last year’s record-breaking wildfire season, days after the spring election campaign had officially kicked off.

NDP Leader Rachel Notley told reporters last month she would not be opposed to reconsidering the fixed election date given that climate change is now making natural emergencies more frequent.

Still, she said Smith could have looked at going to the polls earlier than the current date, such as February 2027 or October 2026.

“Giving themselves an extra six months seems very self-serving and opportunistic from a government that has a strong record of being very self-serving and opportunistic,” Notley told reporters at the time.

Smith said Saturday that wildfires, floods and droughts are going to be consistent issues during the summer months. Trying to push an election past June starts to interfere with summer vacations and festivals, she said.

Having an election in March or April also isn’t an option, Smith said.

“You can’t have an election in March or April because you still have snow on the ground, there’s still ice out there so you can’t even put lawn signs in the lawn,” she said.

“That’s the period of time as well that you normally bring through your budget, so you can’t push it any earlier.”

Smith said the next provincial election is scheduled for Oct. 18, 2027.

— With files from The Canadian Press