The names and addresses of millions of Albertans were posted in a searchable online database for days before a court order forced a separatist group to take it down. Now, RCMP are investigating.
Elections Alberta released more details about the situation Thursday afternoon, disclosing who allegedly shared the information and how long the searchable database was available for anyone to see.
The Republican Party of Alberta’s copy of the list of electors was given to The Centurion Project, Elections Alberta said.
The project is led by longtime political organizer David Parker, who has said the goal is to recruit and identify those who support the idea of Alberta separating from Canada ahead of a potential fall referendum.
On Thursday morning, an Edmonton judge granted an injunction ordering The Centurion Project to remove from its website the database of close to three million provincial voters.
Injunction granted as Elections Alberta investigates
The judge granted the injunction at the request of Elections Alberta, which is investigating if the official elector list was obtained by the separatist group.
Joey Redman, a lawyer for the elections agency, told Court of King’s Bench Justice John Little the information on the list, and therefore allegedly in the database, is “incredibly confidential.”
“Every elector in Alberta who has cast a ballot is included on that list, including people in very sensitive positions,” Redman said.
Redman said the agency believes the list was originally given legally to the pro-independence Republican Party of Alberta.
But Elections Alberta believes that list ended up in the hands of a pro-separation group called the Centurion Project, which allegedly created a publicly accessible database of the private information.
Redman said the agency has yet to confirm how the list allegedly managed to change hands.
“I don’t know whether it was provided by a representative of the Republican Party. I don’t know if the list was left out on a desk and somebody picked it up,” he said.
Under provincial law, only political parties, members of the legislature, prospective candidates and constituency associations are given copies of the voter list.
It can only be used to solicit donations, recruit party members and communicate with electors.
Specific security features are added to each list provided to eligible recipients, which Elections Alberta said allows it to identify who received each specific copy.
Redman went into further detail in court, explaining every individual list distributed by the agency is seeded with fake names to allows investigators to track who uses it.
When did the data come to light?
Elections Alberta said it started looking into the issue on Monday, April 27.
Redman said investigators acting on credible information from an anonymous tipster probed the database published by The Centurion Project and matched the fake names to a list given to the Republican Party in 2025.
A day after being tipped off, Elections Alberta said the chief electoral officer wrote to the people associated with The Centurion Project, saying if they were accessing the list then they must immediately cease and desist.
However, the online database remained up.
Elections Alberta serves cease-and-desist order
An event was held on Wednesday, April 29 at the Edmonton Oilfield Technical Society, in which those invited were told they would learn how to to identify and engage 1.5 million Alberta voters by October, when the province is holding a referendum on a range of topics.
During the meeting, several Edmonton Police Service officers accompanied representatives from Elections Alberta to the meeting to ensure in person that organizers had received the cease and desist.
“As a third-party advertiser, as an organisation, as a corporation you are not authorized to possess or to use that list of electors, OK?” an Elections Alberta official said to a Centurion representative outside the Wednesday night meeting, where the conversation was captured on video.
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The agency said another copy of the order was personally served to The Centurion Project.
David Parker denies wrongdoing
Afterwards, Parker posted a picture of a phone book on social media with the caption: “Look everyone! I found names and addresses in a nefarious document called a phone book! Call the cops!”
At the meeting, Parker spoke with Global News, confirming the existence of the database and insisted it contained public information. He wouldn’t say where Centurion got the information in the database, but that they’d “legally rented it.”
“The website is a database of Albertans that people can search and claim the people that they know. It creates a list for them. No one else can see the list,” Parker said. “I’m an admin, I can’t even see the lists, so it’s very private. People can go that have a security background in IT, they can go and look — it’s a very secure site.
“It’s a phone book without phone numbers. It’s literally name, address, that’s it.”
The Canadian Press examined The Centurion Project’s online database before it was taken down.
The site did not require identity verification and was accessible to anyone who had the link for it, and any name could be searched.
It listed the names and home addresses of the province’s prominent politicians, top elections official, senators, judges and Crown prosecutors and public figures such as journalists — information not available through public online telephone databases.
Parker said on Wednesday there was nothing illegal about The Centurion Project’s use of the voter list and if anyone objects to the release of the names and addresses, “We’ll see you in court.”
Late Thursday afternoon, The Centurion Project issued an updated statement:
“Volunteers utilized the Centurion App database to find people they know. They did not have access to phone numbers or emails. The Centurion Project relied on a third party to provide us with datasets for this tool. The Centurion Project is aware of recent allegations regarding the app’s data. We have taken action to shutdown the app until we can ensure that the dataset is compliant with Alberta and Federal privacy laws. The Centurion Project plan to fully comply with Elections Alberta’s investigation.”
What does the injunction entail?
Elections Alberta took the issue to court on Thursday morning, where the judge granted an ex parte emergent injunction to prohibit Centurion from any access to or use of the list.
By late morning, the database was not longer publicly accessible at the link it had been posted to.
The injunction order also directs The Centurion Project and Republican Party of Alberta to, within four days:
- Identify every person or entity the Centurion Project Ltd. and the Republican Party of Alberta have provided a copy of the List of Electors, or a portion of the List of Electors
- Identify every person or entity the Centurion Project Ltd. and the Republican Party of Alberta have permitted to access the information from the List of Electors or portion of the List of Electors
- Provide to the Chief Electoral Officer all contact information the Respondents have for these people or entities
Cameron Davies, leader of the Republican Party, told The Canadian Press Thursday it has not been officially contacted by Elections Alberta.
He said the party issued a notice to the Centurion Project that any information the group may have allegedly received — if it came from the party — is not to be used.
“We were proactive on that before the injunction today, and we’ll be fully complying with Elections Alberta,” Davies said.
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Rare move by Elections Alberta as privacy commissioner calls for change
The fact that Elections Alberta went public about the issue at all is unusual, as the agency is prohibited under law from commenting on or even confirming investigations.
However in its statement Thursday afternoon, the agency said it felt it was critical Albertans be aware of the alleged data breach and said it would share what it could.
“We wish to reinforce that Elections Alberta is taking every possible action to protect and recover the information,” the agency said.
It has notified the province’s information and privacy commissioner and said it’s working with law enforcement to determine the scale and scope of the alleged privacy breach and if additional action is required.
Alberta Privacy Commissioner Diane McLeod said it gathered information all day Thursday and is still determining if the case falls within that office’s jurisdiction.
“My office does not have jurisdiction over personal information contained in the List of Electors that may have been disclosed by a political party. This is because the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) does not apply to political parties,” McLeod said.
That said, she added the alleged release of millions of people’s addresses is very serious.
“For some of these individuals, there is likely a real risk of significant harm given that their home address and phone numbers have been made public. This could be especially harmful for certain individuals.
“Some examples might be those who work for law enforcement, who are public officials, who are fleeing intimate partner violence and other vulnerable individuals.”
McLeod said this incident demonstrates it’s high time for political parties to be made subject to PIPA, which she said her office has been calling to happen for decades.
“This is evidence of a concerning gap in Alberta’s privacy laws as it relates to the collection, use and disclosure of personal information by political parties,” McLeod said.
“During the PIPA review, which is still underway, we renewed the call for political parties to be made subject to the Act. Of note is that BC’s PIPA, which is substantially similar to Alberta’s, does apply to BC’s political parties.
“I am once again calling on government to make political parties subject to PIPA in the next set of amendments to the Act.”
Alberta’s Election Act legislates the contents, distribution, protection and use of the list of electors. Breaches of the law can lead to fines of up to $100,000 and imprisonment of one year.
RCMP investigating
The Alberta RCMP has launched its own investigation.
Mounties said they received a tip from someone associated with the Alberta NDP who raised concerns about potential misuse of the provincial voter list maintained by Elections Alberta.
“The RCMP has initiated an investigation and is working with other law enforcement partners in the province to determine if any offence(s) have been committed respecting the dissemination or handling of the information contained in the voter list,” said Alberta RCMP media relations manager Fraser Logan.
It’s not known how long the site had been live before officials were tipped off on Monday.
Political fallout: ‘Genie is out of the bottle’
Former politician Thomas Lukaszuk, who is leading the Forever Canadian initiative to ensure Alberta remains in Canada, is very concerned.
“Once this genie is out of the bottle, once they have that list, there’s no way of controlling it. You know, there could be 50,000 copies of those lists right now, circulating,” Lukaszuk said on Thursday.
Opposition NDP leader Naheed Nenshi said the Republican Party should be deregistered if it gave the list to The Centurion Project.
“It’s dangerous, it puts people’s lives at risk, and it puts our democracy at risk,” Nenshi said.
Progressive Tory Party leader Peter Guthrie said his party doesn’t have an elector list but would never consider doing such a thing.
“That would run directly counter to the standards we’re committed to,” he said.
Dave Prisco, the spokesperson for the United Conservative Party, said in a statement: “The UCP did not provide the list of electors to any unauthorized outside group or individual. Any suggestion to the contrary is false.”
Who is David Parker?
David Parker is best known for organizing a grassroots movement called Take Back Alberta.
It helped organize United Conservative Party members to cast ballots to take down former premier Jason Kenney in a confidence vote.
Take Back Alberta later helped galvanize support to help Danielle Smith win the UCP leadership party race to take Kenney’s place.
Smith went on to become premier in her own right in the 2023 provincial election.
She attended Parker’s wedding but two years ago, distanced herself from him over some of his social media posts personally criticizing federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and his wife — posts that prompted Smith to tell Parker to “delete his X account and get some help.”
Early last year, Elections Alberta fined Parker and Take Back Alberta more than $100,000 for a range of violations.
—with files from Jack Farrell and Lisa Johnson, The Canadian Press
Lol and the Coilers lose 🤣 It’s a rough day in redneckville
I do not to be like the United States with politicians able to look up our private matters in voting especially what party we will vote on. Did you not reember in past elections re trump, orinary people were harrassed and threatened re voting….Shame, shame.
HAND THESE ASS-OLES.
Delores B is a Communist B.
I’m all in !! In total favour of Alberta separating!! I’m with you guys 100%. You should hold the election in B.C….that way you’d get 100% of the vote . The catch is anybody that moved here has to go back…cousins. dogs. Cats. Lawnmowers etc. I’ll start a go fund me tomorrow to help pay for the moves…im sure the provincial govt will chip in too !!
Wow! A preach?. I had not realized that carney was an ordained minister or one of those charged with righteousness of constitutional standards. But then again, when and which province over rides the constitution?
An honest to goodness CANADIAN would stand by their country and fight for what’s right. Not run with tail between their legs and hide somewhere else. Exposing voters names etc. is quite against Stats Can laws and regulations… is it a ‘preach’ or a ‘breach’ …. lol
Alberta is better off independent than staying with Carney and his Liberal cronies.
@Normal Canadian. It will suprise you how many signatures the Independent Alberta group gets. We know you are part of the Carney Elbows Up Canadians
This also means a person who signs up to any class action lawsuit which is launched against the said ‘Project’ could be at risk.
This also means people who may sign up to any class action lawsuit that’s launched could be at risk.
Smells like an easy way for the someone to discredit the movement.
When you get a chance, vote to separate! The Gov and the voters that keeping voting in Liberal deserve the headache.
True Bob ! They lowered the bar to qualify for votes….then fudged the numbers to say they got the votes and now this. The unfortunate part is we’re stuck with them…in a perfect world we’d help them pack.
You speak what you think.
Bob speaks what he thinks.
Stop talking Bob
You’re the treasonous one
So the separtists didn’t and very much could not have had enough names on their petition and thus the need to pat their list with this ‘leaked’ info.
Scumbags.
@JV – Its hilarious to see you on these comment sections. Everything you spew is to fit your narrative.
Drink the Kool-Aid some more
It’s so funny watching these idiotic Alberta separatists trying to blame the Chinese or Carney or whoever else they can come up with to fit their narrative 🤣🤣
@Delores.
UCP and NDP have no affiliation with Elections Alberta. Perhaps you should not be allowed to breed
Unintended access, or deliberate leak?
Let me guess, they will investigate themselves and find no wrongdoing.
I would be SO embarassed if I voted for the UCP. Who shoots themselves in the foot with such ignorance and spite? I hope UCP voters aren’t able to breed.
The leaker and these gross separatist groups need to be in prison or exiled for life.
UCP.and NDP have nothing to do with Elections Alberta.
Class action lawsuit
Really, not like prolonging government so media could could block any conservative views, spread lies to help liberals for a year. No Carney would never break the law and seize Canadian citizens bank accounts. Opps he did, ran pyramid scam in UK, plagiarism for his university education. Direct ties to the child island. Bike shop in Bermuda tax heaven.
Solid morals and ethics.
All these inflammatory comments at the UCP/ NDP when in no way did this article point any any party or individual. Please keep it respectful and factual.
Most likely far-right extremists. The white nationalists in Alberta are basically a homegrown terrorist organization
Just another day in Hellberta with old Mud Flap Face in charge.
Conservatives just can’t stay out of their own way.
Smith is a wannabe Trump, and looks like the Elephant Man.
So, the big question is, is someone going to be held accountable for this? The answer should definitely be a yes.
Oh look….but I thought it was only the bad liberals this happens too?! Not the chosen conservatives…
You all know Elections Alberta is independent from any political affiliation. Enough with the “UCP this” and “NDP that”.
Extremely sensitive data like names, addresses, and phone numbers…. You mean like the phone book?
The UCP is not only incompetent, but massively corrupt. I WISH there was someone else to vote for.
You mean uceepee handing out public data?
Interesting. It couldn’t possibly be a greasy washed up politician that was once clocked in the face while door knocking and is now looking to get back into the spotlight and might still have connections at government agencies, could it?
According to recent polls, the NDP may be down to as little as 3 seats after the next election. I’d focus on them.