“WE WARNED YOU THIS WOULD HAPPEN”
Folks, we have never seen anything like this in Canadian history.
This is an absolutely wild update on Elections Alberta, Centurion Project, and the Republican Party of Alberta scandal.
I am sharing this very important information as it directly affects the residents of Ward Dene, the good people of the City of Edmonton, and all our Alberta family.
First, the highlights, or table of contents, of what Elections Alberta is saying. I will expand on what this means for you right after:
Point 1: The Government Gagged Elections Alberta, the Watchdog
Point 2: The Fake Name Trap
Point 3: Your Name is NOT Protected From Forged Petitions
Point 4: Four-Day Court Ultimatum
Point 5: Real People Are in Real Danger
Point 6: Elections Alberta is Demanding Better Laws
Now for what this actually means for you:
Point 1: The Government Gagged Elections Alberta, the Watchdog
People have been asking why Elections Alberta seemed to sit on this and why it did not act faster. Elections Alberta says the current Alberta government passed a law recently (Bill 54) that essentially tied their hands.
It actually wrote to MLAs about a year ago, EXPLICITLY warning them that this new law would make it nearly impossible to investigate complaints.
To look into a breach, the law now requires YOU, the citizen, to hand them a fully solved investigation first. How is that even possible?
Point 2: The Fake Name Trap
In order to catch people leaking data, Elections Alberta hides fake, trackable decoy names inside the voter lists they hand out. Clever.
They are now going to be heavily checking current petitions, SPECIFICALLY the ones for Alberta independence and for coal mining. If one of the fake names they planted is on the petition, it proves that the stolen voter data was actively used to forge signatures. However, there is no guarantee any of the fake names were used.
Point 3: Your Name is NOT Protected From Forged Petitions
This is EXTREMELY shocking. If your data was stolen and someone forged your signature on a petition, the current law makes it ILLEGAL for Elections Alberta to tell you. Even worse, the law AS CURRENTLY WRITTEN stops them from removing your name off that petition, even if you find out and explicitly demand to be removed.
Point 4: Four-Day Court Ultimatum
The courts have issued a deadline. The groups that have been named responsible for this mess (The Centurion Project and the Republican Party of Alberta) were given exactly four days by the court to hand over the names and contact information of every single person who was given a copy of your data or was even allowed to look at it.
So we will all be watching to see if they comply, but we will not know if they have handed over a complete or truthful list. I do not recommend holding your breath on that, and I do not know how that list will be verified for complete compliance.
Point 5: Real People Are in Real Danger
As we have seen in the past, government agencies tend to use fairly calm and bureaucratic language to downplay leaks.
My friends, not today.
Elections Alberta has flat-out admitted that exposing home addresses PUTS REAL LIVES AT RISK. They are specifically calling out the danger this poses to domestic violence survivors, police officers, and marginalized folks.
As a side note, I have already been in touch with someone who has to move out of their current home immediately due to this very real danger.
Point 6: Elections Alberta is Demanding Better Laws
The Chief Electoral Officer is quite obviously fed up.
They are openly siding with the Privacy Commissioner and publicly demanding that the government create new laws immediately. They want to close the glaring loophole that lets something like this happen. They want more oversight so they can protect your information.
They do not seem to be willing to take the fall here for anybody.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Why do political parties even have this list in the first place?
Let us be very clear: it is extremely valid and important for legitimate political parties, like the NDP and the UCP, to have access to the voter list. It is a fundamental part of our democratic system that allows parties to verify eligible voters and communicate with constituents during an election.
Right now, the bad actors online who caused this mess are trying to DARVO (Deny, Attack, and Reverse Victim and Offender) their way out of accountability. They are trying to downplay their actions by claiming this list is no different than a phone book.
That is absolutely ridiculous.
A phone book does not contain unlisted home addresses, private contact information, and exact physical locations of all 2.9 million eligible voters in Alberta, including domestic violence survivors and law enforcement officers who intentionally keep their information private for their own physical safety.
The issue is not that legitimate parties have the list. The issue is that the rules were intentionally broken by these bad actors, and Elections Alberta was legislatively handcuffed by Bill 54 from pursuing them and shutting it down immediately.
Can we launch a class action lawsuit?
Yes. Albertans should consider every legal option available to hold these folks accountable.
While a political party might try to hide behind legislative loopholes, Elections Alberta explicitly named the Centurion Project Ltd. in their court injunction. That is a private company, and they do not get a free pass to mishandle your personal data.
If you are angry that your privacy was intentionally compromised, here is what you can practically do right now: start contacting Alberta law firms that specialize in privacy breaches and class action litigation. Tell them you are an Albertan whose data was compromised in the Centurion Project leak, and that you want to be part of a class action lawsuit. Make them pay for intentionally compromising your privacy.
RELATED: How Did We Get Here?
For those who want context, it is important to understand that this did not happen in a vacuum. It is the result of years of legislation that has steadily stripped power away from our independent election watchdogs.
2019 (Bill 22): The government passed Bill 22, firing the Election Commissioner while that office was actively investigating campaign financing violations.
2021 (Bill 81): The government pushed through Bill 81, altering election financing rules to allow for bulk membership purchases.
2025 (Bill 54): The bill Elections Alberta explicitly called out today. Bill 54 raised the standard for starting an investigation on reasonable grounds, meaning Elections Alberta cannot even start investigating until a citizen practically hands them all the evidence.
Over the years, we have seen a dismantling of the very systems meant to protect our elections. We are now seeing the very real consequences.
Stay safe, look out for your neighbours, and keep demanding better.
Oh, and watch out for suspicious activity on your credit and any other identity theft concerns you may have.
