“The government would rather spend money making migrants feel welcome than fixing the streetlights,” Olusile said, recalling the woman’s comment.
“I don't know whether it was just a coincidence that she made that comment as I was walking past, but she said it nonetheless.”
After a decade of practising law in Nigeria, Olusile moved to Alberta to pursue a master’s degree in law at the University of Calgary.
Olusile is on a study permit, her husband holds a work permit, and their two children are temporary residents. It did not take her long to consider making Calgary a permanent home, drawn by the prospect of a quieter, more family-friendly life.
The Oct. 19 referendum and the political rhetoric surrounding it have made the family’s plans uncertain.
“It's difficult to feel welcome when even your neighbours hold that kind of opinion,” she said.
“I definitely don't want my children growing up in an environment where they feel unwelcome.”
Alhan Arsal, a temporary resident from Bangladesh, is pursuing a master’s degree in international relations at the University of Calgary
Arsal and his wife, who is currently studying in Vancouver, had weighed their options between settling in Calgary or Vancouver after finishing their studies.
“The referendum, as well as the political atmosphere in Alberta, has helped make my decision to move to Vancouver after my studies,” he said. “I am not comfortable making long-term plans in this province.”
Olusile and Arsal are among Alberta's 271,000 non-permanent residents, who accounted for about 5.4 per cent of the province’s population at the beginning of 2026.
While the question of Alberta's possible separation from Canada has drawn much of the attention — inside and outside the borders, it is the referendum's immigration proposals that could have more immediate consequences for residents.
Five of the 10 referendum questions concern immigration, including greater provincial control over immigration; restrictions on access to publicly funded services; a 12-month waiting period for certain social supports; additional health care and education fees for temporary residents and their families; and proof of citizenship to vote in provincial elections.
The final question asks whether Alberta should remain in Canada or begin the legal process toward a possible future binding referendum on separation.
The government has not defined who would qualify for the proposed “Alberta-approved immigration status,” nor specified what additional immigration powers it wants from Ottawa. The referendum is non-binding, and a vote in favour would not automatically put the proposed changes into effect.
Interviews with immigrants across Alberta revealed a range of views on the proposals.
Some support giving the province greater control over immigration and acknowledge the strain newcomers place on public services. Others worry about restrictions that could make life harder for temporary residents.
But even people who are sympathetic to the proposals say they are uneasy about the rhetoric surrounding the referendum and what it could mean for immigrants' sense of belonging in Alberta.
Dozie Anyaegbunam is a Calgary-based marketing professional and managing editor of The Newcomers, a publication and podcast exploring immigrant experiences in Canada. He recently became a Canadian citizen, and finds himself in an unusual position.
“Five years after moving to Canada, I'm being asked to vote on people who arrived much as I did,” said Anyaegbunam, who was born in Nigeria.
“I'm also being asked to consider rewriting the rules of a country I've just become a citizen of — or leaving it.”
Avnish Nanda is an Edmonton lawyer and co-founder of Our Alberta Advantage, a nonpartisan campaign opposing the referendum's immigration proposals and challenging the government's portrayal of newcomers as a burden on public services.
“This is scapegoating immigrants, newcomers and cultural communities for the government's own failures,” he said.
“I think it’s an affront to the journey of many people to this country and this province.”
Manpreet Tiwana, vice-president of the Alberta Liberal Party and an immigrant himself, said he believes these issues deserve an “honest and respectful discussion guided by facts, fairness, and the interest of all Albertans.”
“In my view, immigrant communities need a stronger voice in this debate. Their perspectives should be included in policy discussions and decision-making, particularly when proposed changes could directly affect their families, livelihoods and sense of belonging.”
Different experiences, different concerns
New Canadian Media interviewed several immigrants who acknowledged the strain on Alberta's health care and education systems, and expressed sympathy for at least some of the referendum proposals.
“I have directly seen some of the issues caused by mass immigration (while being a beneficiary of the same system),” said Imtiaz bin Hafiz, a lawyer who moved to Alberta in November 2022 from Bangladesh and is preparing to take his Canadian citizenship oath.
“To me, it feels like there was a significant disconnect between the federal immigration plan and the provincial capacity to accommodate the federal plan.”
Ninoy Ahmed, a Calgary-based senior credit risk analyst who has lived in Alberta for a decade, agreed that the system is stretched and residents should be consulted.
“It is in fact the people's right to cast their opinion on how public programs funded by their taxes should be structured,” he said.
Views on specific referendum questions are varied.
Nishu (who preferred to use only their nickname) is a 35-year-old government employee who moved to Alberta from Bangladesh in 2015 and is now a Canadian citizen. They are particularly concerned about the proposed 12-month waiting period for certain social supports.
“What happens if someone urgently needs help before completing those 12 months?”
Nishu worries the proposals could create different classes of residents.
“I don't think it's fair to create different levels of access to essential services based on immigration status,” they said.
Syed Zulqernain Safdar, a permanent resident who moved to Calgary from Pakistan in 2023, suggests international students could perhaps pay $2,000 a year for medical coverage, subject to affordability and exemptions.
“I believe supporting controlled immigration does not mean being anti-immigrant,” Safdar said.
Nanda, who co-founded Our Alberta Advantage, questions exaggerated claims of taxpayer costs, given that figures supplied by the premier's office indicate that temporary foreign workers and international students account for just 1.27 per cent of the province's health-care spending in 2024 even though they are a considerably larger share of the population.
Among immigrants who support restrictions, there is discomfort with the tone of the debate.
“It's the tone and the attitude of those in favour of the referendum that worries us, to an extent,” said Hafiz.
“It's obvious that some of the sentiments about immigration are fuelled by racism to an extent, while some of it is also fuelled by legitimate frustrations about the resource crisis caused by mass immigration.”
Anyaegbunam has a similar concern.
“What troubles me is how a conversation about paying for services has become one about whether our neighbours cost too much,” he said.
“Immigrant parents also want smaller classes and better access to doctors. Those shared concerns shouldn't put us on opposing sides.”
Tiwana argues that the political discussion must recognize newcomers' contributions rather than make them feel excluded.
“We are not outsiders looking in — we are Albertans and Canadians who contribute to our communities and share responsibility for our province's future.”
Nanda says his organization has been reaching out to voters in Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu, including campaigns at Edmonton gurdwaras (Sikh places of worship).
He said community members have connected the anti-immigration expressions surrounding the referendum with fears about their safety, particularly following a reported attack on a Sikh temple in Edmonton.
“The community thinks this anti-immigrant rhetoric is leading to increased incidents of violence towards them.”
The economic and political stakes
The referendum debate comes at a time when Alberta businesses are warning about labour shortages caused by a drop inimmigration.
An Oct. 8 report from Calgary’s chamber of commerce, states that 65 per cent of its members said their businesses are struggling to find workers, and 47 per cent expect recent or proposed immigration-policy changes to negatively affect their operations.
“We need immigrants to fill those labour shortages because the domestic population and the natural birth rate won’t address this,” Nanda said.
Olusile said she wonders what would happen if temporary residents decide to leave the province in large numbers.
“If there's a mass exodus of temporary residents, who absorbs those costs? The government? Or the people left behind?”
Nanda said the referendum is primarily political rather than necessary for implementing many of the proposed measures and that Premier Danielle Smith could implement most of the proposed changes without holding a referendum.
“This is about politics, not policy,” he said. “This is about blaming immigrants for the problems the government faces.”
Ahmed, who has lived and worked in Alberta for 10 years, said he sees a potential political benefit in the referendum. “If the separation questions at least give Alberta a better seat at the bargaining table with the feds, then the referendum is necessary,” he said.
While they have different views about immigration restrictions, many immigrants said they believe the province’s separation from Canada is a distant possibility.
After living in Alberta for the last four years, Hafiz said he and his wife still hope to live and retire there. But there is a limit.
“It's too remote a possibility to worry about, but if separation becomes a possibility, we will leave.”
Copyright 2026, New Canadian Media. All rights reserved.
Mubin S. Khan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, New Canadian Media.
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