Voters in the City of Grande Prairie are eager to see changes to Canada’s equalization payment formula, but are less interested in changes to Daylight Saving Time.
According to unofficial voter data released by the city, 5,269 voters, or about 55 per cent of those who voted on referendum questions Monday, said no to proposals to maintain Daylight Saving Time all year. However, 69 per cent of voters said yes to trying to remove equalization payments from the constitution.
The opinions on equalization in Grande Prairie closely mirror those found in Red Deer, as voters in that municipality also 69 per cent voted in favour of the move. The two mid-sized cities, however, were more in support than Alberta’s most populous areas, as Calgary voters still leaned toward yes but with 58 per cent in approval.
When it comes to voting for Senate of Canada nominees, Pam Davidson received the most local votes with 3,880. Erika Barootes was a close second with 3,789, and Mykhailo Martyniouk rounded out the top three vote-getters with 2,676.
Elections Alberta is expected to release province-wide data on the referendum on October 26th. The results are meant to give the provincial government leverage in discussions with the federal government.
