Canmore Venue Cancels Booking For Alberta Independence Town Hall

A Canmore referendum town hall advertising speakers associated with Alberta independence campaigns lost its venue when Silvertip cancelled the booking.

Its owner, Stone Creek Resorts, says it supports Alberta remaining in Canada.

The gathering was scheduled for Oct. 7. Stone Creek confirmed it was not held at Silvertip, but whether organizers moved it elsewhere or rescheduled the event remains unclear.

“Silvertip cancelled the venue booking for the October 7 Alberta Referendum Town Hall and Q&A. The event was not held at Silvertip. Stone Creek Resorts is proudly Canadian and fully supports Alberta remaining part of Canada,” the company said in a statement to Bow Valley Insider.

Stone Creek said it cancelled only the venue booking and directed further questions about the event to its organizers. The company did not explain what prompted the decision or when organizers were notified.

An online listing advertised Eva Chipiuk, Tanya Clemens and Cory Morgan as speakers at the town hall and question-and-answer session.

According to Elections Alberta’s registry, Morgan is the primary contact for Pathway to Independence, a registered referendum third-party advertiser.

In a May 30 post announcing the organization, Morgan said the group was campaigning for voters to support beginning the process toward a binding separation referendum.

Clemens co-leads Let Alberta Decide. The organization’s June 17 launch announcement describes its campaign as making the case for Alberta independence.

The Rocky Mountain Outlook reported that Silvertip staff initially understood the booking to be another Banff-Kananaskis United Conservative Party constituency association event.

Trudy Corbett told the newspaper she booked the venue under her own name as a private citizen, on behalf of people bringing the event to Canmore, rather than for the association.

The UCP’s website lists Corbett as a southern Alberta director. Bow Valley Insider asked whether the party or its constituency association provided funding, promotion or other resources for the event.

Corbett had not responded to requests for comment about her role, the cancellation and whether the event went ahead elsewhere at the time of publication.

Canmore council has also weighed in on the separation debate. According to the town’s Oct. 6 council summary, council unanimously passed a resolution supporting Canadian unity.

As Bow Valley Insider previously reported, Mayor Sean Krausert warned that uncertainty surrounding separation could worsen the town’s housing, affordability and staffing pressures.

Albertans will vote on 10 referendum questions on Oct. 19. Question 10 asks voters to choose between Alberta remaining a province of Canada and the provincial government beginning the constitutional process toward a future binding referendum on separation. The result is non-binding, and the Oct. 19 vote would not itself decide whether Alberta leaves Canada.

Advance voting runs Oct. 13-17. Residents can find their voting locations through the Elections Alberta online tool.