Albertans split over 9 other referendum questions as counting continues

The gargantuan task of hand-counting ballots continues days after Monday's referendum. The vast majority of Albertans voted to stay in Canada. Now we're getting a clearer sense of the results of the other questions. Albertans so far appear to agree with five on immigration that would restrict or charge temporary residents for access to public services. A lot of us were sort of sitting on pins and needles. Those who work with migrants say the results could deter some newcomers from coming to Alberta. There's definitely some unease. You combine that with the cost of living, inflation, and now you're having to pay out of pocket for these services, right? Albertans appear against the four constitutional questions, which sought more provincial control over areas of jurisdiction shared with the federal government. One political organizer who urged Albertans to vote no to the nine says the results show Albertans don't want to scapegoat Ottawa. They're instead saying that these issues are being caused by the provincial government, not the feds. So that's what I think is coming out as the primary driver. Alberta's premier put the questions on the ballot. None got a landslide. I think part of it may be that with a lot of our advocacy, the federal government has changed direction on many, many of these programs in the last 18 months. The results also show a split between urban and rural voters with a provincial election roughly one year away. The tightrope that the premier finds herself on now is how to maintain support in those areas outside of the big cities but hang on to enough support in the big cities to be able to form a majority government. Before all of that, Smith has to face her own party at the United Conservatives' annual general meeting next month. Julia Wong, CBC News, Edmonton.