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EDMONTON — A judge has ordered an Alberta separatist group to take down an online database containing voter information, while the RCMP investigates how the data was obtained and shared.
The Court of King’s Bench granted an injunction requiring the Centurion Project to remove access to the database and prevent further distribution of information drawn from Alberta’s list of electors, which contains personal details on roughly 2.9 million residents.
Elections Alberta has said the data appears to have originated from a list legitimately provided to a registered political party, but may have been used or distributed in a way not permitted under provincial law. The agency has issued a cease-and-desist order and is working with law enforcement and other agencies as the situation unfolds.
Under the court order, the Centurion Project must identify individuals or entities who accessed the data and provide that information to the chief electoral officer. The Republican Party of Alberta has also been directed not to share elector information with unauthorized users.
The database, which was briefly accessible online, allowed users to search for individuals by name or address and included information such as names, addresses, postal codes and unique voter identifiers.
Elections Alberta says it began taking action once it had sufficient grounds under legislation to proceed, noting the threshold for launching an investigation requires evidence comparable to that needed in a criminal matter.
The agency has acknowledged widespread concern among Albertans, including from individuals who may face heightened risks if their personal information is made public.
The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner has also been notified and is assessing whether it has jurisdiction to investigate the matter.
Opposition Leader Naheed Nenshi called the situation “extremely serious” and is demanding an emergency legislative committee meeting to examine the breach.
“Albertans deserve clear answers about what happened: when Elections Alberta became aware of the breach, and why action appears to have been taken so late,” Nenshi said in a statement.
He also called on the provincial government to reverse legislative changes introduced in 2025, arguing they weakened Elections Alberta’s ability to investigate potential violations.
Elections Alberta has said it is preparing recommendations for legislative changes, including measures aimed at strengthening protections for personal information held by political parties.
Officials say the incident has exposed potential gaps in Alberta’s privacy framework, particularly around how voter data can be accessed and used by authorized entities.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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