Alberta Land Consortium has risen to fourth place among organizations raising money for Alberta’s referendum campaign, but at least 83% of its reported contributions came from the group’s organizer, his relatives, or companies connected to them, according to corporate searches conducted by The Tyee.
Elections Alberta disclosures show the Calgary-based third-party advertiser raised $30,315. The Tyee traced at least $25,150 of that total to Robert Deer, members of his family, or corporations whose directors were connected to Deer.
Deer is listed by Elections Alberta as the consortium’s primary contact and chief financial officer.
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He acknowledged to The Tyee that he and his family were the group’s major donors, while saying the campaign’s finances and operations were above board.
The scrutiny extends beyond where the money came from. The consortium’s FreeAlbertaLand website promises one corporate share to anyone who contributes at least $1,000 to its referendum advertising campaign before October 19. The site presents the shares as free and says the donations will finance work supporting Alberta independence.
“Become a partner in Alberta Land Consortium Inc. This offer WAS open to any individual or corporation anywhere in the free world BUT IS ON HOLD FOR THE REFERENDUM PERIOD,” the website read.
The Alberta Securities Commission told The Tyee that it was “assessing the matter and gathering additional information” to determine whether the arrangement constitutes an offering of securities within its regulatory mandate.
Deer said the consortium was originally established for potential Alberta land ventures before he redirected it toward the separation campaign. He said the company was no longer accepting money for its own growth and that shares were being distributed free to people donating $1,000 or more to the political effort.
“I’m not a smart man, but I am following all of the rules to the best of my knowledge, and have no ill intent,” Deer told The Tyee.
Elections Alberta said the consortium was eligible to register as a third-party advertiser but would not confirm whether it was conducting an investigation.
