Video taking off 97x its usual first day

"For now, Alberta stays": Toronto Star's wordless referendum Short

Signs, polling stations and Mark Carney under a "Forever Canada" banner tell the early result, while Danielle Smith's response is still to come.

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Toronto Star Story of October 21, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 64,702 views a day, 97 times a normal first day on this channel (666).

Alberta Referendum Results: Albertans voted to stay in Canada

"For now, Alberta stays." That closing line of the Toronto Star's referendum Short carries the caution of a count still underway. With votes still being tallied, about three in four Albertans had chosen to remain in Canada, and roughly a quarter backed a path toward separation.

The report runs entirely on images and on-screen text, with no narration. It opens on competing signs, "Stay in Canada" and "Choose Alberta," then follows voters into Elections Alberta polling places and past rallies crowded with provincial and Canadian flags.

The final scene belongs to Prime Minister Mark Carney, speaking to a cheering crowd at a podium beneath a "Forever Canada" banner. The on-screen text says he called the vote a defining moment for the country. Premier Danielle Smith's response was still expected as final results came in.

The Short drew about 44,000 views in its first 12 hours, far beyond the paper's usual start for a Short. The comment section moved even faster: a typical Star Short collects a couple of comments on its first day, and this one passed 200 in half a day. Much of the discussion is about the ballot itself. A sign in the opening shot reads "No to the nine," and several viewers ask about the other questions they say voters faced alongside stay-or-go.

Federal politics has been the Star's strongest territory for Shorts this year. Its two most-watched Shorts both date from August and center on Carney and the trade dispute with Washington. Closer to home, the channel is also preparing readers for Ontario's municipal elections on October 26 with its Vote Compass survey.

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