The premier will chair a 14-person group that includes Whitecap Resources CEO Grant Fagerheim, Business Council of Alberta president Adam Legge and the province’s environment minister Rebecca Schulz. Panelists will speak with Albertans over the summer and early fall, then recommend specific questions that may appear on the ballot of a potential 2026 referendum. (The Logic)

Talking point: Smith has opened the door to a referendum after years of frustration in the province over issues like Ottawa’s energy policies and the sector’s inability to build key infrastructure. The vote won’t necessarily propose Alberta’s outright separation from the federation, but will centre around issues like immigration, tax collection and major energy projects. The premier recently told Bloomberg she was expecting an energy company to propose a major oil pipeline to the West Coast within weeks. Smith appeared to hedge that claim when speaking to reporters on Tuesday, saying she had the “hope” that a firm would come forward “very soon.”