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Alberta's independence movement is gaining ground this summer, said Keith Wilson, the King's Counsel lawyer now widely seen as the driving force behind the province's referendum push, on Thursday's episode of The Ezra Levant Show. 

Wilson leads Let Alberta Decide, a third-party advertiser registered with Elections Alberta that has emerged as a central hub in the referendum campaign after a court ruling set aside an earlier petition drive led by the Alberta Prosperity Project.

"We've raised well over a quarter of a million dollars in less than a month," Wilson said, adding that his group is leading all fundraising among registered campaign entities.

A sold-out Stampede breakfast organized on short notice drew more than a thousand attendees last weekend, many of them newcomers to the independence cause. Wilson said a large sign campaign for Calgary and a new digital strategy are next.

Wilson raised concerns about the fairness of Elections Alberta's enforcement, noting that Unifor and Thomas Lukaszuk's Forever Canada campaign have not registered as third-party advertisers despite visible campaign infrastructure.

"No observer can look at the facts here and conclude that's what's happening," Wilson said of the elections body's claimed impartiality.

Much of the discussion turned to recent pipeline announcements between Premier Danielle Smith, Prime Minister Mark Carney and B.C. Premier David Eby. Wilson argued that the deals, rather than undercutting the independence movement, have accelerated it. He pointed to a new provision allowing British Columbia to toll Alberta oil moving through the Trans Mountain pipeline — a measure economist Jack Mintz has publicly labelled extortion.

"Let's call it what it is: extortion," Wilson said, citing Mintz's analysis.

Wilson also cited a Fraser Institute study released June 25, concluding that new carbon capture costs and industrial carbon taxes tied to the Pathways Alliance project would make Alberta's oil, gas and electricity uncompetitive against the United States, with costs applied to existing production immediately rather than only new output.

"These are self-inflicted economic wounds," Wilson said.

He estimated the combined cost of the proposed $40-billion pipeline and roughly $25-billion Pathways project at close to $70 billion, comparable to Alberta's entire annual budget.

Wilson pushed back on Calgary Mayor Jeremy Farkas, who released a video citing a Calgary Chamber of Commerce estimate that separation could cost the province's economy up to $62 billion a year. Wilson noted fewer than three per cent of surveyed businesses reported concern, while Meta's recently announced $13-billion data centre investment in Alberta undercuts the mayor's argument.

"He's obviously seeking favour and doing Ottawa's bidding," Wilson said of Farkas.

Wilson pointed to a Royal Bank of Canada study from two months ago that found more than a trillion dollars in investment left Canada under federal Liberal policy.

"Through independence we will create certainty," Wilson said. "We'll elect the politicians here in Alberta that will make the laws for Albertans, and if they don't do a good job, we'll unelect them."

An independence telethon featuring multiple campaign groups is scheduled for Saturday, alongside grassroots events across southern Alberta, including stops promoted at Albertas-Choice.com.