Canadian Broadcasting Corp. projects Alberta voters rejected a move toward independence

EDMONTON, Alberta -- Canadian Broadcasting Corp. projects Alberta voters rejected a move toward independence.THIS IS AN APNewsAlert. Check back for updates. AP's earlier story is below.Canada awaited results Tuesday from a referendum that could put oil-rich Alberta on a path toward independence, testing Prime Minister Mark Carney’s push for unity amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war and annexation threats.Results were delayed after late openings forced more than 100 polling stations to extend voting hours Monday. More than 1.35 million Albertans, or 43% of eligible voters, cast advance or special ballots.The vote was not a direct referendum on independence. Albertans were deciding whether to remain in Canada or begin a legal process that could lead to a second vote on separation. Alberta, home to the world’s fourth-largest proven oil reserves, is cowboy country and a conservative stronghold whose political culture has long had more in common with the American West than much of Canada. Resentment toward Ottawa runs deep, but has not traditionally translated into widespread support for independence.Dustin Degenhardt, a Wainwright voter, said Albertans have long been mistreate...