The pitch by Thomas Lukaszuk, a former Progressive Conservative Alberta lawmaker, is that separation "would be, from a political, economic, and social perspective, a terrible process to have to go through."

Lukaszuk's group, Forever Canadian, recently formally opened its campaign headquarters in Calgary. He told the BBC that his aim is not to tell Albertans how to vote, but to remind them of what it means to be Canadian, and - in his view - the dire consequences of separation.

He has spent the past two months driving a maple-leaf laden, refurbished 1997 camper van dubbed the "Unity Bus" across the province to make the case for Canada, handing out pins and lawn signs and speaking to would-be voters.

The October vote has been dismissed by people on either side of the debate as a "referendum on a referendum", since the question doesn't ask directly if the province should separate, but whether Albertans want to explore the possibility.

Still, many on the pro-Canada side are treating it like a binding vote.

"I think we're all very worried that Alberta politics could be consumed by this forever," Hogan said.

Read More