When Vanesa Ortiz came to Calgary from Mexico , she found herself in a city gripped by winter. Outside the airport, it was -15C (5F).

“I would come to understand that this was not an extreme cold,” she said. “But in the moment it was terrifying.

But she also found in those first moments an immense warmth. She was welcomed by elderly volunteers in white cowboy hats, and Ortiz soon felt that Calgary was a place she could one day raise a family. And yet when the teacher reflects on that moment a decade ago, she worries that the opportunities she had to put down roots could be soon closed to others.

This week, Alberta held a referendum , asking residents to weigh in on the province’s relationship with Canada – and the extent to which the province should restrict some newcomers’ access to healthcare, education and social support.…