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But an issue with a billboard slated for Fort Qu’Appelle prompted two more Regina billboards instead. That will spare Scheer from confronting a billboard within his own riding, though one is located just outside its borders, Downing said.

Downing is based in Alberta. He said his group, Alberta Fights Back, has teamed up with Saskatchewan-based activists from what was previously called the Prairie Freedom Alliance. The alliance had sought registered party status but faced difficulty gathering signatures and shifted gears to build what leader Jake Wall called a “movement.”

The Saskatchewan billboards come on the heels of a similar campaign in Alberta last week, with one still up in Premier Rachel Notley’s riding. Downing said billboards in Calgary and Edmonton were viewed about 90,000 times per day for a full week. They cost just a few hundred dollars, he said.

“In Saskatchewan the rates are even lower,” he explained.

Downing said the ultimate goal is still forming a provincial party that will ultimately push for a referendum on separation. Getting a registered party will take 2,500 signatures, but Downing there’s no rush to get it done before the 2020 provincial election. He said he’s now focussed on building “a strong political organization.”

The billboard campaign is running in tandem with an online fundraiser. As of Thursday afternoon, it had raised $21.99 of its $50,000 target.

But Downing pointed to other signals of the movement’s strength. Its Facebook page has just over 6,000 followers and nearly 5,900 likes. He said there is a leadership core of eight people, but about 100 others who volunteer their time.