It looks like a showdown between two MLAs is coming up in the Peace Country for the next provincial election.
With the Alberta Electoral Boundaries Commission coming up with recent changes to the borders of the newly-renamed Central Peace-Notley constituency, while losing the Town of Grimshaw, gains most of the previous rural territory of the present Grande Prairie-Smoky constituency, which includes both the Towns of Valleyview and of Fox Creek.
Which means, the present MLA from Dunvegan-Central Peace-Notley, NDP Energy Minister Marg McCuaig-Boyd of Fairview, will face off against Grande Prairie-Smoky MLA and UCP Shadow Environment Minister Todd Loewen, who hails from Valleyview.
Todd Loewen. (File Photo)
Loewen told the Trending 55 Newsroom that he’ll run in whichever constituency his hometown falls in, adding that he is up to any challenge, even when rural constituencies keep getting bigger.
“The MLAs across rural Alberta have to cover such a wide area, and have so many communities, counties and MDs to represent,” said Loewen. “It’s quite different that in an urban constituency, where they could walk across their constituency in 10 minutes, while for us, it could take up to four hours to drive across our constituency.”
The commission, in its report, decided to cut three rural constituencies, and add three urban ones, to the official electoral map.
Loewen says it’s quite disappointing that the commission concentrated more on the population, than on the overall size of the constituency.
“These areas are huge up here,” he said. “Even in southern and eastern Alberta, they represent so many different communities, that it makes it hard to cover all that ground and represent their constituents properly.”
Marg McCuaig-Boyd. (File Photo)
But, even still, McCuaig-Boyd says that at this point, she’s not worried about her chances.
“I think there’ll be a few other constituencies like that potentially,” McCuaig-Boyd told the Trending 55 Newsroom. “For now, (Loewen and I) will continue to just do what we do to represent rural Alberta, and see where things go from there. But for now, I’m happy to represent rural Alberta, and will continue to do so.”
In terms of travel, McCuaig-Boyd says she does her best to get around already.
“I intend to continue to do the same,” she said. “I think all of us as rural MLAs are always looking for better or different ways to get around. At the end of the day, I will continue to work hard for all my constituents, regardless of the boundary that I am given.”
According to Alberta’s Fixed Election Laws, voters will head to the polls to cast ballots sometime between March 1 and May 31, 2019.
– Posted by BET
