Volume 28, Number 21, Wednesday, May 31, 2023
UCP
hold on
to Fort seat
Monday's Alberta election results have me worried.
Although our new Premier did not want to talk about the future of the RCMP in Alberta, I am now very concerned about this. I think we can also expect to see even higher school fees ahead, and more fees for health services such as the new fee for the medical exam for senior drivers.
I'm also not confident we will see the overpass built at Scotford, or improvements to Vinca bridge, despite promises from the UCP.
Alberta has a revenue problem. Our government depends far too much on oil and gas revenue. We did well this year thanks to high oil prices, but we will soon suffer if prices drop as they have been doing. Combined with lower corporate taxes, this will make it hard for the UCP to keep any promises.
I'd also like to point out that despite the power the Take Back Alberta group seems to have in the UCP now, when taken out of a mainstream party the extreme policies of this group were rejected by Alberta voters.
The three far-right candidates in our riding got almost no support in this election once again. Despite the rise in number of conspiracy theory groups, the freedummy convoy and other protests, voters are not moving to the right.
The UCP did win on Monday, but they lost a lot of support, and I believe that has a lot to do with voter concern about the extreme elements in the party, including its leader.
That concern would be even greater, except that most voters have better things to do than live and breath politics.
I think that unless the UCP starts to move more to the centre soon, voters will eventually learn the truth, and that will be the end of conservative rule in Alberta.
Wednesday, May 31, 2023
Local voters rejected the far-right
UCP incumbent MLA Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk held on to her seat with a solid victory over NDP challenger Taneen Rudyk Monday.
The UCP also held on to government, despite losing 14 seats, including one in Sherwood Park. The party now has 49 seats in the Alberta Legislature, while the NDP has 38.
Armstrong-Homeniuk received 14,616 votes, up almost 200 from 2019. The NDP gained almost 2,000 votes this time, but still fell far short of victory with 9,441 votes.
The other big change in the 2023 election was the lack of a local Alberta Party candidate. The 2019 election saw the local Alberta Party candidate place third with 3,379 votes.
Armstrong-Homeniuk came close to sweeping the riding, winning 32 of the 33 polls in Fort Saskatchewan - Vegreville. Rudyk’s only victory was at the special ballot poll. The four-term former Vegreville town councillor was soundly defeated in Vegreville, where she received just 511 votes to 841 for Armstrong-Homeniuk.
Rudyk did better in Fort Saskatchewan, getting 3,050 votes overall here, compared to 3,937 for Armstrong-Homeniuk.
None of the other three candidates received significant support. Independent/former Wexit party leader Kathy Flett had the strongest support, but placed a very distant third with just 823 votes. Advantage Alberta party candidate Kelly Zeleny received 239 votes and Margaret Mackay received just 112 votes.
Total voter turnout was down significantly from 2019, with just 25,231 votes cast on Monday, compared to 26,649 in 2019.
A UCP victory means Fort Saskatchewan can expect planning to begin for a new interchange at the Scotford intersection, and for improvements to Vinca Bridge. The UCP have not promised any new schools or other significant projects for our region, however. They have promised to keeping corporate taxes low. This victory also puts the future of RCMP in Alberta in doubt, and may put the proposal to switch to an Alberta-run pension program on the table.
Wednesday, May 31, 2023
