Finally.
Since the release of the provincial electoral boundaries final report in October 2017 we’ve been waiting to hear from current Athabasca-Sturgeon-Redwater MLA Colin Piquette. See, with the changes to the boundary lines, Piquette was going to be a man without a home, so to speak.
His current riding is being carved up in advance of the 2019 provincial election with the new constituency to include Westlock, Barrhead and Athabasca.
Morinville (we hardly knew you) is out in the new map, as is Busby, which rolls into the new Lac Ste. Anne-Parkland riding.
The Busby move remains a head scratcher for sure as was the initial ‘Athabasca-Barrhead’ riding name, which was thankfully changed to include Westlock.
And although Piquette has yet to secure the NDP nomination that’s little more than a formality in our eyes. This is the guy who as a rookie candidate toppled a former cabinet minister in the last provincial election, so we suspect there won’t be any opposition from card-carrying NDPers.
Of course the guy he’ll be facing, current Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock MLA Glenn van Dijken, also ran roughshod over another former PC cabinet minister in the 2015 election.
van Dijken, then a newcomer to provincial politics, won the night with 7,206 votes compared to incumbent Maureen Kubinec’s tally of 4,876. The interesting stat was who came in second. NDP candidate Tristan Turner, then just 18 years old, nearly became our MLA after collecting an astonishing 6,232 votes.
So, what does it all mean in 2019?
Well, that’s what we’re trying to digest. Piquette has some big inroads to make in not only our community, but in Barrhead as well if he wants to be our MLA. But really the same holds true for van Dijken, who will undoubtedly need to devote more time to Athabasca once the campaign begins.
Regardless, at least there’ll be a race between two credible local candidates.
Let the games begins!
