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Councillor Foubert puts forward name for Banff-Kananaskis NDP candidate

“In the past several months, I've come to really fully understand that the solutions to the problems that this community and this region face start at a provincial level. One of the keys to the success of us overcoming these challenges is having a partner in government and an MLA who works with other levels of government as partners and equals, and that's a relationship that's built on trust and mutual desires to make the lives of the people in our communities better.”
Tanya Foubert
Town of Canmore council candidate Tanya Foubert speaks at the Bow Valley Builders and Developers Association municipal election candidate forum on Wednesday (Sept. 22). EVAN BUHLER RMO PHOTO

BANFF–KANANASKIS – A local Canmore councillor has entered the fray for the Banff-Kananaskis NDP nomination.

Canmore resident and Town councillor Tanya Foubert has entered the race for the provincial race, officially announcing her candidacy on Wednesday (March 2).

Foubert, who was born and raised in Canmore, joins other Bow Valley residents Sarah Elmeligi, Gavin McCaffrey and Mark Tkacz for the NDP candidacy in the riding.

“We certainly have some significant pressures on our community and region that the municipal government is looking to solve that it doesn't necessarily have the power to solve. For me to do more I would have to step up, perhaps at another level,” she said. “This is one way I can get some experience doing that – putting my name forward in a nomination process by standing up as a member of my community, putting my support behind Rachel Notley and the NDP and the vision and the values that they're putting forward for Albertans in the next election.”

Foubert said she decided to run in February after looking for more ways to help the community. Following conversations, she decided to put her name forward.

Among the priorities for the riding she’s identified are affordability, housing, climate change, tourism, achieving resort municipality status and wildlife.

“In the past several months, I've come to really fully understand that the solutions to the problems that this community and this region face start at a provincial level,” she said. “One of the keys to the success of us overcoming these challenges is having a partner in government and an MLA who works with other levels of government as partners and equals, and that's a relationship that's built on trust and mutual desires to make the lives of the people in our communities better.”

A first-term Canmore councillor, Foubert was elected during the municipal October 2021 election.

Foubert is permitted to continue to sit on Town council while running for the nomination. If she’s selected as the NDP’s choice, she would be able to maintain her council role until the election writ is dropped. It would be similar to when former Canmore mayor Ron Casey was elected as an MLA and left Canmore council and former Banff mayor Karen Sorensen was selected as a Senator and had to leave her mayoral role

It’s unlikely to see the writ until a few months before the May 29, 2023 provincial election.

To vote in the NDP candidate selection, a person has to be older than 14 and can be a permanent resident, which is a unique aspect for the riding given the number on international residents.

A person also must be a member of the NDP before the March 12 membership deadline.

The vote for the NDP nominee in the riding is March 27.

Foubert was a long-time journalist and former editor of the Rocky Mountain Outlook for more than two years. She briefly worked in communications and is a manager at Paintbox Lodge in Canmore.

She said she understands there may be a perception of being opportunistic in putting forth her name for a chance to run for the MLA after being municipally elected, but she said it is important to present a better choice for Albertans under the leadership of Rachel Notley.

"I've encountered a number of things that have only made the situation worse with respect to downloading and increasing the costs for municipalities and residents in our community and it's a province-wide thing," she said.

"The unrest in Ottawa and what's happening in terms of democratic values that I believe strongly about and want to stand up and defend, and how do you do that? This is one way I can do that. I'm a person who's willing to like put my name forward.”

The riding is held by United Conservative Party MLA Miranda Rosin, who defeated former NDP MLA Cameron Westhead in the 2019 election.

Elmeligi is a well-known biologist and conservation planner. McCaffrey has more than 20 years of experience in the tourism and banking industry, while Tkacz is a local condominium property manager with experience in real estate.

The Banff-Kananaskis riding is diverse in the type of communities it represents, featuring the tourism area of the Bow Valley with Banff and Canmore stretching to rural areas in the MD of Foothills and Rocky View County.

“This is a competitive race. There’s three other really strong candidates for the nomination," said Foubert.

"There’s a lot of diversity in the riding and I look forward to getting to know people better.”


Correction: An earlier version of this article needed additional clarification for when Karen Sorensen became a Canadian Senator and had to leave her role as Banff mayor in 2021.

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