CALGARY – Albertans are heading to the polls on April 16 for the next provincial election after Premier Rachel Notley announced the beginning of the campaign on Tuesday (March 19).
Notley made the announcement that the writ was officially dropped during a speech at the Studio Bell National Music Centre in Calgary.
"I am pleased to announce Albertans will go to the polls on April 16," she said. "The question is, do Albertans stick together, or do we turn on each other?
"Jason Kenney wants two Albertas – one for the wealthy and one for the rest of us.
"I want to continue to build one Alberta and I say we stick together through this final stage – from adversity to recovery, to shared prosperity – and that we all continue to take care of each other and that is what this election is about."
United Conservative Party of Alberta leader Jason Kenney launched his election campaign at a Total Energy Services work site and focused on the NDP's economic record, vowing to scrap the carbon tax and fight against a federal one.
"This campaign is not about politics, it is about people – the people who have been damaged by the ideological job-killing policies of the NDP government and their alliance with Justin Trudeau."
Kenney vowed to fight for pipelines, jobs and prosperity to get Albertans back to work.
"We need bold action, we need real change, we need growth, jobs and pipelines," he said.
With the election officially called, it means the riding that includes the Bow Valley communities of Canmore, Banff, MD of Bighorn and the Stoney Nakoda First Nation are now part of a new electoral riding – Banff-Kananaskis.
It is a change from the previous election, which saw the community of Cochrane included in a riding with the Bow Valley. Now, Cochrane is part of the same riding as Airdrie.
Three candidates are officially registered with Elections Alberta to run locally. Incumbent NDP candidate Cam Westhead, United Conservative Party of Alberta candidate Miranda Rosin and Alberta Party candidate Brenda Stanton.
