Provincial politicians have been getting their ducks in a row throughout Central Alberta, anticipating an election call within days.
Three of nine parties registered with Elections Alberta have named candidates in all seven Central Alberta ridings: Red Deer North, Red Deer South, Drumheller-Stettler, Innisfail-Sylvan Lake, Lacombe-Ponoka, Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills and Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre.
The Progressive Conservatives, the Wildrose Party and the Alberta New Democratic Party have candidates in all seven ridings, although none are official until a writ has been dropped and nominations officially opened.
The Alberta Party and Alberta Liberals have each named candidates in four ridings with three still open.
Red Deer North candidate Michael Dawe, a longtime volunteer with the Alberta Liberals and its federal counterpart, said the party is in the process of naming a candidate for Drumheller-Stettler but still recruiting in Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre and Lacombe-Ponoka. A candidate was named in Rocky earlier but had to withdraw, said Dawe.
The Alberta Party recently named Brent Chalmers in Red Deer North. Chalmers originally sought the party’s nomination in Lacombe-Ponoka but lost to Tony Jeglum.
The Progressive Conservatives have incumbents in six of the seven ridings. Party members chose a new candidate for Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills after MLA Richard Marz announced that he would not run again.
Registered parties that have not named candidates in any of the seven Central Alberta ridings include the Alberta Social Credit Party, the Communist Party — Alberta, the Evergreen Party of Alberta and the Separation Party of Alberta.
Provincewide, the Social Credits have named only one candidate while the Evergreen Party, formed from the Green Party movement, has 15.
Here is the lineup for Central Alberta (*denotes incumbent):
Drumheller-Stettler
NDP: Aditya Rao
PC: *Jack Hayden
WR: Rick Strankman
Innisfail-Sylvan Lake
AP: Danielle Klooster
LIB: Les Vidok
NDP: Patricia Norman
PC: *Luke Ouellette
WR: Kerry Towle
Lacombe-Ponoka
AP: Tony Jeglum
NDP: Doug Hart
PC: *Ray Prins
WR: Rod Fox
Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills
NDP: Kristie Krezanoski
PC: Darcy Davis
WR: Bruce Rowe
Red Deer North
AP: Brent Chalmers
LIB: Michael Dawe
NDP: Derrek Seelinger
PC: *Mary Anne Jablonski
WR: Randy Weins
Red Deer South
AP: Serge Gingras
LIB: Jason Chilibeck
NDP: Lorna Watkinson-Zimmer
PC: *Cal Dallas
WR: Nathan Stephan
Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre
PC: *Ty Lund
NDP: Doreen Broska
WR: Joe Anglin
bkossowan@www.reddeeradvocate.com