OLDS – The race for who will become the next member of the Alberta legislature for the Olds-Didsbury -Three Hills constituency is heating up despite no official byelection being called yet.
The constituency's current MLA, Nathan Cooper, announced May 7 that he was resigning from his position as speaker of the legislative assembly effective May 12 at midnight and would continue on as MLA until his new position in Washington, D.C. starts in June.
He accepted a new appointment as the province's representative to the United States.
Premier Danielle Smith has not yet called a byelection for the riding.
Several political parties have named their candidates including the Republican Party of Alberta, which announced May 20 that its leader, Cameron Davies, was chosen by the party’s members to be its candidate.
He is a longtime political campaigner in Alberta, including for the now-defunct Wildrose Party and United Conservative Party (UCP) staffer.
According to Elections Alberta, he just recently paid two $7,500 administrative penalties levelled against him in 2019 by the organization for obstructing an investigation as well as six, $2,000 penalties for furnishing money to people to make contributions to Jeff Callaway, a registered UCP leadership contestant, while he served as co-campaign manager of Callaway's UCP leadership campaign.
"I'm honoured to carry the Republican banner into this byelection,'' Davies said in a prepared statement. “The people of Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills deserve a strong voice who will stand up for our values and push back against the status quo. I'm ready to get to work.''
The party claims it is at the forefront advocating for Alberta independence. Should the Alberta government hold a binding referendum prior to 2027, it says members will work together to ensure a result in favour of Alberta’s independence.
Sarah Negussie, Republican Party of Alberta president pointed out that party members chose Davies as their candidate.
''By putting our faith in the members, we ensure that our candidates are not only qualified, but truly representative of the people they seek to serve,'' Negussie in a prepared statement. "Support for Cameron Davies speaks volumes about his leadership, his vision, and the trust he has earned within the community."
The United Conservative Party (UCP) appointed a candidate rather than having a nomination process.
On May 15, the UCP announced Kneehill County ag producer Tara Sawyer as its Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills candidate.
“Tara farms wheat, barley, and canola near Acme, and most recently served as chair of Grain Growers of Canada—a national voice for Canadian farmers,” the UCP said in its candidate announcement. “She’s a strong Conservative with deep rural roots, ready to stand up for Alberta on Danielle Smith’s team.”
At the time, Sawyer was the board chair of Alberta Grains, a position she was elected to in 2023. The farmer-directed organization said she was taking a leave of absence from her role effective immediately following her appointment.
“It has been an honour to represent Alberta’s wheat and barley farmers and help lead this organization during such a transformative time,” said Sawyer in a prepared statement. “I’m proud of what our board has accomplished together and am confident in the strength of the leadership team taking the reins while I pursue this opportunity to continue serving Albertans in a new capacity.”
Alberta Grains’ board vice-chair Scott Jespersen, a grain farmer from Spruce Grove, will assume the role of acting chair.
Meanwhile, Alberta’s New Democratic Party (NDP) has opened nominations to select its candidate for the Olds-Didsbury-Three-Hills byelection.
Interested applicants must contact the party 21 days prior to the nomination day in order to be considered.
The candidate will be selected by members at a vote on June 14.
“Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills is a community full of hardworking people, and they deserve a representative and government that is committed to making life more affordable, creating real opportunity, and building a future where everyone can thrive,” said Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi. “Danielle Smith flirts with separatism, but in this campaign we will speak up for those Albertans who understand we are stronger when we are united as Albertans and Canadians.”
