BARRHEAD – It’s official, Barrhead resident Landen Tischer will represent the NDP in the Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock constituency during the upcoming provincial election on May 29.
The Alberta NDP announced via Twitter and Facebook on Feb. 25 that Tischer, 32, had been chosen as the local candidate. He won the nomination by acclamation, as no one else stepped forward to challenge him.
The Town & Country This Week attempted to reach out to Tischer for a comment but did not receive a response before publication deadlines.
However, via his personal Facebook page, he posted a message that he was “so excited to hear from, work with and represent the good people of Athabasca/Barrhead/Westlock.”
Tischer, who is married and has one daughter, hails from the Barrhead area and is a graduate of Barrhead Composite High School, though he also has a Bachelor of Arts in Theology.
For a time, he served as a pastor, but then went to work as an automotive lube technician in Barrhead and the Blue Heron Support Services Association, where he worked with complex needs clients. He now works as a horizontal directional driller.
“Now, I am officially throwing my hat into the ring of politics,” he said during a previous interview. “I will be a fresh, progressive voice for people who make their living in the country.”
When asked during a previous interview why he was running for the NDP, Tischer indicated he believed that rural Alberta was not getting a proportionate amount of services despite contributing more than its fair share to Alberta’s wealth.
He pointed to recent emergency centre closures in Barrhead and other communities as an example, noting that such closures never occurred under previous governments, including the Progressive Conservatives.
Tischer said he wants to find ways to attract public service workers and have more doctors, nurses and paramedics move to rural communities.
“I plan to be focused on education, job opportunities and improving healthcare for rural Alberta,” he said.
Tischer’s opponent, Glenn van Dijken, secured the United Conservative Party (UCP) nomination back in December by narrowly defeating a single challenger, Westlock County councillor Isaac Skuban.
Over two days of voting, van Dijken garnered a total of 500 votes while Skuban received 447.
He had previously been challenged for the local UCP nomination in 2018, though at that time, he defeated Thorhild Monty Bauer by claiming 70 per cent of the 891 ballots cast in the election.
Thus far, no other parties, such as the Alberta Party or the Alberta Liberals, have announced candidates for the riding.
