Skip to content

UCP nominees vie for votes in Athabasca

Editor's note: The printed version of this story states the wrong date of the nomination vote in Athabasca. The nomination vote for the Athabasca area will occur at the Athabasca and District Senior Citizens Society July 13 from 4-9 p.m.
IMG_1566-web
Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock UCP nominee Glenn van Dijken presents before over 20 people, including Tannia Cherniwchan at the Athabasca Regional Multiplex July 3. Opponent Monty Bauer is holding a meet and greet at the Multiplex July 12.

Editor's note: The printed version of this story states the wrong date of the nomination vote in Athabasca. The nomination vote for the Athabasca area will occur at the Athabasca and District Senior Citizens Society July 13 from 4-9 p.m. The Advocate apologizes for the error.

United Conservative Party (UCP) candidates for the new Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock riding are travelling through Athabasca as they campaign ahead of the July 13 nomination vote.

Current Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock MLA Glenn van Dijken hosted a meet-and-greet session at the Athabasca Regional Multiplex July 3, while opponent Monty Bauer is holding a session at the Multiplex July 12 at 7 p.m.

Over 20 people attended van Dijken's session. He said during the event the 2015 election was a "wake-up call" for conservative parties to do better for the people.

"We have a strong united party. Are there still things to be worked out? Absolutely. You don't build Rome in a day. But we will move forward," van Dijken said. "To see the UCP government is there to bring a sense of stability and a sense of hope for the future back to Alberta."

Bauer also said the party is a work in progress and it would be important for it to listen to Albertans going forward.

"The reason Rachel Notley is premier today is Albertans felt the last government did not have their ears open and they just weren't being receptive," Bauer said in an interview. "That sense of entitlement that Albertans felt and that frustration, we have to show by nomination contests like this that we understood that."

van Dijken said his experience as an MLA makes him a quality candidate and he has a good handle of some of the major issues facing the area, including education, transportation funding and business.

"I come prepared to represent the needs and concerns of the constituents right across this very large riding. I bring a level of knowledge and experience to the table," van Dijken said in an interview. "I come to the table ready to work."

Bauer said although he has not held an elected office, he has worked on Conservative political campaigns for 25 years and the organizational skills he has gained will be help to an election campaign. He added living and volunteering in rural Alberta has given him a good handle on its issues.

"I feel strongly we need to have a good, rural voice in Edmonton and this NDP government doesn't have rural Alberta's back," Bauer said. "I want to make sure this constituency of Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock had a strong voice in Edmonton."

Roy Fodchuk attended van Dijken's meet-and-greet session July 3, commenting on the need of the UCP to remember the mistakes of the last Progressive Conservative government.

"I'm trying to get the message across to these guys, when you get into government, you serve the people and not yourself," Fodchuk said. "That's what happened in the PC party – they served themselves."

Victor Cumbleton also attended the July 3 session and said support for rural Alberta and jobs would be big issues in the next election. He added he wants to see a candidate who will well represent the consistency.

"Represent the people in his constituency instead of party politics," Cumbleton said in an interview.

Both candidates said they want to consult municipal leaders to ensure their voices are being heard.

"A lot of the work we do as MLAs is in consultation with municipal leaders," van Dijken said, adding he has asked municipalities in his riding for priority lists he could work to address as an MLA. "So we get a good understanding of what they're hearing and what they see as the needs."

"Make sure I understand all the priorities of municipalities in this constituency because their priorities will be my own," Bauer said, adding the current NDP government has not done good enough in consulting municipalities.

The nomination vote for the Athabasca area will occur at the Athabasca and District Senior Citizens Society July 13 from 4-9 p.m. The UCP website also states the doors open at 3 p.m. and speeches take place at 3:30 p.m.

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks