Riding Profile:
This northeast Edmonton riding is bordered on the east by the city limits,
on the south mostly by the Yellowhead Trail and 118th Avenue, on the
west by 82nd Street, and on the north mostly by 137th Avenue and the
North Saskatchewan River. In the 2004 redistribution the riding gained
area from Edmonton-Norwood and both gained and lost area to Edmonton-Manning.
The average annual household income is $49,023, and almost 22 per cent
of residents are low income, the third-highest rate in Alberta. More
single-parent families live here than in any other riding in the province.
Retail is the biggest employer, followed by manufacturing and health
care and social services. Almost one in five residents is an immigrant,
almost one in 12 is aboriginal, and 58.3 per cent were born in Alberta.
Political History:
Over the past three decades, voters in this riding have been represented
by Conservatives, Liberals and New Democrats. Incumbent Julius Yankowsky,
a Tory, was elected as a Liberal in 1993, having unseated then-two-term
ND incumbent Ed Ewasiuk. Yankowsky crossed the floor in 1994, edged
out Liberal Johanne Tardif in 1997 by 357 votes, and then defeated Liberal
Bauni Mackay by 1,500 votes in 2001. Prior to Ewasiuk, the PC's Bill
Diachuk served here from 1971-86.
In 2001, voter turnout was 48.7 per cent.