2004 Candidates:
Nicole Belland (Liberal)
Mike Cardinal (PC)
Luke de Smet (Green Party)
Leonard Fish (Social Credit)
Peter Oprysho (NDP)
Sean Whelan (Alberta Alliance)

Maps from Elections Alberta will open in a new window.

Riding Profile:
The new Athabasca-Redwater riding sweeps north 200 kilometres from Edmonton's northern city limit, passing through agricultural land to the wilderness just shy of the Pelican Mountains. Communities here include Athabasca, Boyle, Morinville, Redwater, Gibbons, Bon Accord, Smoky Lake, Thorhild, Waskatenau and Warspite. The riding consists of almost all the pre-2004 redistribution riding of Redwater, plus the southernmost reaches of the old Athabasca-Wabaska riding.

Agriculture is the major industry here, followed by public administration. Those jobs contribute to an average household income of $59,666, just below the provincial average. The percentage of low-income residents - 7.8 - is also below the provincial average. Fewer than seven per cent of the residents are immigrants, while almost 70 per cent were born in Alberta. More than one in 10 list themselves as Ukrainians, while about six per cent are aboriginal.

Political History:
In the old riding of Athabasca-Wabaska - and its forerunner, Athabasca-Lac La Biche - the MLA has been a Conservative since 1989. In 1989, incumbent and Sustainable Resources Minister Mike Cardinal unseated New Democrat Leo Piquette. Cardinal's margin in that race was 895 votes. In 1993 and 1997 his margins over Liberal challengers were 2,223 and 1,899 votes, respectively. In 2001, Cardinal beat Liberal Al Wurfel by a 5-1 margin.

In 2001, voter turnout in Athabasca-Wabaska was 50.4 per cent.

In the old Redwater riding - and its forerunner, Redwater-Andrew - Conservatives have mostly held the seat since 1971. Tory incumbent Dave Broda won the 2001 election by more than 3,000 votes over Liberal Andrew Raczynski. Broda was first elected in 1997, after unseating Liberal Mary Anne Balsillie by 317 votes. Balsillie had been in office just a year, having won a 1996 byelection by 98 votes. The byelection was called when Balsillie's predecessor, Liberal Nick Taylor - who had originally been elected in 1986 in Westlock-Sturgeon - was appointed to the Senate. Broda isn't running in this election. Redwater-Andrew had been represented by Tories George Topolnisky (1963-86) and Steve Zarusky (1986-93).

In 2001, voter turnout in Redwater was 58.1 per cent.