2004 Candidates:
Bob Argent (Alberta Alliance)
Melissa Cambridge (NDP)
Chris Foote (Green Party)
Ian MCDougall (Liberal)
Janis Tarchuk (PC)

Maps from Elections Alberta will open in a new window.

Riding Profile:
This riding reaches from the peaks of Banff National Park in the west to the agricultural land around Cochrane in the east. Though similar to its pre-2004 redistribution shape, the riding now takes in the southwest corner of the former Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills riding and the western part of the former Highwood riding. The easternmost section of the old riding, near the Calgary border, has been carved away. In addition to Cochrane and Banff, communities here include Canmore and Lake Louise.

The biggest employer in Banff-Cochrane is the accommodation and food-service industry, followed by retail sales. The average household earns $65,660 a year, just above the Alberta average, but typical housing prices are the fourth-highest in the province at $250,186. The number of low income residents is Alberta's second lowest, at five per cent. One in eight residents is an immigrant, while one in 12 is aboriginal. Fewer than 45 per cent of residents were born in Alberta, which is low among rural ridings.

Political History:
Banff-Cochrane has been Conservative since 1971. Incumbent Janis Tarchuk won her seat in 1997 by a 4,000-vote margin over Liberal Judy Stewart. In 2001, Tarchuk enjoyed a 7,000-vote margin over the Liberal's Norman Kent. Many of Tarchuk's Tory predecessors have served in cabinet, including Clarence Copithorne (1971-75), Greg Stevens (1979-89) and Brian Evans (1989-97).

In 2001, voter turnout was 49.5 per cent.