Riding Profile:
Long, narrow Stony Plain was unaffected by the 2004 redistribution.
The riding runs 85 kilometres west from Edmonton, following the Yellowhead
Highway to the Pembina River. The riding is bordered on the south by
the Saskatchewan River.
Construction and retail are the main employers here, contributing to
average household income of $65,191. Fewer than six per cent of residents
are low income. Seventy per cent were born in Alberta, while 7.5 per
cent are immigrants. Almost nine per cent of residents are aboriginal.
The riding has Alberta's third-lowest rate of non-English speakers:
four per cent.
Political History:
Stony Plain has supported only two parties and one MLA in the past three
decades: incumbent Stan Woloshyn, who ran as both New Democrat and Tory.
In 1989 Woloshyn, a former Tory, won this seat as a New Democrat, defeating
then-incumbent Jim Heron, of the PCs, by 96 votes. In 1993, Woloshyn
returned to the Tory fold, winning the next three elections under the
PC banner. His 1993 race was close, with 248 votes separating him from
Liberal Albert Schatzke. In 1997 and 2001, Liberal challengers were
beaten by 2,361 votes and 6,000 votes, respectively. Woloshyn isn't
running in this election. Before Woloshyn and Heron, Tory Bill Purdy
served Stony Plain from 1975-86.
In 2001, voter turnout was 57.9 per cent.
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