Riding Profiles
DRAYTON VALLEY-CALMAR (51)Current MLA: Tony Abbott (PC) Candidates:
Riding Profile:Drayton Valley-Calmar begins just before Leduc and reaches more than 150 kilometres to the west, past the Brazeau Reservoir. The boundaries are similar to those before the 2004 redistribution, save for the addition of a small segment of the old Ponoka-Rimbey riding, consisting of the Louis Bull First Nation and the community of Hobbema. Other communities in the riding include Drayton Valley, Calmar, Pipestone and Poplar Ridge. With fewer than 30 per cent of residents holding a college or university degree, this is arguably Alberta's least-educated riding. However, household incomes, at $56,247 on average, aren't far below the provincial norm, and the number of low-income residents is 7.6 per cent. Agriculture is the main employer, followed by the oil and gas sector. Three-quarters of the population was born in Alberta, while six per cent are immigrants. More than eight per cent of residents are aboriginal. Political History:Drayton Valley-Calmar has traditionally been a Tory riding. In 2004, the current conservative MLA Tony Abbott, defeated Liberal Laura Haggerty by a vote margin of almost 6-1. His 2001 victory was also decisive, beating Liberal Roger Coles by more than 5,000 votes. However, in October 2007, Abbott lost his nomination in the riding to Drayton Valley mayor Diana McQueen. From 1993-2001, Tory Tom Thurber held this seat, twice winning easily over Liberal challengers. Thurber had first been elected in 1989, when the riding was called Drayton Valley. He was preceded in that riding by Tories Rusty Zander (1971-79) and Shirley Cripps (1979-89). In 2004, voter turnout was 46.1 per cent. 
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| Party | Elected | Leading | Total | Vote Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PC | 72 | 0 | 72 | 52.66% |
| LIB | 9 | 0 | 9 | 26.37% |
| NDP | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8.52% |
| WAP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.77% |
| GRN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.58% |
| OTH | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.11% |
- Updated: Mar 4, 2008, 12:02 MST
Riding Profiles
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