Riding Profiles

WHITECOURT-STE. ANNE (83)

Riding Profile:

This substantial central Alberta riding follows Highway 43 from Onoway to west of Whitecourt, and covers a portion of the Yellowhead Highway west from Evansberg. Communities include Whitecourt, Mayerthorpe and Sangudo.

Agriculture is the biggest employer, followed by oil-and-gas. Household incomes are somewhat lower than the provincial average at $55,394. Fewer than 10 per cent of residents are considered low income. Fewer than 30 per cent hold a college or university degree, the third-lowest rate in Alberta, and 96 per cent speak predominantly English at home, the third-highest rate in the province. More than 68 per cent were born in Alberta, and nine per cent are aboriginal. (2001 census)

Political History:

Conservative George Vanderburg has held this seat for two terms, since he was first elected in 2001 with 7,579 votes — more than Liberal Derril Butler and New Democrat Wade Franko combined. He was re-elected in 2004, garnering double the number of votes as Alberta Alliance candidate David Dow.

Before Vanderburg, Whitecourt-Ste. Anne was represented by one of Alberta's longest-serving MLAs, Peter Trynchy. Trynchy, a Conservative, first won office in 1971 in the old Whitecourt riding. Over the decades he headed various ministries before being dropped from cabinet in 1994 following an ethics scandal. In the 1993 election he'd beaten Liberal Jurgen Preugschas by 1,290 votes, and in 1997 he defeated Sara Lynn Burrough of the Liberals by 2,805 votes. His successor, and the PC incumbent, George VanderBurg, won the 2001 election by more than 4,500 votes over Liberal Derril Butler.

In 2004, voter turnout was 46.8 per cent.