An activist who successfully led the fight against a contentious power line is one of the Alberta Greens' best hopes of winning the party's first legislative seat.
Alberta Greens candidate Joe Anglin takes his message to a high school in Lacombe.
(CBC)
Joe Anglin is running for the Green Party in Lacombe-Ponoka, which includes his hometown of Rimbey. Conservative roots run deep in the rural riding; incumbent Tory Ray Prins took more than 50 per cent of the vote in the last election.
But Anglin believes this campaign will be different.
"Most people, the majority are: I want change," he said. "They haven't committed one way or the other but they definitely say they want change."
Anglin became well-known in 2007 for representing the Lavesta Area Group, made up of hundreds of central Alberta landowners, in its opposition against a proposed power line between Edmonton and Calgary.
The group exposed the fact the former Energy and Utilities Board hired private investigators to spy on their meetings, eventually leading to the power line plans being withdrawn.
Anglin also spoke out against Bill 46, a law landowners felt took away their rights and restricted their input at public hearings for proposed energy projects. The bill passed in December in a marathon legislative session.
Anglin, the businessman and former U.S. marine, said that by supporting Bill 46, Prins did not represent the interests of voters in the riding.
"We don't lose our rights generally at the point of a gun," he said. "But where we lose our rights is one piece of paper at a time. And we gotta stop that nonsense. We need people in the legislature who are going to fight to keep our rights, not give them up."
Incumbent says voters best-served from within government
Prins, a farmer who was first elected in 2004, said dealing with the area's growth pressures such as infrastructure and water are best done from inside government.
"People know that they have a voice at the table," he said. "So when they have an issue, I can go right to the ministers, or to the premier and hopefully get action on their issues as quickly as I can manage to do that."
Incumbent Ray Prins found support campaigning in downtown Bashaw.
(CBC)
The incumbent said he believes the power-line issue has been dealt with and won't be a big election issue in the area.
Recently, while campaigning on the main street of the small farming community of Bashaw, Prins easily found supporters.
"Just wondering if we can count on your support? The PCs and Ed Stelmach?" Prins asked one woman at the thrift shop.
"Don't exactly love him but the alternatives are not great," she replied. "Well, it's hard to fill Ralph [Klein]'s shoes."
"But you don't want to fill Ralph's shoes," Prins said to her. "People are looking for change. I think Ed is the man that's bringing a new vision for the post-Ralph period."
Also running in Lacombe-Ponoka riding are Stephen Bradshaw for the NDP, Daniel Friesen for the Wildrose Alliance and Edith McPhedran for the Liberals.
Area needs infrastructure upgrades
Like many other parts of Alberta, the infrastructure in Lacombe hasn't kept up with the community's rapid growth.
The rail line runs parallel to the highway and every time a train barrels through, there's a traffic mess at the intersection of highways 2A and 12, right in the centre of town.
"Our traffic is increasing, our population is increasing and I don't want to see a tragic, tragic accident at that particular intersection happen and then hopefully something would be done. I want to address it now," said Judy Gordon, Lacombe's mayor and a former Conservative MLA.
On Highway 53, west of Ponoka, the blue PC party signs are frequent sights. But a yellow and green sign is stuck in the knee-deep snow at the end of the driveway to Lloyd Tulloch's farm.
"Traditionally, I have not been a Green Party supporter," he said. "But this time, I've looked at who is running here, right now and of the three candidates that I know, I think Joe is by far the strongest candidate."
Rural riding traditionally Conservative
Anglin said he was courted by all parties to run as a candidate but he picked the Greens because their values lined up with his.
"One was the economics of the environment which is, for me, I cannot separate the two and all the other parties do separate them," said Anglin. "When you talk about the environment, we also have to talk about economics."
Steven Kabachia, a teacher at Lacombe Composite High School, offered this assessment after hearing Anglin speak at the school.
"People are listening more. They're listening to not just to the Green Party candidate but the Liberal and New Democratic parties as well," he said. "But ultimately this is Lacombe-Ponoka and I think I'll be very surprised if there is a significant change."
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- Political observers in Alberta are calling it remarkable and opposition politicians are wondering what hit them after Ed Stelmach guided his Conservative party Monday to one of its biggest majorities ever.
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