Wild Rose

This is a diverse rural riding in southwest Alberta, abutting B.C. in the west and Calgary's city limits in the south. The riding contains prairies, foothills and spectacular mountains, and runs from Airdrie to Olds in the east and from Cochrane to Canmore and Banff in the west. Banff National Park runs along the western border. The Stoney reserve is in the southern part of the riding.

Nearly 10 per cent of residents are immigrants, and about five per cent are aboriginals. English is the mother tongue of about ninety per cent of residents, French of almost two per cent and aboriginal languages – mostly Dakota or Sioux – also just under two per cent.

Tourism, retail trade, construction and natural resource industries are the mainstays of the economy. The 2006 census shows an average family income of $102,505 and an unemployment rate of 3.6 per cent.

Wild Rose was formed in 1986 and was largely unaltered until 2004, when a quarter of its population was carved away. Added were 4,518 former residents of the Red Deer riding and five people from Macleod.

Population: 115,872 (2006 census; an increase of 14.0% since 2001)

Political History

Conservative Myron Thompson has dominated this riding in the past five elections. In 2006, he won the top spot by more than 33,000 votes over the Green Party's Sean Maw. Thompson's 2004 victory was by 27,366 votes over the runner-up, Liberal Judy Stewart. He ran as a Reformer in 1993 and 1997 and under the Canadian Alliance banner in 2000.

Before Thompson came to office, this had been Tory territory for many years.

• 1988 - PC
• 1993, 1997 - REF
• 2000 - CA
• 2004, 2006 - CON