Tom Henihan
Express Staff
With the new electoral district of Central Peace-Notley, which is an amalgamation of former ridings of Grande Prairie-Smoky and Dunvegan-Central Peace-Notley, two incumbents, UCP candidate Todd Loewen and NDP Candidate Marg McCuaig-Boyd will go head-to-head for the same seat.
Not since 1983, have two incumbents run in the same riding in an Alberta provincial election.
Also running in Central Peace-Notley are Alberta Party candidate Travis McKim and Liberal candidate Wayne Meyer.
The redrawn electoral district of Central Peace-Notley includes Fox Creek, Valleyview, Spirit River, Fairview and Falher.
Todd Loewen – UCP.
After two unsuccessful attempts to become an MLA, one in 2008 when he finished third and another in 2012 where he finished second, Loewen defeated Progressive Conservative incumbent Everett McDonald to become the Wildrose MLA for Grande Prairie-Smoky in 2015.
Following his election victory, Loewen was appointed the official opposition’s Environment and Parks critic and maintained that role when Wildrose merged with the PCs to become the United Conservative Party.
Born and raised on a farm in the Valleyview area, Loewen is a relentless opponent of all government-imposed regulations that threaten the family farm, and as a small business owner he recognizes that lower taxes and less red tape are essential to creating the free enterprise environment needed for individuals and businesses to succeed.
Loewen describes himself as a strong supporter of Alberta’s energy sector and a vocal advocate for the approval of all pipelines. He also advocates for the elimination of all “out of touch environmental regulation such as the multi-billion dollar carbon tax.”
As a member of Jason Kenney’s team, Loewen is committed to restoring the Alberta Advantage and being a strong voice for the interests of Central Peace-Notley constituents.
Marg McCuaig-Boyd – NDP
As a long-time resident of Fairview, McCuaig Boyd expresses an unwavering commitment to Northern Alberta and understands the region’s unique needs.
McCuaig-Boyd worked as a teacher for over twenty years and as administrator at the Peace River School Division before becoming the vice-president of the Fairview Campus of Grande Prairie Regional College.
Prior to becoming an MLA in 2015, McCuaig-Boyd ran a consulting company, working with small and medium sized businesses.
After the 2015 provincial election, she was appointed Minister of Energy and in that role she has been a strong voice for Alberta’s oil and gas industries, fighting to create jobs and for the province to receive full value for its oil.
She also points out that since forming the government in 2015, the NDP has changed the consensus across Canada on pipeline expansion, going from the majority of Canadians opposing pipelines to 70 percent of people currently expressing their support.
As a farmer, she is enthusiastic about current initiatives to create new opportunities for agricultural producers and points out that the NDP government provided a CARES grant to Falher, McLennan, the MD of Smoky River, Donnelly and Girouxville to create a business case for a new industrial hemp decortification facility.
The NDP Government provided similar grants to the MD of Spirit River to develop plans for a new pulse processing facility and to Saddle Hills County for a nitrogen fertilizer manufacturing facility.
“I will build on that work in our next term,” she says.
Travis McKim – Alberta Party
Travis McKim is a former apprentice electrician and freelance writer.
As a young candidate, McKim says that his personal stance on the matter is that “in order for democracy to work we need to encourage youth in participating in electoral decision making.”
It’s too often that I see young people discouraged about making their voices heard. We should be inspiring young people to believe that their voices matter, not condescending to them. We are dealing with the adults of tomorrow, and encouraging them to participate now is how we have engaged citizens in another 10 years. I would like to thank everyone for the encouraging comments. This has been by far the single greatest honour of my life.
Wayne Meyer – Liberal Party
Wayne Meyer is from Spirit River where he currently resides. He attended the University of Alberta.
As a liberal candidate, Meyer represents fiscal prudence, supports socially progressive change and caring about the stewardship of the environment.