Nathan Cooper, seeks Wildrose nod in Wade Bearchell seeks PC nod in
Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills
Indicators are pointing to a spring provincial election and the action is heating up in the Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills riding.
MLA Bruce Rowe, was one of the nine Wildrose MLAs that crossed the floor to join the Progressive Conservative Party (PC) before Christmas.
While Rowe has not publicly declared that he would be seeking the nomination, with the suggestion that Alberta resident will be going to the polls sooner or later, he may see some competition springing up inside and outside of his new party.
Last week, Carstairs Town Councillor Nathan Cooper announced he would be running for the nomination to represent the Wildrose Party come the next election. He appears to be the first to announce his intentions. Not only is he a town councillor, but he is also Chief of Staff for the Wildrose opposition in Edmonton.
“Strong families and communities are the backbone of Alberta’s economy. A public official’s first job is to represent the interests of local constituents, a duty I pledge to fully embrace,” said Cooper in a press release. “Wildrose is Alberta’s only truly grassroots conservative movement. We stand for free enterprise, less government, increased personal freedom, and democracy. I am proud to stand with our strong and united Wildrose team in defending these non-negotiable principles.”
He states in his release that he has the support of Wildrose House leader Shayne Saskiw. He foresees falling oil prices having a serious affect on the economy.
“Albertans understand that lower oil prices will have a real impact on the local economy. Jobs will be lost, household budgets will be tight. This is the exact wrong time to raise taxes on Albertans,” said Cooper. “Our families and seniors already face high costs, forcing them to make tough decisions every day. Raising taxes will only increase the damage, kill jobs, and drive away investment.”
Before Mr. Cooper has a chance to go head to head with the incumbent, Mr. Rowe, if he decides to run, he still needs to win the endorsement from the PC Party. At the time of the mass migration to the PCs, a document was shared throughout the media that specified that the MLAs who crossed the floor would be given the premier’s endorsement to be the candidate of choice. The veracity of this endorsement has come in to question.
Wade Bearchell, Town of Olds Councillor, has decided to challenge Rowe for the nomination for the Progressive Conservatives.
Bearchell is a two-term councillor and professionally has been the pro manager of the Olds Golf Club since 2003. He tells The Mail his decision to run for the nomination came long before the crossing of the floor last December.
“There was concern originally that the premier would guarantee them the nomination, but that is not the case, certainly not in our riding,” said Bearchell. “I am not sure if the premier is going to endorse Bruce Rowe, but I’m not too worried about that.”
“I was getting prepared to announce and put my hat in the ring for the nomination, before all that floor crossing happened,” said Bearchell. “Once the dust settled, I decided to come out and make my plan known.”
He says residents in the area are upset about the floor crossers.
“There is a lot of questions yet to be answered, and I am hoping they will be. All I know is I have tremendous support from people all through the constituency, so I am excited to start the process,” he said. “There are bad feelings directed to the people who crossed the floor, and there is bad feelings for the premier even to let it happen, I get that.”
Bearchell is the first to let his name stand for the nomination for the PC Party. Calls to Mr. Rowe were not answered as of press time.
