A familiar candidate has stepped forward in a bid to become the Progressive Conservative candidate for the riding, and he brings with him extensive political experience.
The Mail broke the story that Drumheller resident Ed Mah is seeking the nomination to be the PC candidate for the riding. The Mail also learned that former Drumheller–Stettler MLA Jack Hayden wants back into the political scene.
While no date has been set for nominations, the Drumheller-Stettler PC Association held a meeting in Hanna on November 1 and selected a new interim executive. Oyen’s Doug Jones is now president, replacing Mah.
Following the meeting The Mail caught up with Hayden, who he said he was interested.
“I do intend to run for the nomination,” said Hayden. “My heart has been in public service for a number of years, and I think we really need to pay more attention to our area. There is so much that needs to be done.”
He said he has been in a different situation since the last election. Today he is a consultant and is often performing similar work that he was doing as an elected official, but in other ridings.
“I need to do it, attempt the nomination process to see if I can win that, and then I think all of the work I have done with these different communities throughout the years would hopefully be helpful in winning the seat back because it is important to be at the table. If you are not on the table you are on the menu,” he said.
He says it is important for rural constituencies to have a member of the governing party as its representative.
“We have a situation where you need someone representing your area that can be convincing and work with the communities,” he said.
While many in other communities are dealing with capacity issues, in schools and other institutions, often the case in rural areas is the opposite problem.
The one exception is with seniors housing. He says the average age of Albertans keeps climbing and people are living longer thanks to medical advances, and he recognizes that often seniors are entering the system later with more health issues, especially dementia. Drumheller is feeling the crunch.
“It is tough to come up with the dollars, but we have to do it because in a constituency like ours we do have a high average age. The average age of farmers in the province is 57, and I think probably higher in our area,” he said.
During the last election, Hayden was defeated by current WildRose MLA Richard Strankman, and one message that rang with voters appeared to be Hayden's lack of time spent in the constituency.
“It was probably true to a degree because if you are in cabinet, you are six to seven days a week busy, so I would try to attend up to six events in the constituency on weekends, but is quite a challenge to do it,” he said. “But the flip side is that if you are fortunate enough to sit in cabinet, you are around the table with the decision makers … which helps you get your message across concerning the needs of your area.”
He also acknowledges that one issue that hurt the party at the last election was property rights.
“I am pleased to see the Premier has made that Bill One, to reassure citizens,” he said.
He says he can feel the tide turning.
“There is a momentum, and that is why we are going to have a nomination race,” he said. “Probably six months or a year ago, I would have likely not been challenged for the nomination, but there is a real feel of change and it is very positive.”
