MLA for Drumheller-Stettler Rick Strankman, says it is up to his constituents as to whether he will run again for election.
    Strankman, who is in his second term as MLA for the area, said when running, that he was an alternative to career politicians and is on record saying he only planned to serve for two terms. He has opened the window a bit to the possibility of running again.
    “I stand by that (two terms), but given pressure from the constituents and possibly the invigoration of a solid conservative front… I’ll leave it up to the constituents,” he said. “My goal was one term in opposition and one term under Danielle Smith. I felt that was a fair goal at the time, but now possibly one term under a unified Alberta party in governance might be exciting, if the people feel I am fit for that.”
    He said last week he joined Wildrose leader Brian Jean for a meet and Greet in Hanna, and says it was productive.
    “I think a lot of people are wanting to learn about politics and policy. They understand we are in difficult economic times, if not dire, and they want to come and learn,” he said.
    He said the subject of a unified right in Alberta came up.
    “As you know, the conservative parties are in the forefront of those policy active people’s minds,” he said.
    He acknowledges a recent poll by Lethbridge College put the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party in the lead, and former MP Jason Kenney is out pacing all the parties in fundraising.                  
    “That is an interesting and positive turn of events. I would believe that Mr. Kenney’s principles and values that he brings forward in a conservative vein are more attuned to the Wildrose Party than they are to Progressive Conservative polices,” he said.
    Whether Kenney becomes leader of the PC Party remains to be seen.
    “I don’t have an opinion on that, I think it is up to the electorate. The fundraising that he has feeds into his popularity, but what the internal workings the conservative party will end up with, I hesitate to give an opinion on that,” he said.
    Whether Strankman decides to run or not, he has a vision for the province.
    “I still believe in a positive conservative atmosphere for the province. That was my goal right from the beginning,” he said. “I’ve always said I was never looking for a job but was there to simply edge out those who were there for career reasons, and we saw what happened to those who were there for career reasons with the floor crossing, and Albertans said ‘no thank you.’"  
    “I have come to learn that my role is not necessarily a leadership role, but a representative role. In many situations, we can take a leadership role, but we have to be cognizant that it is only the behest of the representation of the people,” he said.

    
    Mayor of Hanna Chris Warwick has been vocal about the coal industry and lobbying hard to have his voice heard.
    Since the Alberta Government announced its plans to phase out coal-powered electricity generation, residents of Hanna have been concerned about the viability of the community, and have been working toward the future.
    One recent initiative the community has spearheaded is a Climate Change Task Force in the area to collect data.
    “Our Climate Change Task Force consists of a couple councillors from the Town of Hanna and our CAO.  The Special Areas is involved as well as well as our economic development company called Cactus Coulee Corridor,” said Warwick.
    He said they decided their best course of action would be to complete an impact study. For this they contracted a company to do interviews and conduct a series of town hall meetings to collect data.
    “We are hoping to have the impact study completed by the end of this month,” he said.
    Warwick was at the annual Alberta Urban Municipalities Association Conference and was able to get an audience with Danielle Larivee, Minister of Municipal Affairs.
    “She kind of deflected a little bit. The portfolio for coal affected communities lies with the Economic Development and Trade Ministry,” he said. “It didn’t surprise me.”
    “We have been in fairly decent conversations with Economic Development and Trade. Recently it has ramped up a little bit more because they selected the panel that is going to come, see us, and listen to our concerns."
    On September 22, the Alberta Government announced a three-member expert panel to meet with communities, labour and industry leaders affected by the transition away from coal-fired generation. He has concerns.
    “Their mandate is not only municipalities, it is also the workers so I understand that, but I fail to see the connections between the municipalities and the panel, and the rural connections.  One is from Edmonton, another is from Vancouver and the other is from Toronto, so they won’t understand rural at all,” said Warwick. “They are going to have a fairly big learning curve when it comes to that. I am glad they are moving forward, I am not overly optimistic our voice is going to be heard that well.”
    He says there are some options to explore, including retrofitting the existing plant to be powered solely by natural gas, however, that would end the coal mining side of the industry in Hanna.
    Another grave concern is drinking water. Without the plant, the economy of supplying water becomes difficult.
    “They pump the water from the Red Deer River to their cooling pond, and then from there, to our settling pond and our treatment plant in town. Of course, we send it west to Delia, north to Byemoor and east as far as Acadia Valley,” he said. “The biggest thing is the pumping cost from the river to the cooling pond, ATCO pays for that cost. If we have to incur that cost and possibly maintain that pipeline and pump house, that’s a pretty big hit for very few users on our own.”
    He said they have been in contact with Alberta Environment and they are assured the supply will remain. The big concern is the cost.
    “We are optimistic because the communication is ramping up a bit,” he said.