While potential candidates and political parties continue to wait with bated breath for the next provincial elections, a few more in the area served by The Drumheller Mail are getting ready for the inevitable.

Drumheller -Stettler
    This week the Drumheller-Stettler riding, the  Progressive Conservative Constituency Association announced its nomination dates.  The process will begin on February 28 and wrap up at noon on Saturday March 7. If an election is necessary, it will be on March 21. Bert McFadyen is chair of the nomination committee. He says the Constituency  Association has renewed vigor.
    "The election of the premier certainly changed our fortunes. It generated a good number of memberships," McFadyen said. "It has rejuvenated our association by bringing more people in and that is encouraging."
    So far, Drumheller resident Ed Mah, former MLA Jack Hayden and Stettler County Councillor Greggory Jackson have expressed their intention to seek the nomination.
    Rick Strankman is a lock for the Wildrose Party, having claimed the nomination in 2014.  

Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills
    Last week The Mail reported that Bruce Rowe, MLA for Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills has decided to call it quits. Rowe was one of the former Wildrose representatives that crossed the floor to sit as a Progressive Conservative (PC).
    The Wildrose Party in the area has wasted no time in lining up their next candidate. On February 5, Nathan Cooper claimed the Wildrose nomination. Cooper is a Carstairs Town Councillor and currently serves as Chief of Staff for the Wildrose Opposition.
    “We stand for less government, more freedom, and fiscal responsibility. We recognize that strong families build strong communities, and strong communities support strong families. We seek to strengthen democracy by giving more power to voters. And we believe responsible economic management is a prerequisite of public service,” he said in a press release.
     Candidates are lining up across the floor to run in the same constituency. Previously Town of Olds Councillor Wade Bearchell announced his intention to run for the PCs. Since then, it has been reported that Olds Town Councillor Debbie Bennett and Mountain View County Councillor Ron Richardson have joined the race.

Strathmore-Brooks
    In Strathmore-Brooks, the Wildrose Party made it official. Derek Fildebrandt, former Canadian Taxpayer Federation director is the party’s selection leading into the next election.
    “I’m truly honoured to be the Wildrose candidate in Strathmore-Brooks. Our community deserves real representation that will stand up for hard-working Albertans against Jim Prentice’s plan to raise taxes on families. I look forward to meeting with residents to discuss the issues that will shape our province,” he said.
    For the PC Party, The Mail reported that Molly Douglass would be running.  The Brooks Bulletin reported that current MLA Jason Hale has yet to declare whether he will be running again.
   

While the energy industry continues to show its volatility, the effects are being felt. Last week Canadian oil company Cenovus Energy announced it would be laying off 15 per cent of its staff and suspending pay hikes. According to a release the impact of Cenovus’ 2015 capital reductions include the suspension of the bulk of the company’s 2016 conventional drilling program in Southern Alberta. “In the coming weeks, Cenovus intends to realign its workforce based on its revised spending plans. Where work has been stopped or deferred, the company plans to reassign employees to core business areas and intends to begin reducing the size of its contract workforce,” states a release. So far The Mail has not learned the local impact of this reduction. The Mail also learned that MRC Global offices in Drumheller and Hanna would be closing down. Staff at the local office and the Edmonton office did not comment, and correspondence with its Texas offices were not returned. There is some stability locally it appears, as Encana welcomes some new faces to its office. In October of last year the company agreed to sell off the majority of its Clearwater assets to Ember Resources. Encana retained a portion of its holdings, which are part of a joint venture between Encana and Toyota Tsusho. This area is served by the Drumheller office. While Ember kept a number of Encana employees, the Drumheller office is welcoming some new faces. “We’ve added a few more staff from the Strathmore office,” said community relations advisor for Encana Luigi Vescarelli. He explains they have added the completions group from the Strathmore area, staff from the drilling and construction groups and a member of the safety group. He said the overall numbers in Drumheller after the sale have remained about the same. Ember Resources also took on a number of employees. “We filled a few offices, but we also lost a few offices,” said Vescarelli. He said with the Toyota Tsusho partnership, they are still active, drilling about 200 wells a year, and while there have been a few service companies close, Encana is still getting the work done. “It is pretty steady throughout the year, we’re going pretty strong right now,” said Vescarelli. He adds that while exploration has slowed down, Drumheller still has a strong service sector. “The pump jacks are still going up and down, the compressors are still rotating and reciprocating. It’s like driving a car, you're going to need a mechanic; when you are running a compressor 24/7 we still have all the contract mechanics,” he said. “At least we have all the existing infrastructure here that keeps our maintenance crews going.”