The Honourable Erin O’Toole made a visit to Alberta as part of his Southern Alberta tour, with a stop at the Home Place Ranch in Kneehill County on Saturday, July 10 with some 200 people attending the meet and greet event.
Battle River-Crowfoot MP Kurek opened the meet and greet by thanking John Hamm for the use of the Home Style Ranch, and introducing his fellow colleagues in attendance-Bow River MP Martin Shields, Red Deer-Mountain View MP Earl Dreeshan, and Ontario Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MP and agriculture and agri-food shadow minister Lianne Rood.
MP Kurek said it was an honour to have the opportunity to have Mr. O’Toole visit Central Alberta and Kneehill County.
This is the first time Mr. O’Toole has been able to travel to Alberta in the capacity of party leader since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. He last visited Alberta as a Member of Parliament in January 2020 when he began his bid for leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.
“Alberta’s success, Alberta’s prosperity, is Canada’s prosperity,” O’Toole said during his address.
O’Toole spoke to the beauty of Kneehill County, saying he had to stop and take in the scenery, which he said was “truly Albertan,” of a pumpjack standing before a yellow field of canola.
Among the topics of discussion were the impacts of the Liberal government on Canada and, in particular, the western provinces since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was elected to office in 2015.
O’Toole stated, if elected, he would endeavour to restore fairness for the western provinces. He lamented how Albertans have given more than their “fair share” and one way he would address this imbalance would be to make changes to the current equalization program by giving Albertans an equalization rebate and passing a fair equalization bill.
Other topics which O’Toole touched upon were the impacts to mental health across the country, and job and industry losses due to “Trudeau’s war” on the oil and gas energy sector.
Following his address, Mr. O’Toole took time to answer several questions from the audience. He also took a few moments to personally meet and shake hands with some of those in attendance-something he said he is still unable to do in Ontario.

A man chose the Royal Tyrrell Museum to keep a 27-year-old promise to his wife.
On Saturday, July 10, Mac Kuziw, brought his wife Kelly to the viewpoint at the Museum. This is the exact same place he asked Kelly to marry him 27 years ago.
“27 years ago Kelly and I went to the Museum, and I had gone to the gift shop at the time and purchased a ring. I was poor as a church mouse, I was an apprentice mechanic, and we were just starting out in life,” explains Mac. “With this ring from the gift shop, I presented it to her and asked if she would marry me.”
The two had been dating for about nine months, and in fact, Kelly’s father was Mac’s Fire Chief. He chuckles and says her dad wouldn’t allow any of his firefighters to date his daughter, So Mac asked her to marry him instead. Of course, she said yes.
“I put the ring on, and within an hour it was turning her finger green!” recalls Mac.
The two were married a couple years later and on July 6, celebrated their 25th anniversary. The couple started out in the Delburne area and then moved to Edmonton before settling on a ranch in the Lloydminster area. They have grown into a family and raised three girls.
“I am one of the lucky few to say they have made it this far,” said Mac.
To celebrate their anniversary, Mac simply told Kelly to prepare for a couple of days and didn’t tell her where they were going. Kelly figured it out when they began heading in the direction of the valley.
When they arrived at the museum at 11 a.m., they trekked to the viewpoint, just like they did more than two decades before, (and numerous other times as a family). Mac took out a ring and asked her to marry him again.
This time the ring was brighter, shinier, and it didn’t turn her finger green.
Kelly has kept the ring all these years, and a short time ago, Mac secreted it away to a jeweler, who made a replica of the tin, only this time using gold and diamonds.
Of course, she said yes again.