The United Conservative Party nomination contest for the Drumheller-Stettler Riding opened on February, 17, 2022.
This allows members to apply to contest the nomination by submitting their application.
Drumheller-Stettler Constituency Association president David Mohl explains the Conservative parties hold a nomination contest between every election, rather than assigning a candidate.
“We do it every election cycle, so a year prior to an election. So we have an election coming up in 2023, you use 2022 to get your contestants nominated to become candidates,” explains Mohl.
He adds, typically the nomination isn’t contested when there is an incumbent.
MLA for Drumheller-Stettler Nate Horner was elected in April 2019, beating out Rick Strankman for the nomination from the UCP.
Strankman was the incumbent, serving as MLA as member of the Wildrose Party and UCP, and then ran as an independent. Horner was appointed Associate Minister of Rural Economic Development, under the Ministry of Jobs, Economy and Innovation last summer and in November was appointed Minister of Agriculture and Forestry.
The nominations are open until March 3, application must be accompanied by the signatures of 50 party members who reside in the Drumheller-Stettler constituency.
Applicants must also provide $1,000 payable to the United Conservative Party, of which $500 will be remitted to the constituency in which the nomination is being contested, that is non-refundable and is not a donation, and $1,000 payable to the United Conservative Party as a refundable good conduct bond returned at the discretion of the PCSC at the end of the election to which it applies.
For more information, or to request a nominations application package, please contact nominations@unitedconservative.ca.

Former Drumheller Mayor Terry Yemen has travelled multiple times to the Ukraine since 2012 as an independent observer to ensure democracy in the country’s presidential elections.
The Mail caught up with Mr. Yemen following the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“I have been in contact with some of the people I worked with during my tours in the Ukraine,” Mr. Yemen tells the Mail. “Obviously they’re very concerned and very afraid of the current action Russia is taking.”
Mr. Yemen was first selected to observe the Ukrainian elections in October 2012 and was deployed to a disputed area along the eastern border near Russia.
In total, Mr. Yemen was involved in about six deployments to the eastern European country and got to travel all across the Ukraine. He says the Ukrainian people were happy to have international observers at the elections.
“I think there was something like a 76 per cent turn out for voting. Quite an accomplishment when you think most of the people walked to the polling stations,” Mr. Yemen said.
He adds Drumheller has a long history with Ukraine dating back to the early coal-mining days. Many hard-working Ukrainians were among those who immigrated to the valley for work and were integral in settling and shaping the community.
“I hope if there’s a need in the future, Drumheller will once again open its arms to these people,” he says.