EDMONTON – Two candidates entered the race Friday for the upcoming Edmonton-Whitemud by-election: Dr. Bob Turner for the NDP and Tim Grover for the Wildrose.
They will be going head-to-head with former Edmonton mayor Stephen Mandel, who is the PCs’ newly appointed but unelected health minister.
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Turner, the NDP’s choice, is a doctor at Edmonton’s Cross Cancer Institute
“Bob’s record, his knowledge, and his passion for health care and for Alberta makes him the clear choice for voters in Edmonton Whitemud, especially when compared to the record of an unelected PC insider health minister, Stephen Mandel,” said NDP leader Brian Mason.
Turner is basing his platform on the following key issues:
- a replacement for the Misericordia hospital. The Alberta NDP says he is also concerned with ambulance wait times in southwest Edmonton.
- overcrowded schools in the constituency
- long-term care for seniors, particularly with the government’s slow response to installing sprinklers in long-term care facilities
“Forty-three years of PC governments haven’t served us well. When choosing health care, we choose between an overcrowded University Hospital and a crumbling Misericordia. Our kids have longer bus rides every year, because this PC government has failed to build enough schools for our growing community. Our seniors are living in facilities without sprinklers and often can’t even get access to affordable long-term care,” Turner said.
Meanwhile, Wildrose candidate Tim Grover is focusing on business.
According to his party, he “is a staunch proponent of small business and a leading advocate for entrepreneurial development in Alberta.”
“It is a privilege to have someone like Tim, an individual that knows what it takes to have a business succeed, who is dedicated to making his community better and who understands the pressures facing families in Edmonton,” said Wildrose leader Danielle Smith.
“People are telling me they are excited about the opportunity to send the PCs a message,” Grover added in a release. “After a series of scandals and broken promises, they’ve had enough. Albertans will see our campaign work to earn every single vote and give them a positive alternative, with a forward looking vision for our province and Edmonton.”
Earlier this week, the Alberta Party announced that its president, Will Munsey, will run in the constituency. When the writ is dropped, he plans to step down as party president.
Edmonton-Whitemud was held by former premier David Hancock, who announced he is leaving politics.
Education Minister Gordon Dirks — also currently unelected — announced he is running in Calgary-Elbow, which was vacated when former premier Alison Redford resigned.
Premier Jim Prentice is expected to call byelections in the next few days.
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