UCP MLA Pat Rehn announced Saturday he will not be running for reelection for the Lesser Slave Lake seat this spring.
Serving the community and province has “been the privilege of a lifetime,” Rehn said in a recent letter to constituents.
“As I look forward to serving you until the expiration of my mandate, I also see eager individuals seeking to put their names forward to represent our constituency.”
Rehn, who was elected in 2019, faced a lot of heat during the pandemic when he travelled outside the country against COVID restriction mandates.
Former premier Jason Kenney kicked Rehn out of the caucus in 2021 for failing to represent his constituents.
“I have repeatedly asked Mr. Rehn to be more present in his constituency. He has ignored calls from me, UCP caucus leadership and his constituents to do so,” Kenney said at the time.
Slave Lake council also said that Rehn was not showing up to meetings, to caucus, and overall not effectively representing his riding. The council wrote a letter in 2021 asking him to resign, but he did not.
As for the upcoming election, Danielle Larivee, the NDP candidate who served the riding from 2015-2019, has been nominated by the party for the to-be vacant seat.
— With files from Fletcher Kent, Global News