Travis Toews will represent the United Conservative Party in the Grande Prairie – Wapiti riding during the next provincial election. He earned the nomination on September 14th through a vote by party members.
Toews was up against Kate Potter, a town councillor for Sexsmith. MLA Wayne Drysdale announced earlier this year that he would not be running for reelection after 10 years in the position.
“I feel very honoured and humbled to receive the support of UCP members, particularly in light of the fact that my competition, Kate Potter, was a such credible and worthy candidate who ran a positive and integral campaign.”
A professional accountant, Toews and his wife Kim have run a corporate family cattle ranching operation and an oilfield environmental company out of the Beaverlodge area for the past 15 years. He says now that he has the UCP nomination, he says he hopes to meet with even more people in the region.
“While there will be increased engagement with the UCP party, next steps will include reaching out to folks in the constituency well beyond the UCP membership to better understand the various issues and individual perspectives.”
UCP leader Jason Kenney issued a statement Friday, congratulating Toews on his win and thanking Potter for her efforts. He believes Toews has a “deep understanding of Alberta’s rural way of life.”
“He has a unique perspective on the two industries that power the Alberta economy, and the damaging effects that NDP policies have had on both the agriculture and energy sectors. This experience will be a huge asset as we work to present Albertans with a common-sense alternative to this NDP government.”
Other UCP candidates in the Grande Prairie area include Tracy Allard in the new urban Grande Prairie riding, Daniel Williams in Peace River, and current Grande Prairie – Smoky MLA Todd Loewen in Central Peace – Notley.