Provincial election candidate questions: most pressing issue?

In the days leading up to the provincial election, MyGrandePrairieNow.com will be publishing the answers to questions posed to candidates running in the Grande Prairie, Grande Prairie-Wapiti, and Central Peace-Notley ridings. They are published as submitted within a 150 word limit.

Q: What would you say is the most pressing issue in the region?

Grande Prairie

Tracy Allard, UCP 
Within the city, I believe the hospital build is a pressing issue and the many contractors who haven’t been paid.

AP: Grant Berg, Alberta Party
Jobs, Jobs, Jobs. Our Alberta economy is reeling. We could be the next domino to fall. While we are feeling the impact we are not impacted as badly as the rest of the province.  We need to create an environment that attracts investment again. Investment willing to invest in not only oil and gas but in diversifying our economy in ways that will buffer is from the oil and gas rollercoaster.

Rony Rajput, Independent
CRIME

Bernard Hancock, Freedom Conservative Party
No response

Ray Robertson, Alberta Independence Party
No response

Todd Russell, NDP 
While I have been out door knocking and meeting with constituents many issues have come up.  For some people they are worried about finding work or being laid off under a Jason Kenney government.  Others are concerned about education and healthcare in our growing community and ensuring that there is continued funding for services we all rely on.  I have heard from workers who are concerned their wages maybe rolled back or who may lose out on overtime pay with the changes Jason Kenney is proposing.  People in our region want to see safer roads and continued investment in infrastructure that may dry up to pay for Jason Kenney’s Corporate tax give-away.  Of course, the biggest issue facing all Albertans is getting a pipeline.  Rachel Notley has been a champion for pipeline development while Jason Kenney was unable to get pipeline approval after 9 years in the federal cabinet.

Grande Prairie-Wapiti

Terry Dueck, Independent
No response

Shannon Dunfield, NDP 
Our region has farms, forestry and oil and gas.  What is important in our region is continuing the diversification in our economy that will strengthen our resiliency and bring us prosperity into the future.  Across our region people rely on services that the government provides.  It is important to continue those services and strengthen those services. Across Alberta people want to see a new pipeline.  Through Rachel Notley’s leadership support for a new pipeline in Canada has grown from 4 in 10 to 7 in 10 Canadians.

Jason Jones, Alberta Party 
The most pressing issue the Grande Prairie Region is facing right now is the Opioid Crisis. We have two people dying every day from opioid related deaths and our selfless frontline emergency personnel are struggling with fatigue due to such an overwhelming amount of overdose related dispatches. This is an issue that challenges us to address mental health services, stable economic progress and overall community wellbeing.

Travis Toews, UCP
No response

Central Peace-Notley

Todd Loewen, UCP 
No response

Marg McCuaig-Boyd, NDP
The most pressing need in the region is economic opportunities for
all workers. Our Made in Alberta plan for energy diversification has
already unlocked new private sector investment including the
recently-announced Nauticol methanol plant near Grande Prairie.
We will build on this work in our next term with more partial
upgrading and petrochemical projects.
We also have huge opportunities in value-added agriculture. Our
government provided grants to communities like Falher, MD of Spirit
River and Saddle Hills County to study the potential of hemp
decortication, pulse processing and nitrogen fertilizer
manufacturing. I will work with communities on the next steps for
these projects.

Travis McKim, Alberta Party
No response

Wayne Meyer, Liberal 
No response