INNISFAIL –Don MacIntyre has officially resigned as MLA for the Innisfail – Sylvan Lake riding.
Lee Eddy, president of the United Conservative Party (UCP) constituency association for the Innisfail-Sylvan Lake riding, confirmed on the afternoon of Monday, Feb. 5 MacIntyre officially resigned, after submitting a letter to both him and the speaker of the legislature on Feb. 2.
"I had an email sent to me directly from Don MacIntyre. I have his resignation letter,” said Eddy. "I got it Thursday, he was handing it in Friday to the speaker of the house (Alberta legislature).
"The locks on his (Innisfail-Sylvan Lake constituency) office were changed Friday,” he added. "He’s not allowed back in the office.”
Eddy said there has been no date set for the byelection but there will be one called within the next six months from Feb. 2.
"By law, Premier (Rachel) Notley has to call a byelection within six months of Don MacIntyre resigning,” he said. "But if she calls a provincial election this fall she doesn’t have to.
"I’m getting my (constituency association) board ready to run a byelection so we’re ready when it’s called,” added Eddy.
And Mike Walsh, the former co-president of the United Conservative Party (UCP) constituency association, is seeking the party’s nomination for next year’s provincial election.
"I’ve been actively campaigning to seek the nomination for quite some time. I’ve had lots of supporters and lots of people encouraging me,” said Walsh, who is currently a Penhold town councillor and Innisfail school teacher. "They’ve been quite happy with what I’ve done (as councillor) in Penhold and they’d like me to take my public service to the next level.
"I had no insight into our current MLA’s status. He was still the MLA at that time,” he added. "The plan was to run against Don MacIntyre or whoever else was going to put their name forward.”
Walsh resigned as co-president of the constituency association last month when he officially registered with Elections Alberta to seek the UCP nomination for Innisfail-Sylvan Lake.
News of MacIntyre stepping down from caucus came on Feb. 2 when UPC leader Jason Kenney issued a one line statement: "At approximately noon today Don MacIntyre resigned from the United Conservative Caucus.”
The UCP caucus then issued another statement: "Upon the advice of legal council, a court order prohibits us from commenting further at this time.”
Later that afternoon MacIntyre tweeted that he was resigning from politics to focus on family.
Walsh has several years of involvement with the former Progressive Conservative Constituency Association and is now in his second term as Penhold councillor. The Grade 7-8 teacher at Innisfail Middle School said he expects to see others put their names forward to represent the Innisfail-Sylvan Lake riding in the 2019 Alberta election.
"I would anticipate there will be a handful of people put their name forward to become a candidate,” said Walsh.
Lee Eddy, president of the United Conservative Party (UCP) constituency association for the Innisfail-Sylvan Lake riding
"The locks on his (Innisfail-Sylvan Lake constituency) office were changed Friday. He's not allowed back in the office."
