INNISFAIL -- Maintaining quality health care and education, and providing citizens with responsible governance, are quickly becoming key issues heard and advanced by local candidates for the NDP and Alberta Party.
"I am running for level-headed good governance that puts our economy, health, education, seniors and children ahead of just winning for winning’s sake," said Danielle Klooster, who is running for the third time as the Alberta Party's candidate in the Innisfail-Sylvan Lake riding. "The parties on the left and the right have a common goal: gaining and maintaining power. We all know it, but somehow we get sucked into serving their agenda anyway.
"Many people tell me they are tired of it, and just want good government that puts the needs of the people of this province first," added Klooster, who was out of the province vacationing when the election writ was dropped last week. "People need to know there is an option that frees us from all of the political noise and manipulation. I am running to give people that option."
In the meantime, the NDP's candidate, Robyn O'Brien, has been busy since the writ drop. She has already visited all corners of the riding, from Innisfail to Sylvan Lake to the west and central part of the riding, to Delburne in the east.
The 33-year-old non-profit arts director from Sylvan Lake said her time focused on plenty of meet and greets and election sign installations throughout the riding. She stopped in Innisfail on March 20 to meet staff and residents at Autumn Glen Lodge.
The 57-year-old assisted living facility is being replaced by a state-of-the-art $24.2-million replacement seniors' residence that is now being constructed at the same site. O'Brien said she was pleased to hear the construction project is on track for a 2020 opening and that remaining funding for the build will go on regardless of who wins the upcoming election.
O'Brien said health care is the number 1 issue she is hearing, with education coming in as a close second.
"Most people are really concerned about the education and health spending freeze that (Jason) Kenney is proposing and a lot of conservatives who are more fiscally conservative are finding that they don't have a place necessarily. They don't feel they can trust Kenney as a leader," she said, adding she has made it clear to citizens the NDP is committed to investing in education and health care. O'Brien specifically pointed out that Premier Rachel Notely announced on March 21 that 2,000 additional long-term care beds would be created in the province under a re-elected NDP government.
"That will significantly reduce wait times and help alleviate those pressures that we are seeing in the health- care system," said O'Brien.
As for the Alberta Liberal Party, leader David Khan told the Province last week through an email that "several strong candidates" are currently being looked at for the Innisfail-Sylvan Lake riding and one will be finalized and announced by the end of the month.
Meanwhile, Clayton Knutson, 36, a petroleum systems engineer from Red Deer, is running in the Innisfail-Sylvan Lake riding for the Freedom Conservative Party.
Knutson, a former Wildrose supporter and UCP member, said he is running because he wants a return to the promise of having a political party that will listen to the wants and needs of its grassroots membership. He said he left the UCP because he was unhappy with the "ethics" of the party.
"I have seen the ethics unfold. They promised a whole bill of goods, the whole grassroots guarantee. That wasn't something that occurred," said Knutson. "That is why I am with a free speech party. It is one thing to be conservative, and another thing to lose all your liberties. I call him out (Jason Kenney) as being an anti-free speech conservative."
