INNISFAIL – The provincial NDP have chosen their candidate to run in the upcoming byelection in Innisfail-Sylvan Lake.
Nicole Mooney, a Sylvan Lake resident and 36-year old married mother of four and an English teacher at St. Joseph’s High School in Red Deer, was acclaimed at a nomination meeting on May 25.
“It’s my first venture into provincial politics,” said Mooney, noting several years of non-partisan experience with the Alberta Teachers' Association.
Mooney noted several issues important to the riding, including education, the economy and rural crime.
“I think (rural crime) is an issue that people are concerned about,” she said.
Mooney applauds the NDP for several successes in the riding and across the province since taking power, including advanced ambulatory care service (AACS), which opened June 4 in Sylvan Lake, new schools in Penhold and Sylvan Lake, and most recently the deal to rescue the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, which was announced last week.
“The deal announced (May 29) will put Albertans to work in good jobs (and) get the pipeline built, and will support services that matter to families like education and health care,” Mooney said in a press release on May 29.
She did not provide a comment on whether building the pipeline will help her chances of winning the riding in the byelection, but did note the impact the project will have for Albertans.
“I know how important this project is to our community and our economy,” she added. “One of the reasons I chose to run for the NDP is Premier Rachel Notley’s tireless advocacy to get this pipeline built.
“I think we’ve seen great advances in jobs and in the economy,” she said. “This year alone 90,000 new jobs have been created and the economy is looking up. “
Mooney said she decided to run for the NDP after seeing the impact of the former Progressive Conservative party on the province.
“During the 2015 election I became involved and really invested in the NDP party because I saw them as a party that wanted to come in and make changes for the better in society,” explained Mooney.
“I took a lot of time to reflect on that and eventually decided that (it) might be an excellent opportunity to get involved and to help make a positive contribution to the community,” she added.
Her focus at the moment is not whether the NDP can win the riding of Innisfail-Sylvan Lake but on the people she wants to represent in Edmonton.
“Right now I’m really focused on just getting out and engaging with members of the community to try to find what their concerns are,” said Mooney.
“I’m excited to meet people and be able to bring their issues forward to Edmonton.
“I’m definitely expecting it to be a challenging race,” Mooney concluded.
