The death of former premier Ralph Klein over the weekend marks both a loss for Alberta and the passing of an era.
“A dedicated, outspoken and flamboyant individual, Klein left a lasting mark on the province, making his passing a sad occasion for this province,” said Premier Alison Redford.
During his many years at the top of political power in Alberta, first as Calgary's mayor and then as a four-term premier, Klein was loved and loathed by Albertans in every part of the province.
As one of the most controversial and outspoken leaders Alberta has ever had, Klein must certainly rank with Peter Lougheed and Ernest Manning as one of the province's greatest premiers.
For rural Albertans Klein's greatest impact was probably his decision to change the delivery of health care in dramatic fashion.
For decades before Klein became premier, health care was overseen at the community level by local hospital boards, including in Olds, Innisfail, Didsbury and Sundre.
When Klein replaced the local boards with regional health authorities, he changed governance and with it the delivery of health care for every Albertan – a change that continues to this day under the authority of Alberta Health Services.
Getting Alberta out of debt was another of Klein's big achievements, something that for years afterwards allowed Alberta, including rural communities, to grow and prosper without the heavy financial burdens faced by many other jurisdictions.
Klein will also be remembered as a staunch defender of Alberta's rights on the national stage, defending the province's energy and agricultural interests to the hilt in showdowns with then-prime minister Jean Chretien.
Yet Klein's era will also be remembered for controversy. For one, it should be remembered that he got the province out of debt in large measure on the backs of public sector workers, who were forced to take massive pay cuts as part of Klein's debt-free agenda.
And where premiers Manning and Lougheed spearheaded massive building programs that saw literally hundreds of schools and many hospitals constructed across the province, including in West Central Alberta, Klein's era saw no such massive infrastructure investment.
When massive flooding struck West Central Alberta in 2005, Klein came to Sundre and walked with concerned citizens along the banks of the flood-swollen Bearberry Creek.
As people come up to him, he time and again assured them he would do what he could to help meet the challenges. He didn't have to come to that place at that time, but he did, as any good neighbour would.
And in the end that's how Ralph Klein will probably best be remembered – as an ordinary guy who just happened to be one of Alberta's greatest premiers.
