With Albertans heading to the polls on Monday, three of the four candidates in the Rocky Mountain House-Rimbey-Sundre riding have outlined their respective positions on a host of issues at the only local forum of the campaign.
Sponsored by the Sundre and District Chamber of Commerce, the forum at the Legion Hall last Monday saw sixth-term Progressive Conservative incumbent Ty Lund, Wildrose candidate Joe Anglin and NDP candidate Doreen Broska answer oral and written questions from the full-house audience on everything from education to law and order.
Liberal candidate Mason Sisson did not attend the forum, which was MC'ed by Sundre physician Dr. Hal Irvine.
Ty Lund, 73, told the forum that if he is re-elected he plans to continue work started by the PC government prior to the election being called.
“On the tax side Alberta sits with the lowest taxes you will find in North America,” said Lund. “We are going to continue with this low tax regime.
“I would love if you would support me on the 23rd so we can continue this good work that we are doing in Edmonton.”
Joe Anglin, 56, said if he is elected he would work to “change the way we govern in this province.”
“We want MLAs to have a free vote each and every time to represent you, and not to represent the party,” said Anglin. “We are going to have a recall and we are going to put that in legislation. We want transparency and we are going to require MLAs to put their expenses up publicly so you can view them.
“A basic fundamental tenant of a free and democratic society is to have this presumption of the enjoyment of property and not to be denied that enjoyment without the due process of law.”
Doreen Broska, 67, said if elected her priorities would include the promotion of public health care.
“An excellent health-care system is a major priority,” said Broska. “We want to see tax dollars used to improve the system; we don't want to see a single penny of your tax dollars go to private, for-profit health care.”
“The ND Party has a plan to make Alberta's prosperity work for us all. In a province as rich in natural resources and in human potential as this is, everyone should be able to have high quality health care and education. I believe it's a question of priority.”
She called electricity de-regulation a “failed experiment” and said there is a need for more environmental protection of rural watersheds.
Following opening statements from the candidates, they were questioned on many topics over the next two hours:
• Asked if a Wildrose government would change the royalty structure for resource development, Anglin said, “There is nothing in our policies about raising royalties.”
• Mountain View County councillor Paddy Munro asked the candidates for their views on “restoring the Surface Rights Board to its original founding mission of protecting landowner rights in Alberta.”
Ty Lund said both the Surface Rights Act and the Lands Compensations Act should be reviewed. “That is a commitment from the government, that they will be reviewed,” he said.
Anglin said, “The Wildrose position is that the Land Stewardship Act will be repealed in its entirety and that landowner property rights would be enshrined in law.”
Broska did not make a reply to Munro's question.
• Former Sundre Mayor Roy Cummings asked the candidates for their views on having the provincial government “take back control of the rivers and do what's right so small communities like Sundre and Mountain View County do not have worry and deal with them.”
Anglin said, “We acknowledged that this is a huge problem and we have also written into our policies that we have to take a proactive stance on how we are going to manage our water. The responsibility of something that large has to be up to at least the provincial level.”
Lund said, “I've fought to have the provincial government responsible for the rivers. I think it's wrong that they are moving it down to municipalities.”
Both Lund and Anglin said there may be the need for the construction of new dams to create reservoirs, including in West Central Alberta.
Broska did not make a reply to Cummings' question.
• Former Wild Rose MP and current Sundre town councillor Myron Thompson asked the candidates what they would do to improve the handling of young offenders in the court system. “Will you fix that stupid juvenile act so we can deal with these kids the way they ought to be?” said Thompson.
Lund said there are changes being made to the system with the creation of new rehabilitation programs for youths.
Broska said there needs to be more and better access to resources to help families dealing with young offender problems. “In a lot of cases it's a matter of not having access to the right help. It's something that needs to be worked on,” she said.
Anglin said the government needs to do more to “hold people accountable” and that “there has to be programs so they (young offenders) can go straight, but there has to be accountability on the other side of that equation. You make sure that if they want to take the criminal life there is a significant price to pay.”
• Candidates were asked for their positions on RCMP funding in the province.
Lund said he would like to see municipalities support RCMP on a per capita basis, unlike now where only communities over 5,000 population pay for RCMP service.
Anglin said he would like to see talks undertaken between the government, communities and RCMP with the aim of improving the police-funding model.
Broska said, “I don't think my knowledge of that is enough to take a position.”
• Anglin was asked by Sundre-area Chinook's Edge trustee Ron Fisher how a Wildrose government, which is proposing the elimination of school fees, would make up the $1.5 million now collected in the division through those fees.
Anglin said a Wildrose government would find the funds by going after “wasteful spending” in other government operations.
• All three candidates said they would work to bring more long-term care beds to the region.
• All three candidates said the next government needs to do what it takes to maintain Alberta's vital road infrastructure.
• All three candidates said more needs to be done to keep young people living and working on family-owned farms.
