As the confidence vote on Premier Jason Kenney’s leadership looms, at least one UCP constituency association (CA) is chartering buses to help get the vote out..A special general meeting (SGM) that includes a leadership review vote will be held in Red Deer April 9. This comes after 24 of 87 UCP CAs voted for an immediate leadership review of Kenney in November 2021..John Phillips, the VP of Communications for the Lac Ste. Anne-Parkland CA, said his board is chartering buses to Red Deer to help members with transportation logistics and costs..“We stretch all the way from the west edge of Edmonton to Yellowhead County, around the Entwistle area, and north. We include a little bit of Sturgeon County and Lac St. Anne County and Parkland County,” he said..“There are around 39,000 people in the constituency, and it’s a lot of area to cover. And when the price of the event is expensive and gas is going up and these people have a long way to go … we thought if we line something up from central points and make the transportation free for the day, that will go a long way.”.Shane Getson is the UCP MLA for the area..Lac Ste. Anne-Parkland constituent Tracy Bartel told the Western Standard while she won’t be taking the CA-chartered bus to Red Deer, she has every intention of voting at the SGM on April 9..“When I was growing up, I was taught that you take part in any democratic opportunity for input you can because then you have a voice. If you don’t, then you shouldn’t complain. You need to get up and have your voice heard,” Bartel said..Bartel said she will vote “no” at the SGM, largely because of the fallout of Kenney’s COVID-19 lockdowns..“I believe the mental health of children and adults have suffered. We lost a friend to suicide in 2021, so it’s a very difficult time. I don’t think the choices have been wise on Alberta Health Services’ part and Kenny’s part, collectively, for the good of our province.”.Bartel said she saw firsthand how the lockdowns impacted her rodeo community..“Our rodeo family up north lost some sons and daughters over suicide, and the mental health part of it. We have suffered greatly.”.She also said people of faith have good reason to vote at the SGM..“Our freedom to gather together has been suffering. There are churches closing down and the attendance has been absolutely horrendous, virtually and especially in rural. And so that goes back to mental health and spiritual health. It’s just so so sad. I believe that everybody needs a voice so that we can bring the numbers up and have a healthy province,” she said..Bartel said rural families are having a hard time making ends meet..“You see families struggling. It’s hard, and it’s gonna get harder I think. Economically, everybody is struggling. There’s nothing leftover for households. I know we are starting to have family meetings on where we can cut back financially. And that means FaceTiming our daughter in college. She needs to cut back and finding every last dollar. My heart bleeds for lots of families that are struggling,” she said..Bartel said the current economic realities mean families are staying home to cut costs, a move that ultimately hurts rural economies..“We can learn to do without things, but that’s somebody’s job, you know? Going to a movie, somebody has to take the tickets and somebody has to stand at the register. And if we stop going to movies and we stop doing those extracurricular activities, that’s somebody else’s job, too. That concerns me greatly.”.But Bartel said there’s also a silver lining to the hardships of late. “We learned to stick together and help each other out and lend a hand when needed.”.Constituents can ride for free to the SGM with CA-chartered buses departing Onoway and Acheson the morning of April 9. UCP memberships have to be renewed or new memberships purchased prior to midnight on March 19..Amber Gosselin is a Western Standard reporter..agosselin@westernstandardonline.com
As the confidence vote on Premier Jason Kenney’s leadership looms, at least one UCP constituency association (CA) is chartering buses to help get the vote out..A special general meeting (SGM) that includes a leadership review vote will be held in Red Deer April 9. This comes after 24 of 87 UCP CAs voted for an immediate leadership review of Kenney in November 2021..John Phillips, the VP of Communications for the Lac Ste. Anne-Parkland CA, said his board is chartering buses to Red Deer to help members with transportation logistics and costs..“We stretch all the way from the west edge of Edmonton to Yellowhead County, around the Entwistle area, and north. We include a little bit of Sturgeon County and Lac St. Anne County and Parkland County,” he said..“There are around 39,000 people in the constituency, and it’s a lot of area to cover. And when the price of the event is expensive and gas is going up and these people have a long way to go … we thought if we line something up from central points and make the transportation free for the day, that will go a long way.”.Shane Getson is the UCP MLA for the area..Lac Ste. Anne-Parkland constituent Tracy Bartel told the Western Standard while she won’t be taking the CA-chartered bus to Red Deer, she has every intention of voting at the SGM on April 9..“When I was growing up, I was taught that you take part in any democratic opportunity for input you can because then you have a voice. If you don’t, then you shouldn’t complain. You need to get up and have your voice heard,” Bartel said..Bartel said she will vote “no” at the SGM, largely because of the fallout of Kenney’s COVID-19 lockdowns..“I believe the mental health of children and adults have suffered. We lost a friend to suicide in 2021, so it’s a very difficult time. I don’t think the choices have been wise on Alberta Health Services’ part and Kenny’s part, collectively, for the good of our province.”.Bartel said she saw firsthand how the lockdowns impacted her rodeo community..“Our rodeo family up north lost some sons and daughters over suicide, and the mental health part of it. We have suffered greatly.”.She also said people of faith have good reason to vote at the SGM..“Our freedom to gather together has been suffering. There are churches closing down and the attendance has been absolutely horrendous, virtually and especially in rural. And so that goes back to mental health and spiritual health. It’s just so so sad. I believe that everybody needs a voice so that we can bring the numbers up and have a healthy province,” she said..Bartel said rural families are having a hard time making ends meet..“You see families struggling. It’s hard, and it’s gonna get harder I think. Economically, everybody is struggling. There’s nothing leftover for households. I know we are starting to have family meetings on where we can cut back financially. And that means FaceTiming our daughter in college. She needs to cut back and finding every last dollar. My heart bleeds for lots of families that are struggling,” she said..Bartel said the current economic realities mean families are staying home to cut costs, a move that ultimately hurts rural economies..“We can learn to do without things, but that’s somebody’s job, you know? Going to a movie, somebody has to take the tickets and somebody has to stand at the register. And if we stop going to movies and we stop doing those extracurricular activities, that’s somebody else’s job, too. That concerns me greatly.”.But Bartel said there’s also a silver lining to the hardships of late. “We learned to stick together and help each other out and lend a hand when needed.”.Constituents can ride for free to the SGM with CA-chartered buses departing Onoway and Acheson the morning of April 9. UCP memberships have to be renewed or new memberships purchased prior to midnight on March 19..Amber Gosselin is a Western Standard reporter..agosselin@westernstandardonline.com
