Highwood (electoral district)

Highwood is a provincial electoral district in southern Alberta, Canada. The district is one of 87 in the province mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using the first past the post method of voting.

Highwood
Alberta electoral district
Highwood within the Calgary Metropolitan Region, 2017 boundaries.
Provincial electoral district
LegislatureLegislative Assembly of Alberta
MLA
 
 
 
RJ Sigurdson
United Conservative
District created1979
First contested1971
Last contested2019

The district was created in the 1971 boundary redistribution out of the old Okotoks-High River riding and the North part of Pincher Creek-Crowsnest. The district has favoured right leaning parties since its creation. Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta candidates held the district from 1975 until 2012 when they were unseated by the Wildrose Party.

The current representative is RJ Sigurdson, who was first elected in 2019.

History

The electoral district of Highwood was created in the 1971 boundary redistribution from the old electoral districts of Okotoks-High River and Pincher Creek-Crowsnest.

The 2010 boundary redistribution saw the riding cut down in size. Land south of the town of Highriver and a portion of land in the northwest of the constituency was transferred to the Livingstone-Macleod riding. A portion of land in the north east was also transferred to the Little Bow riding.[1] The boundary commission had intended to rename Highwood to bring back the Okotoks-High River name but it was quashed in an amendment to the redistribution bill in the Legislative Assembly.

The 2017 redistribution saw more of Highwood transferred to Livingstone-Macleod, this time the entire community of High River. However, the riding expanded westward, now including the town of Black Diamond. The Boundaries Commission renamed the riding Okotoks-Sheep River in their final report, but the Legislative Assembly again chose to retain the name Highwood.

Boundary history

Representation history

Members of the Legislative Assembly for Highwood[3]
Assembly Years Member Party
See Okotoks-High River 1930-1971 and
Pincher Creek-Crowsnest 1940-1971
17th 1971–1975 Edward Benoit Social Credit
18th 1975–1979 George Wolstenholme Progressive Conservative
19th 1979–1982
20th 1982–1986 Harry Alger
21st 1986–1989
22nd 1989–1993 Don Tannas
23rd 1993–1997
24th 1997–2001
25th 2001–2004
26th 2004–2008 George Groeneveld
27th 2008–2012
28th 2012–2014 Danielle Smith Wildrose
2014–2015 Progressive Conservative
29th 2015–2017 Wayne Anderson Wildrose
2017-2019 United Conservative
30th 2019–present RJ Sigurdson

The electoral district was created in the 1971 boundary redistribution. The first election held that year saw Okotoks-High River incumbent Social Credit MLA Edward Benoit win a very closely contested race to pick up the new seat for his party.

Benoit was defeated in the 1975 election by Progressive Conservative candidate George Wolstenholme. He was re-elected to his second term in the 1979 general election and retired at dissolution of the Legislature in 1982.

The 1982 election garnered great interest as incumbent Western Canada Concept MLA Gordon Kesler tried to win re-election here after winning a by-election is his former riding of Olds-Didsbury. Progressive Conservative candidate Harry Alger defeated Kesler in a landslide. Kesler had originally promised to move into the Olds-Didsbury riding after winning election and had reneged on that promise.

Alger won his second term in the 1986 general election defeating five other candidates. He retired from provincial politics at dissolution of the legislature in 1989. His replacement was Progressive Conservative candidate Don Tannas who won election for the first time that year.

Tannas won re-election three times in the 1993, 1997 and 2001 general elections with increasing majorities every time. He retired from provincial politics at dissolution of the legislature in 2004.

The 2004 general election saw Progressive Conservative candidate George Groeneveld elected MLA. He was appointed to cabinet in 2006 as the Minister of Agriculture by Premier Ed Stelmach. In the 2008 general election he won a landslide majority. In early 2010 Groeneveld was shuffled out of cabinet and returned to the back benches.

The 2012 general election saw the riding returned to opposition control for the first time since 1975 when Wildrose leader Danielle Smith won the open seat, winning her first term in office and becoming Leader of the Official Opposition. However, after Jim Prentice took control of the governing PCs, she and most of her caucus crossed the floor to his party in 2014.

Despite Smith's high profile, she failed to win the PC nomination to stand as the party's candidate in Highwood for the 2015 election. Wildrose re-gained the seat, with Wayne Anderson becoming the new MLA. He subsequently joined the United Conservative Party when the PCs and Wildrose decided to merge.

Legislature results

1971 general election

1971 Alberta general election results[4] Turnout 77.64% Swing
Affiliation Candidate Votes % Party Personal
Social CreditEdward Benoit2,94148.06%
Progressive ConservativeEldon Couey2,78945.58%
New DemocraticLarry McKillop3896.36%
Total 6,119
Rejected, spoiled and declined 31
Eligible electors / Turnout 7,921 %
Social Credit gain Swing N/A

1975 general election

1975 Alberta general election results[5] Turnout 69.12% Swing
Affiliation Candidate Votes % Party Personal
Progressive ConservativeGeorge Wolstenholme4,03763.87%18.29%
Social CreditEdward Benoit1,92530.45%-15.13%
New DemocraticMuriel McCreary2343.70%-2.66%
  Liberal Melbe Cochlan 125 1.98% *
Total 6,321
Rejected, spoiled and declined 22
Eligible electors / Turnout 9,177 %
Progressive Conservative gain from Social Credit Swing 16.71%

1979 general election

1979 Alberta general election results[6] Turnout 65.85% Swing
Affiliation Candidate Votes % Party Personal
Progressive ConservativeGeorge Wolstenholme5,10366.56%2.69%
Social CreditDon Dixon2,09227.29%-3.16%
New DemocraticWilliam McCutcheon2813.66%-0.04%
LiberalJoan Cowling1912.49%0.51%
Total 7,667
Rejected, spoiled and declined 24
Eligible electors / Turnout 11,680 %
Progressive Conservative hold Swing 2.93%

1982 general election

1982 Alberta general election results[7] Turnout 77.10% Swing
Affiliation Candidate Votes % Party Personal
Progressive ConservativeHarry Alger7,81170.08%3.58%
Western Canada ConceptGordon Kesler2,00618.00%*
New DemocraticWilliam McCutcheon4654.17%0.51%
IndependentR.L. Snell4363.91%
IndependentDon Tanner2452.20%
  Alberta Reform Movement Ronald Arkes 183 1.64% *
Total 11,146
Rejected, spoiled and declined 30
Eligible electors / Turnout 14,495 %
Progressive Conservative hold Swing 10.79%

1986 general election

1986 Alberta general election results[8] Turnout 53.36% Swing
Affiliation Candidate Votes % Party Personal
Progressive ConservativeHarry Alger5,33666.47%-3.61%
New DemocraticWilliam McCutcheon1,05413.13%8.96%
RepresentativeMurray Meszaros81110.10%
IndependentPam McIver6337.88%
IndependentNorman Kientz1421.77%
IndependentBill Bohdan520.65%
Total 8,028
Rejected, spoiled and declined 18
Eligible electors / Turnout 15,080 %
Progressive Conservative hold Swing -6.29%

1989 general election

1989 Alberta general election results[9] Turnout 55.41% Swing
Affiliation Candidate Votes % Party Personal
Progressive ConservativeDon Tannas5,48160.26%-6.21%
  Liberal Don Dearle 2,024 22.25% *
New DemocraticJanis Belgum1,59117.49%4.36%
Total 9,096
Rejected, spoiled and declined 39
Eligible electors / Turnout 16,485 %
Progressive Conservative hold Swing -14.23%

1993 general election

1993 Alberta general election results[10] Turnout 64.94% Swing
Affiliation Candidate Votes % Party Personal
Progressive ConservativeDon Tannas8,06364.88%-4.62%
LiberalRusti-Ann Blanke3,15925.42%3.17%
Social CreditJohn Bergen7015.64%
New DemocraticMarg Elliot5044.06%-13.43%
Total 12,427
Rejected, spoiled and declined 22
Eligible electors / Turnout 19,169 %
Progressive Conservative hold Swing 3.90%

1997 general election

1997 Alberta general election results[11] Turnout 56.52% Swing
Affiliation Candidate Votes % Party Personal
Progressive ConservativeDon Tannas9,55169.95%5.07%
LiberalHoward Paulsen1,94414.24%-11.18%
Social CreditJohn Bergen1,56611.47%5.83%
New DemocraticHugh Logie5924.34%0.28%
Total 13,653
Rejected, spoiled and declined 38
Eligible electors / Turnout 24,225 %
Progressive Conservative hold Swing 8.13%

2001 general election

2001 Alberta general election results[12] Turnout 56.13% Swing
Affiliation Candidate Votes % Party Personal
Progressive ConservativeDon Tannas13,32179.89%9.94%
LiberalLeonard Borowski2,00011.99%-2.25%
New DemocraticGunhild Hoogensen7734.64%0.30%
Green Julie Walker 581 3.48% *
Total 16,675
Rejected, spoiled and declined 54
Eligible electors / Turnout 29,806 %
Progressive Conservative hold Swing 6.10%

2004 general election

2004 Alberta general election
Party Candidate Votes%±%
Progressive ConservativeGeorge Groeneveld6,73763.59%−16.30%
LiberalLori Czerwinski1,84617.43%5.44%
Alberta AllianceBrian Wickhorst7316.90%
GreenSheelagh Matthews5475.16%1.68%
New DemocraticCatherine Costen4334.09%−0.55%
SeparationCory Morgan3002.83%
Total 10,594
Rejected, Spoiled and Declined 81
Eligible Electors / Turnout 23,51945.39%
Progressive Conservative hold Swing −10.87%
Source: "Highwood Statement of Official Results 2004 Alberta general election" (PDF). Elections Alberta. Retrieved March 30, 2010.

2008 general election

2008 Alberta general election results[13] Turnout 36.19% Swing
Affiliation Candidate Votes % Party Personal
Progressive ConservativeGeorge Groeneveld7,71565.11%1.52%
LiberalStan Shedd1,64713.90%-3.53%
Wildrose AllianceDaniel Doherty1,40511.86%4.96%
Green John Barrett 691 5.83% 0.67% *
New DemocraticCarolyn Boulton3913.30%-0.79%
Total 11,849
Rejected, spoiled, and declined 44
Eligible electors / Turnout 32,867 %
Progressive Conservative hold Swing 2.53%

2012 general election

2012 Alberta general election
Party Candidate Votes%±%
WildroseDanielle Smith10,09452.59%41.14%
Progressive ConservativeJohn Barlow8,15942.51%−22.11%
LiberalKeegan Gibson5472.85%−10.90%
New DemocraticMiles Dato3922.04%−1.30%
Total 19,192
Eligible electors / Turnout 32,64958.8%

2015 general election

2015 Alberta general election
Party Candidate Votes%
WildroseWayne Anderson8,50841.1%
Progressive ConservativeCarrie Fischer6,82533.0%
New DemocraticLeslie Mahoney3,93719.0%
Alberta PartyJoel Windsor8924.3%
GreenMartin Blake3601.7%
Social CreditJeremy Fraser1870.9%

2019 general election

2019 Alberta general election: Highwood
Party Candidate Votes%±%
United ConservativeRJ Sigurdson18,63873.32-0.78
New DemocraticErik Overland4,44117.47-1.53
Alberta PartyRon Kerr1,9837.80+3.50
 IndependenceDan Irvine
359
1.41
Total valid votes 25,421
Rejected, spoiled, and declined
Registered electors 33,152
Turnout 76.68%

Senate nominee results

2004 Senate nominee election district results

2004 Senate nominee election results: Highwood[14] Turnout 43.52%
Affiliation Candidate Votes % Votes % Ballots Rank
Progressive ConservativeBert Brown5,56819.25%61.73%1
Progressive ConservativeBetty Unger4,04513.99%44.85%2
Progressive ConservativeJim Silye3,80713.17%42.21%5
Progressive ConservativeCliff Breitkreuz3,22311.15%35.73%3
Progressive ConservativeDavid Usherwood2,93210.14%32.51%6
  Independent Link Byfield 2,566 8.87% 28.45% 4
Alberta Alliance Vance Gough 2,046 7.08% 22.68% 8
Alberta Alliance Michael Roth 1,722 5.95% 19.09% 7
Alberta Alliance Gary Horan 1,621 5.61% 17.97% 10
  Independent Tom Sindlinger 1,388 4.79% 15.39% 9
Total Votes 28,918 100%
Total Ballots 9,020 3.21 Votes Per Ballot
Rejected, Spoiled and Declined 1,564

Voters had the option of selecting 4 Candidates on the Ballot

Student Vote results

2004 election

Participating Schools[15]
Highwood High School
Foothills Composite High School
Red Deer Lake School
The Centre for Learning @Home

On November 19, 2004 a Student Vote was conducted at participating Alberta schools to parallel the 2004 Alberta general election results. The vote was designed to educate students and simulate the electoral process for persons who have not yet reached the legal majority. The vote was conducted in 80 of the 83 provincial electoral districts with students voting for actual election candidates. Schools with a large student body that reside in another electoral district had the option to vote for candidates outside of the electoral district then where they were physically located.

2004 Alberta Student Vote results[16]
Affiliation Candidate Votes %
  NDP Catherine Whelan Costen 133 29.36%
Progressive ConservativeGeorge Groeneveld11024.28%
  Liberal Lori Czerwinski 78 17.22%
Alberta AllianceBrian Wickhorst5812.80%
GreenSheelagh Matthews378.17%
SeparationCory Morgan378.17%
Total 453 100%
Rejected, Spoiled and Declined 17

2012 election

2012 Alberta Student Vote results[17]
Affiliation Candidate Votes %
Progressive ConservativeJohn Barlow 609 49.39%
WildroseDanielle Smith 442 35.85%
  Liberal Keegan Gibson 118 9.57%
  NDP Miles Dato 64 5.19%
Total 1233 100%

References

  1. "Proposed Electoral Division Areas, Boundaries, and Names for Alberta" (PDF). Alberta Electoral Boundaries Commission. June 2010. p. 19. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 27, 2011. Retrieved January 14, 2012.
  2. "E‑4.1". Statutes of the Province of Alberta. Government of Alberta. 2003. pp. 46–47.
  3. "Members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta 1905-2006" (PDF). Legislative Assembly of Alberta. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-03-16. Retrieved February 27, 2010.
  4. "Highwood Official Results 1971 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved March 1, 2010.
  5. "Highwood Official Results 1975 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
  6. "Highwood Official Results 1979 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
  7. "Highwood Official Results 1982 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
  8. "Highwood Official Results 1986 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
  9. "Highwood Official Results 1989 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
  10. "Highwood Official Results 1993 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
  11. "1997 General Election". Elections Alberta. Archived from the original on February 14, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2012.
  12. "2001 Statement of Official results Highwood" (PDF). Elections Alberta. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
  13. The Report on the March 3, 2008 Provincial General Election of the Twenty-seventh Legislative Assembly. Elections Alberta. July 28, 2008. pp. 434–437.
  14. "Senate Nominee Election 2004 Tabulation of Official Results" (PDF). Elections Alberta. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 4, 2009. Retrieved March 1, 2010.
  15. "School by School results". Student Vote Canada. Archived from the original on 2007-10-05. Retrieved 2008-04-27.
  16. "Riding by Riding Results - the Candidates". Student Vote Canada. Archived from the original on 2005-02-17. Retrieved 2008-04-19.
  17. "Province-Wide Summary". Student Vote Canada. Student Vote Canada. Archived from the original on 15 July 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2020.

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