It’s official, Glenn Andersen, former mayor for the Town of St. Paul, is in the running for Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul MLA.
Last week, Andersen won the title of Alberta Party candidate for the local riding in the 2019 provincial election.
“A few years ago, I thought it would be nice to challenge myself and to try. I did attempt to run under the PC Party. I didn’t win the nomination then, but the Alberta Party really resonated with me more than the other party. That’s what I want to do, is stay involved, and I think I can do the job,” Andersen said.
He has spent 19 years in municipal politics with the Town of St. Paul. Nine years were as a town councillor, while the remaining 10 were in the mayor’s chair.
Andersen believes the relationships he has built over the years will benefit him in the role of MLA, should he be elected.
“It goes back to relationships within the community. We worked with Bonnyville, Elk Point, and the surrounding neighbours numerous times on projects and supporting them. I think you get known in the areas,” he said. “It’s about relationship building and communication, and I think that’s part of our principles and guidelines.”
He described the step up from municipal politics as a “natural progression,” that has prepared him for the role.
The MLA hopeful is focused on putting the Lakeland in the spotlight.
He said, “Our area is in a downturn right now. We have to be recognized. The northeast has a problem. Our constituency is in the northeast, and then you have Fort McMurray quite a ways away, and there’s really nothing after us. We have to be recognized for what we have and what we bring to the table in this region. We have a huge oil industry and agriculture industry.”
When it comes to rural crime, Andersen said there is no easy solution.
“I think we have a lot bigger issues than just adding more police officers. It’s costing municipalities a lot for police. What we need to do is get a better plan with the provincial government instead of downloading it onto municipalities,” expressed Andersen.
“We have to look at the complete justice system, like how they’re prosecuted, and the time it takes. That’s something that’s very frustrating for Albertans, is when they do get caught, they get off because of the time it takes to go through the justice system.”
Adding more police officers is a burden that Andersen feels is only put onto municipalities.
He explained when it comes to funding RCMP, the towns and cities are the ones who are footing the bill.
“The counties don’t pay. That has always been a thorny issue because the towns would pay, the cities would pay, but not the rural components,” he stressed.
His solution is involving the public in future discussions about the direction they would like to see the province take in tackling rural crime, among other issues such as healthcare, which is a topic Andersen hopes to address.
“We have a good relationship from Bonnyville, St. Paul, and Cold Lake, on how to enhance the healthcare that we have and keep the patients here, because the tax dollars follow the patient,” noted Andersen. “We need to get better services for the people that live here.”
By consulting healthcare professionals in the region, municipal politicians, and the public, he believes the area can come up with a solution.
Andersen believes in what the Alberta Party stands for, which he described as working with the public to move Alberta forward.
“The principles and guidelines of the party are good. I think they should resonate with most Albertans in having the fiscal responsibility and the democracy, including the public, letting their MLAs voice their opinion and including the public in their decisions, and making MLAs more accountable to their constituents. Those are things that resonate with Albertans.”
Now, it’s about getting the word out about what their party represents.
“We’re a balanced approach towards government. We know that you have to spend, but we know that you don’t need to spend erratically and that there are some responsibilities to that,” detailed Andersen.”You have to have a plan for the future of this province, and I think including Albertans in that decision and discussions, I think people feel more involved.”
