Edmonton—Wetaskiwin

Edmonton—Wetaskiwin is a sprawling riding that combines Edmonton's southernmost urban neighbourhoods with a large rural and small-town area stretching southwest to the city of Wetaskiwin and beyond. Created in the 2012 redistribution from parts of Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, Edmonton—Leduc, Wetaskiwin, and Vegreville—Wainwright, the riding includes the suburban communities of Beaumont and Leduc, the town of Devon on the North Saskatchewan River, and the rural areas around Pigeon Lake and Buck Lake.

Candidates

Mike Lake (Conservative) — First elected in 2006 in the former riding of Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, Lake held a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Alberta and had worked for the Edmonton Oilers hockey organization in roles including Director of Ticket Sales and National Accounts Manager. He served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry under Prime Minister Stephen Harper and was seeking his fourth term in the House of Commons in the newly configured riding.

Jacqueline Biollo (Liberal) — A former town councillor in Beaumont and principal of the Edmonton-based consulting firm Aurora Strategy Group, Biollo brought municipal governance experience to the Liberal campaign. She ran on the party's platform of middle-class economic support and infrastructure investment for the riding's rapidly growing suburban communities.

Fritz K. Bitz (NDP) — Bitz carried the NDP banner in Edmonton—Wetaskiwin, running on the party's platform of expanded social programs and economic fairness.

Joy-Ann Hut (Green Party) — Hut represented the Green Party in the riding, advocating for environmental protection and sustainable rural development.

Brayden Whitlock (Libertarian) also appeared on the ballot.

About the Riding

Edmonton—Wetaskiwin's geography makes it one of Alberta's most diverse ridings in character, combining urban fringe development in south Edmonton with small-city centres in Beaumont, Leduc, and Wetaskiwin, and agricultural land in between. The city of Leduc, with a population of roughly 30,000, is closely tied to the Edmonton International Airport and the Nisku industrial park, both major employment centres for the riding. Wetaskiwin, with a population of about 12,500, serves as a regional service centre for the surrounding agricultural area. Devon, situated on the North Saskatchewan River, has historical roots in the oil industry, having been founded by Imperial Oil to serve workers in the Leduc-Woodbend oil field following the 1947 Leduc No. 1 discovery. The riding includes several lakes — Pigeon Lake, Buck Lake, and Wizard Lake — that serve as recreational destinations. Key issues in 2015 included the oil-price downturn's impact on energy-sector employment in the Nisku-Leduc corridor, federal support for agriculture, rural broadband connectivity, and infrastructure investment for the rapidly growing bedroom communities south of Edmonton.