Yellowhead

Yellowhead is one of the largest federal ridings in Alberta, covering more than 83,600 square kilometres of the province's western interior. The riding stretches from the mountain resort towns of Banff and Canmore in the south through Jasper National Park and northward past Grande Cache, and east across the foothills and parkland to communities like Drayton Valley, Rocky Mountain House, Sundre, and Carstairs. The 2022 redistribution significantly reshaped the riding, bringing Banff, Canmore, and the southern mountain communities into Yellowhead for the first time while removing portions of its former eastern territory.

The riding encompasses an extraordinary range of landscapes, from the peaks of the Canadian Rockies and the protected wilderness of Banff and Jasper National Parks to the boreal forests of the northern foothills and the ranching country of the eastern parkland. Its population centres are dispersed across vast distances, with the towns of Edson, Hinton, and Whitecourt serving as the only urban municipalities within its boundaries.

Candidates

William Stevenson (Conservative) is a chartered professional accountant with over 26 years of experience in personal and corporate tax. He lives on his family's farm southwest of Carstairs, where his family has been established since the 1880s. Though new to the political frontlines, he brought roughly 30 years of behind-the-scenes experience, having served as a financial agent for Members of Parliament and provincial politicians. He won the Conservative nomination by defeating incumbent MP Gerald Soroka.

Michael Fark (Liberal) served as the Municipality of Jasper's Director of Recovery following the devastating 2024 wildfire that destroyed roughly 30 percent of the townsite. Previously, he was general manager of municipal infrastructure for the Town of Canmore and helped rebuild after the 2013 floods. He holds a master's degree in political economics and spent much of his early career in humanitarian work, holding leadership roles with Médecins Sans Frontières.

Avni Soma (NDP) is a scientist, small business owner, and community leader from Canmore. She holds a Bachelor of Science in microbiology and a Master of Science in physiology from the University of Calgary. She co-founded Farm Box, a social enterprise supporting local agriculture, and helped start Alpine Edible Schoolyards, a not-for-profit combining urban farming with educational gardens. She sits on the National Food Policy Advisory Council.

Vicky Bayford (People's Party) ran as the People's Party of Canada candidate in the riding.

Dale Heath (Christian Heritage Party) ran as the Christian Heritage Party candidate in the riding.

About the Riding

Yellowhead's defining feature is its geographic and economic diversity. The mountain communities of Banff, Canmore, and Jasper are tourism-dependent economies situated within or adjacent to national parks. These communities collectively generated billions in visitor spending prior to the pandemic and are major contributors to Alberta's tourism sector. Banff and Jasper are the only two incorporated municipalities within national parks in Canada, giving them a unique relationship with the federal government over land use, housing, and development.

The 2024 Jasper wildfire cast a long shadow over the riding heading into the 2025 election. The fire destroyed nearly a third of Jasper's housing stock in a community already facing a severe housing shortage. Recovery efforts, the pace of interim housing delivery, and the future of the townsite were urgent local concerns. Housing affordability was also a pressing issue in Canmore and Banff, where the combination of limited developable land, tourism-driven demand, and short-term rental pressures has made home ownership and long-term rentals increasingly unattainable for workers in the service economy.

Away from the mountains, the riding's economy is more varied. Hinton and Edson are forestry and energy-sector towns in the foothills, while Whitecourt serves as a hub for the forest industry and oil and gas services. Drayton Valley and Rocky Mountain House are tied to conventional oil and gas production. The southern portions of the riding, including Sundre and Carstairs, are mixed farming and ranching communities with growing populations of Calgary commuters.

The 2025 campaign in Yellowhead highlighted the challenge of representing a vast riding with sharply different local priorities. U.S. tariff threats were a concern across the board, but the mountain towns focused on tourism, wildfire resilience, and housing, while the foothills and parkland communities emphasized energy development, forestry, and agricultural market access. Wildlife corridor management and environmental policy also featured prominently in the mountain portions of the riding.