Edmonton-Strathcona

Edmonton-Strathcona is a provincial riding in south-central Edmonton that encompasses the city's historic core south of the North Saskatchewan River. The riding includes Old Strathcona, the University of Alberta, Garneau, Bonnie Doon, Ritchie, and numerous other established neighbourhoods. The NDP won the riding in 1986 and, after a period of Liberal representation in the 1990s, the NDP's Raj Pannu recaptured it in 1997, making it the party's anchor seat heading into the 2015 election. Incumbent MLA Rachel Notley, who had been elected in 2008 and won re-election in 2012, was now running not just to hold her seat but as NDP leader and potential premier. The riding was the only constituency in the province without a Wildrose candidate on the ballot.

Candidates

Rachel Notley (NDP) — The daughter of former Alberta NDP leader Grant Notley, Rachel Notley was a labour lawyer before entering politics, specializing in workers' compensation advocacy and workplace health and safety. She was first elected to the Legislature in 2008, succeeding former NDP leader Raj Pannu. On October 18, 2014, she won the Alberta NDP leadership on the first ballot with 70 per cent of the vote. As leader, she brought renewed energy and media attention to a party that had long been a minor force in Alberta politics.

Shelley Wegner (Progressive Conservative) — Wegner ran as the PC candidate in a riding that had been inhospitable to the party for decades.

Steve Kochan (Liberal) — Kochan ran as the Liberal candidate in the riding.

Local Issues

As the home riding of the NDP leader, Edmonton-Strathcona's campaign was inseparable from the broader provincial narrative. The 44-year Progressive Conservative dynasty was under siege: the December 2014 floor crossing, in which Wildrose leader Danielle Smith and eight other Wildrose MLAs defected to the PCs, had enraged voters across the political spectrum who saw the move as a betrayal of democratic choice. Premier Prentice's spring budget, which raised personal taxes and fees while leaving corporate rates untouched, further alienated both progressive and fiscal-conservative voters.

Locally, the riding's residents — a mix of university students and faculty, young professionals, and long-time homeowners in mature neighbourhoods — were focused on issues of post-secondary education funding, transit investment, and neighbourhood livability. The University of Alberta, the riding's largest institution, had seen years of budget pressure, and students and staff worried about tuition increases and program cuts. The Valley Line LRT, which would run through the riding's eastern edge, was in its procurement phase, and residents debated the impacts of construction and densification along the corridor.

Affordable housing and support for vulnerable populations were also prominent concerns in this riding, which included both affluent river-valley homes and lower-income rental areas. Social agencies in the Old Strathcona area served homeless and at-risk populations, and candidates were pressed on provincial commitments to social housing, mental health services, and poverty reduction.