Edmonton-South

Edmonton-South is a provincial electoral district in Edmonton’s south end, created by the 2017 Electoral Boundaries Commission from parts of the former Edmonton-South West, Edmonton-Whitemud, Edmonton-Ellerslie, and Leduc-Beaumont ridings. The riding extends south from the Anthony Henday Drive area toward Highway 19, taking in newer suburban communities on the city’s expanding southern fringe. Heading into the 2019 election, Thomas Dang — who had won the predecessor riding of Edmonton-South West in 2015 as the youngest MLA in Alberta history — sought re-election in this newly configured district.

Candidates

Thomas Dang (NDP) — Elected in 2015 at the age of 20, Dang was the youngest MLA ever elected in Alberta. Born and raised in Edmonton as the child of Chinese-Vietnamese refugee parents, he was a computer science student at the University of Alberta at the time of his first election. During his first term, Dang advocated for a new southwest high school and hospital, both of which were announced by the NDP government.

Tunde Obasan (United Conservative) — An audit manager with the Alberta Treasury Board and Finance, Obasan won the UCP nomination in Edmonton-South by defeating three-term Edmonton city councillor Mike Nickel and another challenger. Originally from Nigeria, Obasan brought professional experience in public sector financial oversight.

Pramod Kumar (Alberta Party) — The Alberta Party’s candidate in the riding.

Ben Roach (Green Party) — The Green Party’s candidate in Edmonton-South.

Local Issues

As a newly created riding encompassing some of Edmonton’s fastest-growing suburban neighbourhoods, Edmonton-South faced issues rooted in the pressures of rapid development. Communities south of the Anthony Henday Drive were expanding at a pace that outstripped infrastructure, with residents calling for new schools, improved transit connections, and better road networks to serve the growing population.

The NDP government’s 2017 announcement of a new south Edmonton hospital was directly relevant to voters in this riding, many of whom lacked nearby access to acute care. The planned facility at the Ellerslie Research Station site promised to bring hospital services closer to the city’s southern communities. The province’s carbon tax, introduced at $20 per tonne in 2017 and rising to $30 per tonne in 2018, was a divisive issue in the riding, with the UCP pledging to repeal the levy as its first legislative act. Meanwhile, economic anxiety lingered from the 2014–2016 oil price downturn, and job creation remained a pressing concern for residents in this mixed suburban-exurban district.