Edmonton-Whitemud

Edmonton-Whitemud is a provincial electoral district in southwest Edmonton, bordered by the North Saskatchewan River to the north and west, Whitemud Creek and Rabbit Hill Road to the east, and the Anthony Henday Drive to the south. The riding encompasses the established Riverbend and Terwillegar neighbourhoods, home to a mix of mature residential areas and newer developments. Heading into 2019, NDP MLA Dr. Bob Turner announced he would not seek re-election, opening the seat for a new representative.

Candidates

Rakhi Pancholi (NDP) — A lawyer with McLennan Ross LLP specializing in education law, Pancholi previously worked as staff lawyer for the Alberta School Boards Association and as a solicitor with the Government of Alberta. She secured the NDP nomination with endorsements from Edmonton Public School Board trustee Michael Janz and former Edmonton-Strathcona NDP MLAs Raj Pannu and Barrie Chivers.

Elisabeth Hughes (United Conservative) — Hughes worked as a constituency assistant in the office of Edmonton-Riverbend Member of Parliament Matt Jeneroux. She won the UCP nomination by defeating three other contenders.

Jonathan Dai (Alberta Party) — The Alberta Party candidate in the riding.

Jason Norris (Freedom Conservative) — The Freedom Conservative Party candidate in Edmonton-Whitemud.

Local Issues

Traffic congestion along Terwillegar Drive was the riding’s most prominent local issue during the NDP’s term. The route had exceeded its designed capacity, and the City of Edmonton began planning for the Terwillegar Drive Expansion Program. Two options were studied — including a $1.2-billion freeway conversion — but residents in the Riverbend and Terwillegar communities raised concerns about the potential loss of neighbourhood access points and the impact on local streets from redirected traffic.

Retiring MLA Bob Turner pointed to accomplishments during the NDP’s term that mattered to the riding, including the construction of Nellie Carlson School, upgrades to the Misericordia Hospital, and the elimination of flavoured tobacco products. Post-secondary funding was also relevant, as many riding residents were connected to the University of Alberta. The NDP’s tuition freeze and commitments to research funding resonated in a riding with a high proportion of educated professionals, while the UCP’s promises to review government spending raised questions about what services might be affected.