Grande Prairie

Grande Prairie is an urban riding centred on the city of Grande Prairie, the largest centre in the Peace Country region of northwestern Alberta. With a population of roughly 63,000 in the 2016 census, the city serves as a regional hub for oil and gas, forestry, agriculture, and retail. The riding had been held by the Progressive Conservatives before 2015, and though the NDP won government provincially that year, Grande Prairie stayed in conservative hands. With the formation of the United Conservative Party, the riding was expected to remain firmly in the UCP column.

Candidates

Tracy Allard (United Conservative) — A Grande Prairie businesswoman, Allard and her husband Serge own and operate two Tim Hortons franchises in the city. She won the UCP nomination in July 2018 after her main rival, John Lehners, withdrew from the race following a serious car accident.

Todd Russell (NDP) — A captain with the Grande Prairie Fire Department where he served for eighteen years, Russell was a founding member of the Grande Prairie Pride Society. He had previously run as the NDP candidate in Grande Prairie—Smoky in the 2015 election, finishing second to Wildrose MLA Todd Loewen by just 334 votes.

Grant Berg (Alberta Party) — Born and raised in Alberta, Berg had lived in Grande Prairie for twenty-seven years. He spent twenty-five years working at local radio stations, including 104.7 2day FM, before opening an art gallery downtown. He also served as Chairman of the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie. His campaign focused on jobs, small business, and health care.

Bernard Hancock (Freedom Conservative) — The Freedom Conservative Party's candidate in Grande Prairie.

Ray Robertson (Alberta Independence) — The Alberta Independence Party's candidate in Grande Prairie.

Rony Rajput (Independent) — An independent candidate in Grande Prairie.

Local Issues

The Grande Prairie Regional Hospital was the single largest local issue heading into 2019. Originally approved by the previous PC government with a budget that had since ballooned in cost and fallen years behind its original completion target of March 2015, the project was mired in disputes. In 2018, the NDP government issued a notice of default to the general contractor, Graham Construction, and ultimately dismissed the firm after its remediation plan was deemed insufficient. The hospital's price tag had reached roughly $736 million. Residents were frustrated by the delays, as the existing Queen Elizabeth II Hospital was stretched thin serving a rapidly growing region.

The broader oil and gas downturn that began in 2015 hit Grande Prairie hard, though the region proved somewhat more resilient than other parts of the province. By 2019, two-thirds of all drilling rigs operating in Canada were reportedly in the Grande Prairie area, and the local economy showed signs of stabilization. Still, the carbon tax, pipeline constraints, and uncertainty around production curtailment weighed on the energy service sector. Rural crime in the surrounding county was also a concern, with residents calling for more RCMP resources and faster response times.