Highwood

Highwood is a southern Alberta riding located in the foothills south of Calgary, anchored by the fast-growing town of Okotoks and extending across portions of Foothills County. Following the 2017 boundary redistribution, the riding lost the town of High River to Livingstone—Macleod but gained territory to the west, including the towns of Black Diamond and Turner Valley. The riding also encompasses Millarville and surrounding ranch country. Highwood had been a conservative stronghold for decades, and the UCP was strongly favoured heading into 2019.

Candidates

R.J. Sigurdson (United Conservative) — A red seal journeyman sheet metal worker, Sigurdson worked as a senior project manager and shareholder at Avalanche Air Systems. He won the UCP nomination in October 2018, defeating incumbent Wildrose-turned-UCP MLA Wayne Anderson, former Okotoks town councillor Carrie Fischer, and local businessman Dean Leask.

Erik Overland (NDP) — A policy studies student at Mount Royal University and a governor of the university's Students' Association, Overland was one of the youngest candidates in the province. He lived in Okotoks and drew attention for his youthful perspective in a conservative-leaning riding.

Ron Kerr (Alberta Party) — A resident of Okotoks who had worked in the building and construction industry for over twenty years, Kerr entered the race after the writ was dropped. He expressed support for the Alberta Party's stance on social inclusion.

Dan Irving (Alberta Independence) — The Alberta Independence Party's candidate in Highwood, Irving advocated for Alberta separation and the elimination of the carbon tax and transfer payments.

Local Issues

The legacy of the 2013 southern Alberta floods remained a defining issue for Highwood heading into 2019. The June 2013 flooding on the Highwood River had forced the evacuation of the entire town of High River and caused extensive damage to homes and infrastructure across Okotoks, Black Diamond, Turner Valley, and Foothills County. While much of the physical rebuild was complete by 2019, some property owners in the county were still waiting for flood buyout settlements nearly six years later. Updated provincial flood mapping, released during the NDP's term, imposed new development restrictions in flood-prone areas, which sparked debate among residents and municipal leaders over property rights and land-use planning.

Okotoks, one of the fastest-growing communities in southern Alberta, faced infrastructure pressures tied to rapid population growth. Demands for expanded school capacity, health services, and transportation links to Calgary were ongoing concerns. The town's proximity to the provincial capital made it a bedroom community, and commuters were aware of rising costs tied to the carbon tax.

Rural crime was another prominent issue in the riding's ranch and acreage communities, where residents reported long RCMP response times and rising rates of property theft. The NDP government's addition of funding for rural policing and new RCMP positions was acknowledged but viewed by many as insufficient given the scale of the problem.