Rimbey—Rocky Mountain House—Sundre

Rimbey—Rocky Mountain House—Sundre is a large west-central Alberta riding stretching from the Rocky Mountain foothills eastward to Gull Lake near Bentley. The constituency takes in the towns of Rocky Mountain House, Sundre, Rimbey, Eckville, and Bentley, along with surrounding agricultural and forested lands in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The riding was one of the few Alberta constituencies where the Wildrose Party held its seat in 2015, with Jason Nixon winning against both the NDP wave and a PC challenger. Nixon served as the Wildrose MLA before joining the United Conservative Party upon the 2017 merger.

Candidates

Jason Nixon (United Conservative) — The incumbent MLA, first elected under the Wildrose banner in 2015. Before entering politics, Nixon spent years volunteering and working within The Mustard Seed, a charitable organization founded by his father Pat Nixon in 1984, eventually serving as executive director from 2006 to 2011. He also operated a consulting business. Nixon became president of the riding's Wildrose constituency association in 2013 and, following the UCP merger, served as the Official Opposition's primary critic on environment and parks issues.

Jeff Ible (NDP) — The NDP candidate in the riding.

Joe Anglin (Alberta Party) — A former Wildrose MLA who had represented the riding from 2012 to 2015 before leaving the party to sit as an independent. Born in Massachusetts, Anglin came to prominence in 2006 when he organized the Lavesta Area Group, an association of Alberta landowners opposed to a transmission line construction project. He had served in the United States Marine Corps, the Canadian Coast Guard, and a New Hampshire police service. He was also elected to Rimbey town council in 2010.

Local Issues

Land use and resource management were defining issues in Rimbey—Rocky Mountain House—Sundre. The riding's economy depends on a mix of forestry, oil and gas extraction, ranching, and outdoor recreation, and residents were concerned about government policies that could restrict access to public lands. The NDP government's approach to parks designation and trail closures in the eastern slopes of the Rockies was a significant source of tension, and local landowners and recreation groups pushed back against environmental restrictions that they felt threatened resource sector jobs and traditional land access.

The oil and gas industry's struggles during the NDP government's term were acutely felt in the riding. Rocky Mountain House and surrounding communities had significant energy sector employment, and the combination of low commodity prices, pipeline capacity constraints, and the carbon tax weighed heavily on local businesses and workers. Concerns about the regulatory environment for energy development were widespread, and the UCP's pledge to repeal the carbon tax and reduce regulatory burdens resonated strongly.

Rural crime and policing were also top-of-mind for voters in this riding, where long distances between communities and RCMP detachments meant that response times could be lengthy. Property crime, including break-ins and equipment theft from farms and rural properties, had increased, and residents expressed frustration with what they saw as inadequate consequences for offenders. The riding's strong conservative leanings meant that the UCP's law-and-order messaging found a receptive audience.