Bonnyville—Cold Lake—St. Paul

Spanning Alberta's Lakeland region northeast of Edmonton, this riding takes in the communities of Bonnyville, Cold Lake, and St. Paul across a territory defined by boreal forest, freshwater lakes, and the heavy oil deposits that drive the local economy. The Cold Lake oil sands deposit underpins employment across the Municipal District of Bonnyville and Lakeland County. The Canadian Forces base at 4 Wing Cold Lake, home to fighter jet squadrons and the annual Maple Flag exercises, anchors the other major pillar of the local economy. Between elections, the riding experienced the full cycle of the oil bust and partial recovery, the disruption of COVID-19, and persistent concerns about rural healthcare access and road safety on Highway 28, a major corridor connecting the Lakeland communities.

Candidates

Scott Cyr (United Conservative) — Cyr previously represented the former Bonnyville—Cold Lake riding as a Wildrose MLA from 2015 to 2019. Before entering politics, he spent 14 years as an accountant after earning a management degree with a double major in accounting and finance from the University of Lethbridge. He also worked as a field operator in the oil and gas industry and holds a class 4 power engineering certificate. During his first term, he introduced the Protecting Victims of Non-Consensual Distribution of Intimate Images Act, which passed unanimously in 2017. He narrowly won the UCP nomination over incumbent MLA David Hanson by a single vote after a recount.

Caitlyn Blake (NDP) — Blake is a small business owner and family farmer in the Bonnyville—Cold Lake—St. Paul riding. She entered politics after her youngest son lost his Program Unit Funding (PUF) for early intervention services in 2020, an experience that motivated her to advocate for improved public services in the region.

Local Issues

Healthcare access was a dominant concern across the Lakeland heading into 2023. Like many rural Alberta communities, residents faced long waits for family physicians and worried about emergency department capacity at local facilities. The broader provincial crisis, which saw Alberta emergency departments accumulate lengthy closures due to staffing shortages, hit rural communities especially hard.

The condition of Highway 28, a two-lane highway that serves as the primary link between Bonnyville and Edmonton, was a top issue at candidate forums. Residents had long called for twinning or safety improvements on the corridor, which carries heavy truck traffic from oil sands operations and has been the site of numerous serious collisions.

Rural crime remained a persistent frustration. Property theft, break-ins, and long RCMP response times in the sprawling rural areas around St. Paul and Bonnyville were raised repeatedly by voters. The inter-election period also saw the region ride the volatility of oil prices, from the devastating 2020 price collapse that coincided with the pandemic to a recovery driven by rising global energy demand in 2021 and 2022.