Central Peace—Notley

Covering a vast swath of northwestern Alberta's Peace River Country, this riding takes in the towns of Fairview, Falher, Fox Creek, McLennan, Spirit River, and Valleyview, along with dozens of smaller communities scattered across the boreal and parkland landscape. The riding is named partly for Grant Notley, the Alberta NDP leader who represented the area until his death in 1984. It includes significant Francophone communities around the Smoky River region and the Treaty 8 reserves of Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, Duncan's First Nation, and Horse Lake First Nation. Incumbent Todd Loewen, who had been expelled from the UCP caucus in May 2021 for publicly calling on Premier Jason Kenney to resign, was readmitted to the party after Danielle Smith's leadership victory in October 2022 and ran as the UCP candidate.

Candidates

Todd Loewen (United Conservative)* — A farmer and former outfitter from the Valleyview area, Loewen has lived in the region since 1967 and purchased his own farm in 1989. He was first elected under the Wildrose banner in Grande Prairie—Smoky in 2015, then won Central Peace—Notley in 2019. In May 2021, he publicly resigned as UCP caucus chair and called for Kenney's resignation, citing failures in pandemic management and caucus relations. He was expelled from caucus alongside Drew Barnes and sat as an independent for over a year. He ran in the 2022 UCP leadership race, finishing with 7.7 percent of the vote, and was welcomed back to caucus after Smith's victory.

Megan Ciurysek (NDP) — Ciurysek is a Grimshaw-area resident who was raised on a grain farm near Berwyn. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Alberta and a Master of Arts in political science from York University. She worked as a research officer for the Northern Alberta Development Council, engaging with rural stakeholders on northern issues, and as an analyst supporting Alberta's public agencies.

Rodney Bowen (Take It Back) — Bowen ran as the Take It Back candidate in Central Peace—Notley.

Lynn Lekisch (Alberta Party) — Lekisch ran as the Alberta Party candidate in Central Peace—Notley.

Nancy O'Neill (Social Movement) — O'Neill ran as the Social Movement candidate in Central Peace—Notley.

Local Issues

The Peace Country's resource economy experienced whiplash during the inter-election period. The oil price collapse of 2020, compounded by pandemic-related demand destruction, devastated the conventional oil and gas sector that underpins the region. By 2022, rising commodity prices had sparked a recovery, and drilling activity picked up in Fox Creek and the surrounding Montney formation, but the boom-and-bust pattern reinforced calls for economic diversification. Forestry, the region's other major industry, faced its own challenges as wildfires intensified and supply chain disruptions affected lumber markets.

Loewen's expulsion and reinstatement to the UCP was a defining storyline for the riding. His willingness to break ranks over Kenney's leadership earned him respect among grassroots conservatives who shared his frustrations with pandemic restrictions, but it also raised questions about caucus discipline and party unity. His return to the UCP fold under Smith signalled a reconciliation of the party's rural populist and establishment wings.

Healthcare access remained an acute concern in the Peace Country's remote communities. Emergency department closures at small-town hospitals due to staffing shortages left residents facing long drives for urgent care. The shortage of family physicians in Fairview, Spirit River, and other centres meant many residents lacked a regular doctor, a problem that worsened as the UCP government's 2020 conflict with physicians accelerated the departure of rural doctors from the province.