Drayton Valley—Devon

West and southwest of Edmonton, this riding stretches from the bedroom community of Devon on the North Saskatchewan River through the towns of Calmar, Thorsby, Breton, and Warburg to the oil-patch town of Drayton Valley near the Pembina oil field. Founded during the 1950s oil boom, Drayton Valley remains deeply tied to conventional oil and gas extraction and related services, while Devon has increasingly become a commuter community for Edmonton workers. The seat opened up after former MLA Mark Smith did not seek re-election.

Candidates

Andrew Boitchenko (United Conservative) — Born in Ukraine, Boitchenko immigrated to Canada as a teenager and built a career in real estate and property development. He had sought the UCP nomination in 2019 but lost to Mark Smith, then won the nomination in a three-way contest. He was later appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Indigenous Relations.

Harry Singh (NDP) — Singh works as an Edmonton community transit operator and volunteers as a community helper assisting Ukrainian newcomers settling in the Edmonton area. He was nominated as the NDP candidate in late April 2023.

Jon Hokanson (Wildrose Loyalty Coalition) — Hokanson ran as the Wildrose Loyalty Coalition candidate in Drayton Valley—Devon.

Dale Withers (Alberta Prosperity Alliance) — Withers ran as the Alberta Prosperity Alliance candidate in Drayton Valley—Devon.

Gail Tookey (Social Movement) — Tookey ran as the Social Movement candidate in Drayton Valley—Devon.

Local Issues

Drayton Valley's economy went through a dramatic collapse and recovery during the inter-election period. The dual shock of plummeting oil prices and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 devastated the town, which had already been struggling since the 2014 downturn. Hotels emptied, restaurants closed, and the oil service sector shed jobs. By late 2021 and into 2022, however, the town was experiencing a striking rebound as rising commodity prices brought workers flooding back. New businesses opened or expanded, and housing prices that had bottomed out attracted buyers from across the country.

The boom-and-bust volatility reinforced the community's desire for economic diversification beyond oil and gas. The forestry sector, also significant in the Drayton Valley area, provided some buffer but faced its own challenges from wildfire risk and lumber market fluctuations.

Healthcare access was a concern throughout the riding. Devon residents relied on services in nearby Edmonton or Leduc, while Drayton Valley's hospital faced the staffing pressures common across rural Alberta. The province-wide shortage of family physicians and nurses affected the riding's smaller communities, where recruiting and retaining healthcare workers had been an ongoing challenge exacerbated by the UCP government's 2020 dispute with physicians.