P.C.’s Griffiths
is New MLA

Progressive Conservative candidate Doug Griffiths of Castor is this constituency’s new Member of the Legislature.

Voters elected him over five other candidates on Monday, April 8.

Griffiths won with 2,925 votes out of 6,552 votes tallied while taking second place was Jerry Barber for the Alberta First Party with 1,693 votes.

Others in the running were: Horst Schreiber for the Alberta Liberal Party with 1,115 votes; Robin Skitteral for the Alberta Social Credit Party with 518 votes; Lilas Lysne for the Alberta New Democratic Party who had 227 votes; and Colleen Biggs for the Alberta Greens with 74 votes.

The Wainwright Constituency by-election was necessary after former MLA Robert Fischer surprised constituents and announced his resignation late last year. Fischer ran in the last election held March 12, 2001 when 10,833 votes were cast. He got 6,912 of those in 2001.

Griffiths farms with his father and brother on a ranch just outside of Coronation and has taught at Byemoor School for the last three years. He said earlier if he was elected he would give up his teaching job.
Print version in April 10 edition of The Provost News
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“The Eastern Part of the Province is Kind of Getting Left Out”—M.D. Reeve

• Crop Specialist Gone as Ag. Office Winds Down
Crop specialist with Alberta Agriculture, Karla Barmentloo has taken a job at a help desk in Stettler. The district agriculturist office is being shut down by the provincial government but some calls may still be fielded by the remaining one person for a short time.
Donna Pilgaard told The News on April 4 that she will likely take calls for the next few weeks—unless she finds employment elsewhere. She estimates that by the end of this month or early May telephone calls made to the Provost office will likely be routed to a call centre in Stettler.

Don Young for Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development said in a telephone conversation that Provost will be a “point of access” but there will be no specialist present. He said there will still be crop insurance and lending people present in the Provincial Building. Part of their salaries are paid by a provincial and federal program.
Barmentloo’s job ended here the end of March.

Rest of story in print version in April 10 edition of The Provost News
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