By Chris Zwick, 4 Town & Country News, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Local United Conservative MLAs say they will follow the party line when they cast their votes in the Oct. 19 referendum.

At the June 8 regular council meeting, Grande Prairie MLA Nolan Dyck and Grande Prairie-Wapiti MLA Ron Wiebe gave City of Grande Prairie council a rundown of some of the significant legislation that was passed during the spring session.

With both MLAs in the room, Coun. Dylan Bressey took the opportunity to question the elected representatives about the upcoming Oct. 19 referendum, particularly on the question of Alberta’s place in Canada and asked what constituents can expect to see from them leading up to the day of the vote.

“We’ve got a referendum coming up, and I’m really concerned about the distraction it is from exploring actual real solutions to the very real problems we have in this province and this country. I’m really worried that it’s driving away capital investment in this province,” said Bressey. “Also, just frankly, as a proud Canadian, I find it offensive. My family’s not perfect, but I love it, and my country’s sure not perfect, but I love it.”

Bressey went on to say he was glad to see Premier Danielle Smith make her voting intentions clear and confirm the UCP stance on the separation issue but added he’s worried about low voter turnout.

Continue reading Alberta MLAs make positions clear on separation question →