Strathmore-Brooks was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada, mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using the first-past-the-post method of voting from 1997 to 2019.

History

The electoral district was created in the 1996 boundary re-distribution from most of the old electoral district of Bow Valley.

The 2004 electoral boundary re-distribution saw the boundaries revised to include a portion of land from the dissolved Drumheller-Chinook electoral district, and losing a small portion of the south-east portion of the district to Little Bow.

The 2010 electoral boundary re-distribution saw the electoral district completely untouched using exactly the same boundaries as set in 2003.

The Strathmore-Brooks electoral district was dissolved in the 2017 electoral boundary re-distribution, and portions of the district would form the Brooks-Medicine Hat, Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills, and Chestermere-Strathmore electoral districts.

Boundary history

79 Strathmore-Brooks 2003 boundaries
Bordering districts
NorthEastWestSouth
Olds-Didsbury-Three HillsDrumheller-Stettler and Cypress-Medicine HatAirdrie-ChestermereLittle Bow and Cypress-Medicine Hat
riding map goes here
Legal description from the Statutes of Alberta 2003, Electoral Divisions Act
Starting at the intersection of the east boundary of Rge. 25 W4 and the north boundary of Sec. 7 in Twp. 28 W4; then 1. east along the north boundary of Secs. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 in Rges. 24, 23 and 22 and Secs. 7, 8 and 9 in Twp. 28, Rge. 21 W4 to the east boundary of Sec. 9 in the Twp.; 2. south along the east boundary of Secs. 9 and 4 in the Twp. and the east boundary of Secs. 33, 28 and 21 in Twp. 27, Rge. 21 W4 to the intersection with the Canadian National Railway (CNR) right-of-way; 3. in a northeasterly direction along the CNR right-of-way to the east boundary of the west half of Sec. 1, Twp. 28, Rge. 20 W4; 4. north along the east boundary of the west half to the north boundary of Sec. 1; 5. east along the north boundary of Sec. 1 to the south Drumheller town boundary; 6. easterly and southerly along the town boundary to its most southeasterly point of the town boundary and the right bank of the Red Deer River; 7. downstream along the right bank of the Red Deer River to the east boundary of Rge. 11 W4; 8. south along the east boundary to the north boundary of Twp. 13; 9. west along the north boundary to the right bank of the Bow River; 10. upstream along the right bank of the Bow River to its intersection with the south boundary of the Siksika Indian Reserve No. 146; 11. generally north, northwest and southwest along the Siksika Indian Reserve No. 146 boundary to the right bank of the Bow River; 12. upstream along the right bank to the east boundary of Rge. 27 W4; 13. north along the east boundary to the north boundary of Sec. 7 in Twp. 25, Rge. 26 W4; 14. east along the north boundary to the east boundary of Sec. 18 in the Twp.; 15. north along the east boundary of Secs. 18 and 19 to the north boundary of Sec. 20 in the Twp.; 16. east along the north boundary to the east boundary of Sec. 29 in the Twp.; 17. north along the east boundary of Secs. 29 and 32 in the Twp. to the north boundary of Twp. 25; 18. east along the north boundary to the east boundary of Rge. 26 W4; 19. north along the east boundary to the north boundary of Sec. 19 in Twp. 26, Rge. 25 W4; 20. east along the north boundary of Secs. 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23 in the Twp. to the east boundary of Sec. 26; 21. north along the east boundary of Secs. 26 and 35 to the north boundary of Twp. 26; 22. west along the north boundary to the east boundary of Rge. 25; 23. north along the east boundary of Rge. 25 to the starting point.
Note:
83 Strathmore-Brooks 2010 boundaries
Bordering districts
NorthEastWestSouth
Drumheller-Stettler and Olds-Didsbury-Three HillsCypress-Medicine HatChestermere-Rocky ViewLittle Bow
Legal description from the Statutes of Alberta 2010, Electoral Divisions Act
See legal description from the Statutes of Alberta 2003, Electoral Divisions Act.
Note: The district remained unchanged in 2010.

Representation history

Members of the Legislative Assembly for Strathmore-Brooks
AssemblyYearsMemberParty
See Bow Valley 1971–1993
24th1997–2001Lyle ObergProgressive Conservative
25th2001–2004
26th2004–2006
2006Independent
2006–2008Progressive Conservative
27th2008–2012Arno Doerksen
28th2012–2014Jason HaleWildrose
2014–2015Progressive Conservative
29th2015–2016Derek FildebrandtWildrose
2016Independent
2016–2017Wildrose
2017United Conservative
2017–2018Independent
2018–2019Freedom Conservative
See Brooks-Medicine Hat, Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills and Chestermere-Strathmore 2019–

The electoral district was created in 1997. The first election that year saw Progressive Conservative incumbent Lyle Oberg win the new district with over 70% of the popular vote. Oberg had served as MLA for Bow Valley from 1993 to 1997 before it was abolished.

After the election Oberg was appointed to serve in the cabinet of Premier Ralph Klein. He ran for his third term in the 2001 general election and won. He took a slightly higher percentage of the popular vote.

Oberg ran for his third term in the district and fourth as an MLA. His popularity started to slide. He was re-elected with a reduced majority losing over 10% of his popular vote.

Controversy would follow in 2006 after Oberg resigned his cabinet post to seek the leadership of the Progressive Conservative party in the wake of Ralph Klein's resignation. He was removed from Progressive Conservative caucus days later on March 22, 2006, and forced to sit as an Independent after suggesting that he knew where the skeletons were in the closet of the Progressive Conservative government.

Oberg ran for leadership of the party as an Independent and lost. He was readmitted to the caucus on July 25, 2006, by Premier Ed Stelmach and returned to cabinet. Oberg did not stand for re-election in 2008. The election that year returned Progressive Conservative candidate Arno Doerksen with a landslide majority.

In the 2012 general election, Wildrose candidate Jason Hale defeated Doerksen by a comfortable margin as the party went on to dominate rural southern Alberta.

In December 2014, Hale crossed the floor with eight other Wildrose MLAs to the Progressive Conservative Party. In January 2015, Derek Fildebrandt announced that he would seek the Wildrose nomination to challenge Hale. Hale announced his retirement from politics soon afterwards.

Fildebrandt went on to win the riding by a huge margin over PC candidate Molly Douglass in the 2015 general election. Fildebrandt was subsequently appointed the Official Opposition Shadow Minister of Finance and Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee.

On July 22, Wildrose and PC members voted to join and form the United Conservative Party of Alberta (UCP). Fildebrandt was officially recognized as a UCP MLA on July 24. However, he was again removed from caucus and, this time, permanently banned from re-joining the UCP after a string of scandals including an illegal hunting charge that had not been disclosed to the party.

In 2018 Fildebrandt joined, and became leader of, the Freedom Conservative Party of Alberta (previously known as Alberta First, the Separation Party of Alberta, and the Western Freedom Party).

Legislative election results

1997

vte1997 Alberta general election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Progressive ConservativeLyle Oberg7,23572.57%
LiberalRoger Nelson1,27212.76%
Social CreditDan Borden8628.65%
New DemocraticRichard Knutson6006.02%
Total9,969
Rejected, spoiled and declined24
Eligible electors / turnout21,27146.98%
Progressive Conservative pickup new district.
Source(s)Source: . Alberta Heritage Community Foundation.

2001

vte2001 Alberta general election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Progressive ConservativeLyle Oberg8,58575.09%2.51%
LiberalBarry Morishita1,77415.52%2.76%
IndependentChristopher Sutherland5114.47%
New DemocraticDon MacFarlane2902.54%-3.48%
Social CreditRudy Martens2732.39%-6.26%
Total11,433
Rejected, spoiled and declined29
Eligible electors / turnout24,37247.03%0.05%
Progressive Conservative holdSwing-0.12%
Source(s)Source: . Alberta Heritage Community Foundation.

2004

vte2004 Alberta general election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Progressive ConservativeLyle Oberg5,91664.05%-11.04%
LiberalCarrol Jaques1,17812.75%-2.76%
Alberta AllianceMark D. Ogden8319.00%
SeparationJay Kolody5766.24%
New DemocraticDon MacFarlane4164.50%1.97%
Social CreditRudy Martens3193.45%1.07%
Total9,236
Rejected, spoiled and declined67
Eligible electors / turnout25,68636.22%-10.81%
Progressive Conservative holdSwing-4.14%
Source(s)Source:(PDF). Elections Alberta.

2008

vte2008 Alberta general election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Progressive ConservativeArno Doerksen7,62374.5610.51
LiberalGerry Hart9919.69-3.06
Wildrose AllianceAmanda H. Shehata9359.150.15
GreenChris Bayford3623.54
New DemocraticBrian Stokes3133.06-1.44
Total10,22499.47
Rejected, spoiled and declined540.53
Turnout10,27833.02
Eligible electors31,127
Progressive Conservative holdSwing6.78
Source(s)Source: . Elections Alberta. July 28, 2008. pp. –551.

2012

vte2012 Alberta general election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
WildroseJason Hale8,15755.58+46.44
Progressive ConservativeArno Doerksen5,74339.13-35.43
New DemocraticBrad Bailey4092.79-0.27
LiberalAlex Wychopen2992.04-7.66
SeparationGlen Dundas680.46
Total14,67699.31
Rejected, spoiled and declined1020.69+0.16
Turnout14,77852.79+19.77
Eligible electors27,996
Wildrose gain from Progressive ConservativeSwing+40.93
Source(s)Source: . officialresults.elections.ab.ca. Elections Alberta.

2015

vte2015 Alberta general election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
WildroseDerek Fildebrandt8,65252.55-3.03
Progressive ConservativeMolly Douglass4,45227.04-12.09
New DemocraticLynn MacWilliam2,46314.96+12.17
GreenMike Worthington3221.96
Alberta PartyEinar Davison3041.85
LiberalAli Abdulbaki2001.21-0.82
Alberta FirstGlen Dundas720.44-0.03
Total16,46599.49
Rejected, spoiled and declined850.51-0.18
Turnout16,55049.83-2.96
Eligible electors33,215
Wildrose holdSwing4.53
Source(s)Source: . officialresults.elections.ab.ca. Elections Alberta.

^ Alberta First change calculated from Separation Party.

Senate nominee election results

2004

2004 Senate nominee election results: Strathmore-BrooksTurnout 36.18%
AffiliationCandidateVotes% votes% ballotsRank
Progressive ConservativeBert Brown4,99918.61%59.79%1
Progressive ConservativeBetty Unger3,75413.98%44.90%2
Progressive ConservativeJim Silye3,16011.77%37.80%5
Progressive ConservativeCliff Breitkreuz2,94910.98%35.27%3
Progressive ConservativeDavid Usherwood2,6519.87%31.71%6
IndependentLink Byfield2,5469.48%30.45%4
Alberta AllianceVance Gough1,9727.34%23.59%8
Alberta AllianceMichael Roth1,9577.29%23.41%7
Alberta AllianceGary Horan1,5985.95%19.11%10
IndependentTom Sindlinger1,2714.73%15.20%9
Total votes26,857100%
Total ballots8,3613.21 votes per ballot
Rejected, spoiled and declined932

Voters had the option of selecting four candidates on the ballot.

Student vote results

2004

Participating schools
Eastbrook Elementary
Hussar School
Lathom Colony School
Newell Christian School
Sacred Heart Academy
Strathmore High School

On November 19, 2004, a student vote was conducted at participating Alberta schools to parallel the 2004 Alberta general election results. The vote was designed to educate students and simulate the electoral process for persons who had not yet reached the legal majority. The vote was conducted in 80 of the 83 provincial electoral districts with students voting for actual election candidates. Schools with a large student body that resided in another electoral district had the option to vote for candidates outside of the electoral district than where they were physically located.

2004 Alberta student vote results
AffiliationCandidateVotes%
Progressive ConservativeLyle Oberg31947.12%
LiberalCarrol Jaques11216.54%
SeparationJay Kolody8612.70%
Alberta AllianceMark Ogden6910.19%
NDPDon Macfarlane679.90%
Social CreditRudy Martens243.55%
Total677100%
Rejected, spoiled and declined24

2012

2012 Alberta student vote results
AffiliationCandidateVotes%
Progressive ConservativeArno Doerksen%
WildroseJason Hale
LiberalAlex Wychopen%
NDPBrad Bailey%
Total100%

See also

Further reading

External links