The district was created in the 1993 boundary redistribution from the old Innisfail electoral district that had existed since the province was created in 1905. It is located in rural central Alberta just south of the city of Red Deer. Communities include Innisfail, Sylvan Lake, Penhold, Bowden, Delburne, Elnora, Springbrook, Spruce View, Markerville and Dickson.
In recent decades the district has elected Progressive Conservative candidates with strong majorities, but in the 2012 election the district elected Wildrose Candidate Kerry Towle. After crossing the floor to the Progressive Conservatives Towle was defeated in the 2015 election by Wildrose candidate Don MacIntyre.
History
The electoral district was created in the 1993 boundary redistribution primarily from the old electoral district of Innisfail. The 2010 boundary redistribution saw a portion of the district west of Sylvan Lake transferred to Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre and portions of land that were outside of the city of Red Deer in the Red Deer-North transferred in.[1]
Legal description from the Statutes of Alberta 2003, Electoral Divisions Act.
Starting at the intersection of the east boundary of Rge. 4 W5 and the north boundary of Sec. 18 in Twp. 38 Rge. 3 W5; then 1. east along the north boundary of Secs. 18, 17, 16 and 15 to the east boundary of Sec. 22 in the Twp.; 2. north along the east boundary to the north boundary of the south half of Sec. 23 in the Twp.; 3. east along the north boundary to the east boundary of the west half of Sec. 23 in the Twp.; 4. north along the east boundary to the north boundary of Sec. 23 in the Twp.; 5. east along the north boundary of Sec. 23 to the east boundary of Sec. 26; 6. north along the east boundary of Sec. 26 to the right bank of the Medicine River; 7. upstream along the right bank of the Medicine River to the north boundary of Twp. 38; 8. east along the north boundary to the east boundary of the west half of Sec. 6 in Twp. 39, Rge. 2 W5; 9. north along the east boundary to the north boundary of the south half of Sec. 6 in the Twp.; 10. east along the north boundary of the south half of Secs. 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2 to the east boundary of Sec. 2 in the Twp.; 11. north along the east boundary of Secs. 2, 11 and 14 to the north boundary of the south half of Sec. 13 in the Twp.; 12. east along the north boundary to the east boundary of Rge. 2 W5; 13. south along the east boundary to the north boundary of Sec. 7 in Twp. 39, Rge. 1 W5; 14. east along the north boundary of Secs. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 in the Twp. and the north boundary of Secs. 8, 9 and 10 in Twp. 39, Rge. 28 W4 to the east boundary of Sec. 15; 15. north along the east boundary of Sec. 15 to the right bank of the Blindman River; 16. downstream along the right bank of the Blindman River to the east boundary of Rge. 28 W4; 17. south along the east boundary of Rge. 28 to the north boundary of Twp. 38 (Highway 11A); 18. east along the north boundary of Twp. 38 (Highway 11A) to the west Red Deer city boundary; 19. south, southeast, east and north along the Red Deer city boundary to the intersection with Highway 11; 20. east along Highway 11 to the intersection with the right bank of the Red Deer River; 21. downstream along the right bank of the Red Deer River to the north boundary of Twp. 34 in Rge. 21 W4; 22. west along the north boundary to the east boundary of Rge. 24 W4; 23. north along the east boundary to the north boundary of Sec. 1 in Twp. 35, Rge. 24 W4; 24. west along the north boundary of Secs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 in the Twp. and the north boundary of Secs. 1 and 2 in Twp. 35, Rge. 25 W4 to the east boundary of Sec. 3 in the Twp.; 25. south along the east boundary to the north boundary of Twp. 34; 26. east along the north boundary of Twp. 34 to the east boundary of Sec. 33 in Twp. 34, Rge. 25 W4; 27. south along the east boundary to the north boundary of Sec. 28 in the Twp.; 28. west along the north boundary of Secs. 28, 29 and 30 in the Twp. and the north boundary of Secs. 25, 26, 27 and 28 to the east boundary of Sec. 29 in Twp. 34, Rge. 26 W4; 29. south along the east boundary of Secs. 29, 20, 17 and 8 to the north boundary of Sec. 5; 30. west along the north boundary of Secs. 5 and 6 in the Twp. and Secs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 to the east boundary of Rge. 28 W4; 31. south along the east boundary to the north boundary of Twp. 33; 32. west along the north boundary of Twp. 33 to the east boundary of Sec. 2 in Twp. 34, Rge. 2 W5; 33. north along the east boundary of Sec. 2 to the north boundary of Sec. 2; 34. west along the north boundary of Sec. 2 to the east boundary of Sec. 10 in the Twp.; 35. north along the east boundary of Sec. 10 to the north boundary of Sec. 10; 36. west along the north boundary of Secs. 10, 9, 8 and 7 in the Twp. and Secs. 12, 11, 10, 9, 8 and 7 in Twp. 34, Rge. 3 W5 and the north boundary of Sec. 12 in Twp. 34, Rge. 4 W5 to the east boundary of Sec. 14; 37. north along the east boundary of Secs. 14 and 23 to the north boundary of Sec. 23, Twp. 34, Rge. 4 W5 (Highway 587); 38. west along the north boundary of Secs. 23 and 22 (Highway 587) to the east boundary of Sec. 28 in Twp. 34, Rge. 4 W5; 39. north along the east boundary of Secs. 28 and 33 in the Twp. and the east boundary of Secs. 4, 9, 16, 21, 28 and 33 in Twp. 35 and the east boundary of Sec. 4 in Twp. 36, Rge. 4 W5 to the north boundary of Sec. 4 in Twp. 36; 40. west along the north boundary of Secs. 4, 5 and 6 in the Twp. to the east boundary of Rge. 5 W5; 41. north along the east boundary to the north boundary of Sec. 30 in Twp. 36, Rge. 4 W5; 42. east along the north boundary of Secs. 30, 29, 28, 27, 26 and 25 in the Twp. to the east boundary of Rge. 4 W5; 43. north along the east boundary to the starting point.
The electoral district was created in the 1993 boundary redistribution from the old Innisfail riding. The first election held in 1993 saw incumbent Progressive Conservative Gary Severtson win the electoral district with over 50% of the popular vote. He was re-elected again in the 1997 general election, with an increase in his margin of victory nearly winning a landslide. Severtson retired at dissolution in 2001.
Luke Ouellette won his first election as a Progressive Conservative candidate in 2001. In that election he won nearly 75% of the popular vote to hold the seat. He was re-elected to a second term in the 2004 election. He fended off a strong challenge from Alberta Alliance leader Randy Thorsteinson.
Premier Ralph Klein appointed Ouelette to the cabinet after the 2004 election. He ran for a third term in the 2008 general election and won a larger vote share.
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 have 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 reside in another electoral district had the option to vote for candidates outside of the electoral district then where they were physically located.
^The Report on the March 3, 2008 Provincial General Election of the Twenty-seventh Legislative Assembly. Elections Alberta. July 28, 2008. pp. 438–443.
Alberta electoral district
