Willingdon (electoral district)
Willingdon was a historical provincial electoral district in Alberta from 1940 to 1959.
Willingdon was created in 1940 when Victoria and Whitford, were split between this district and Redwater and Vegreville
The riding expanded south in 1963 when Vegreville merged with Bruce, to form Vegreville-Bruce. Due to the expanded boundaries the riding name was changed to Willingdon-Two Hills.
Election Results 1940 - 1959
Single Transferable Vote 1944, 1952 - 1955
1952 - 1955
| Year | Count | Candidate | Party | Votes | Year | Count | Candidate | Party | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | 2nd | Nick Dushenski | Cooperative Commonwealth | 2,108 | 1952 | 2nd | Nick Dushenski | Cooperative Commonwealth | 2,026 |
| 2nd | Nicholas Melnyk | Social Credit | 1,701 | 2nd | William Tomyn | Social Credit | 1,812 | ||
| 1955 | 1st | Nick Dushenski | Cooperative Commonwealth | 1,729 | 1952 | 1st | Nick Dushenski | Cooperative Commonwealth | 1,760 |
| 1st | Nicholas Melnyk | Social Credit | 1,580 | 1st | William Tomyn | Social Credit | 1,716 | ||
| 1st | Nick Shandro | Liberal | 756 | 1st | John Fedun | Liberal | 660 |
1944
| Year | Count | Candidate | Party | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | 2nd | William Tomyn | Social Credit | 1,844 |
| 2nd | L.L. Kostash | Cooperative Commonwealth | 1,488 | |
| 1944 | 1st | William Tomyn | Social Credit | 1,771 |
| 1st | L.L. Kostash | Cooperative Commonwealth | 1,328 | |
| 1st | William A. Yusep | Labor–Progressive | 899 |
First Past the Post 1940, 1948, 1959
| Party | 1959 | 1948 | 1940 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Progressive Conservative | Alex Hushlak 991 |
||
| Cooperative Commonwealth | Nick Svekla 392 |
Nick Dushenski 1,861 |
T. Tomashavsky 968 |
| Social Credit | Nicholas Melnyk 2,421 |
William Tomyn 2,111 |
William Tomyn 2,329 |
| Independent | M.N. Grekol 514 |
Plebiscite results
1948 Electrification Plebiscite
District results from the first province wide plebiscite on electricity regulation.
| Option A | Option B |
|---|---|
| Are you in favour of the generation and distribution of electricity being continued by the Power Companies? | Are you in favour of the generation and distribution of electricity being made a publicly owned utility administered by the Alberta Government Power Commission? |
| 1,069 28.42% | 2,716 71.76% |
| Province wide result: Option A passed. | |
1957 liquor plebiscite
| 1957 Alberta liquor plebiscite results: Willingdon[1] | |||
| Question A: Do you approve additional types of outlets for the sale of beer, wine and spirituous liquor subject to a local vote? | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ballot Choice | Votes | % | |
| Yes | 1,400 | 76.63% | |
| No | 427 | 23.37% | |
| Total Votes | 1,827 | 100% | |
| Rejected, Spoiled and Declined | 19 | ||
| 5,979 Eligible Electors, Turnout 30.88% | |||
On October 30, 1957 a stand-alone plebiscite was held province wide in all 50 of the then current provincial electoral districts in Alberta. The government decided to consult Alberta voters to decide on liquor sales and mixed drinking after a divisive debate in the Legislature. The plebiscite was intended to deal with the growing demand for reforming antiquated liquor control laws.[2]
The plebiscite was conducted in two parts. Question A asked in all districts, asked the voters if the sale of liquor should be expanded in Alberta, while Question B asked in a handful of districts within the corporate limits of Calgary and Edmonton asked if men and woman were allowed to drink together in establishments.[1]
Province wide Question A of the plebiscite passed in 33 of the 50 districts while Question B passed in all five districts. Willingdon voted in favour of the proposal with one of the largest percentages in the province. Voter turnout in the district was one of the worst in the province falling significantly below the province wide average of 46% just barely topping 30%.[1]
Official district returns were released to the public on December 31, 1957.[1] The Social Credit government in power at the time did not considered the results binding.[3] However the results of the vote led the government to repeal all existing liquor legislation and introduce an entirely new Liquor Act.[4]
Municipal districts lying inside electoral districts that voted against the Plebiscite were designated Local Option Zones by the Alberta Liquor Control Board and considered effective dry zones, business owners that wanted a license had to petition for a binding municipal plebiscite in order to be granted a license.[5]
References
- ^ a b c d Alberta Gazette. Vol. 53 (December 31 ed.). Government of Alberta. 1957. pp. 2, 247–2, 249.
- ^ "Albertans Vote 2 to 1 For More Liquor Outlets". Vol L No 273. The Lethbridge Herald. October 31, 1957. pp. 1–2.
- ^ "No Sudden Change In Alberta Drinking Habits Is Seen". Vol L No 267. The Lethbridge Herald. October 24, 1957. p. 1.
- ^ "Entirely New Act On Liquor". Vol LI No 72. The Lethbridge Herald. March 5, 1958. p. 1.
- ^ "Bill 81". Alberta Bills 12th Legislature 1st Session. Government of Alberta. 1958. p. 40.