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Realtor
The Filipino Canadian Newspaper of choice in Alberta and Saskatchewan
APRIL2015
VOLUME 5 ISSUE 12
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May 5 is Alberta Election Day Boodle Feast
P6
Cheryl Posadas-Guinsatao EDITOR IN-CHIEF
Alberta Premier Jim Prentice announced the May 5 election– a year before required under provincial law – saying his plan to wean the province from its dependence on oil revenues demands an endorsement from the people. Last month’s budget contained a host of tax hikes and austerity measures as the province wrestles with billions of dollars in lost revenue due to the steep plunge in oil prices over the last six months. Meanwhile Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi noted that the 70 of 87 legislature seats the Tories held at dissolution was a “pretty good mandate.” He said he’s concerned the election could see historically low voter turnout and called
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on Calgarians to get engaged over the next four weeks. “What I’m hearing from Calgarians over and over again is they’re not happy about his election, they’re not happy about spending up to $30 million on the election,” he said.“But they are not convinced that there are really good options and choices for them.” Nenshi said it’s critical that people vote. “Whether we want the election or not, we have got an election and an election is an opportunity for all of us to make our voices heard and the best way to make your voice heard is to vote,” he said. Prentice’s approval ratings have dropped precipitously after this election announcement. From more than 50 per cent in polls conducted in December, Prentice has registered an approval rating of between 22 and 29 per cent in two recent polls, with his disapproval rating topping out at 60 per cent or higher. The budget seems to have been a catalyst for this decline. Polling by Insights West suggested that 78 per cent of Albertans thought the budget would have a negative effect on their house-
holds, and a majority did not think that the fall in oil prices justified it. Fears of change amid an unstable economical climate also appear low. ThinkHQ found that just 30 per cent of Albertans agreed that a change of government would make things worse on that front. The experience of the 2012 election, however, looms large over this campaign. Every poll published during the writ period suggested that Wildrose would win. Instead, the Tories were re-elected with a large majority of seats. A warranted skepticism has defined Alber-
tans’ views of the polls since. But leaving aside the possibility that the polls are just wrong (and the record of the polls in 2012 is far more nuanced than that), there are good reasons to believe the results on election night will differ markedly from where the numbers are now. An updated list of candidates are seeking party nominations to stand in Alberta’s next provincial election on May 5, 2015. To know more about the candidates and everything related to the election visit www.electionsalberta. ab.ca
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