It’s finally official. Scott Cyr has defeated incumbent Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul MLA David Hanson by just one vote..Following an appeal process with the Nomination Election Committee and a recount of eight disputed ballots in the December 10-12 nomination, the UCP announced Cyr will represent the party in the May 29 general election..The second ballot certified results determined Cyr received 314 votes, while Hanson received 313..On the first ballot, Cyr had received 252 votes, Hanson 289, and former MD of Bonnyville reeve Greg Sawchuk got 186..Since no one received the required 50% plus one majority, Sawchuck’s ballots were redistributed, and a nail-biter recount was ordered..“The official results are in and I am humbled and honoured to be the next UCP candidate for Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul in the upcoming 2023 Alberta election,” Cyr posted on Facebook..“A big thanks to David Hanson and Greg Sawchuk for putting their names forward, it takes a lot of hard work and dedication.”.Cyr, an accountant, was elected in 2105 in Bonnyville-Cold Lake for Wildrose, a riding held by the Progressive Conservative Party since 1997..Then Wildrose leader Brian Jean, now minister of jobs, economy and northern Development, appointed him Deputy Whip and shadow justice minister and solicitor general..Cyr became a member of the UCP when Wildrose and the Progressive Conservative party merged..In April 2018 boundaries were redrawn in parts of Alberta. Cyr withdrew from the nomination battle against Hanson in the new constituency of Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul..Hanson was elected to represent the former Lac La Biche-St. Paul-Two Hills constituency in 2015..In the 2019 provincial general election, Hanson won his second term as an MLA with 15,000 votes, his NDP rival trailing with 3,000 votes..Last May, Hanson joined a growing chorus of UCP MLA voices calling for former Alberta Premier Jason Kenney’s resignation for having a maskless dinner on top of the Sky Palace, breaking his own strict COVID-19 regulations that he enforced on Albertans..Hanson is the third UCP MLA to be defeated in nomination contests..MLA Tany Yao lost his nomination bid to City Auto Repair manager Zulkifl Mujahid, City Auto in the Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo earlier this month..He was one of six UCP MLAs who faced a severe backlash from Albertans in late 2020 and early 2021 when caught holidaying away from home while the province was under a strict COVID-19 lockdown..Last June MLA Chris Nelson, who served Edmonton-Decore since 2015, was defeated by Sharif Haji, director of the Africa Centre and former provincial Health and Seniors and Housing employee..Chantelle de Jong recently won the nomination for Chestermere-Strathmore. The riding was represented by failed leadership candidate Leela Aheer who chose not to seek re-election..And Luke Savanto won the UCP nomination is Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview on December 20.
