Lacombe-Ponoka UCP members will decide Friday who will represent the constituency in the May provincial election. And that will bring the number of selected UCP candidates to 58 in 87 Alberta ridings.. Jennifer JohnsonJennifer Johnson .It’s a three-way nomination contest in Lacombe-Ponoka, but only two hopefuls have been aggressively campaigning..Retired registered nurse and area farmer Jennifer Johnson, who has long been actively involved in the UCP, appears to have a strong edge over her main opponent flight paramedic Dusty Myshrall The third candidate, Lacombe city Coun. Chris Ross, has run a low-key campaign..Johnson’s campaign team is comprised solely of local volunteers, and she refuses to cater to special interest groups..“No groups at all. None. People know I’m pro-life. A big pro-life organization offered to help, and we turned it down because we didn’t want to be beholden to anyone. We are a grassroots campaign.”.Johnson’s clear stand on multiple issues is resonating with constituents..Alberta’s economic prosperity must not be contingent on Ottawa's approval. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Just Transition and the NDP’s support of it must be opposed..“It seems the Liberal/NDP coalition, which includes (NDP Leader) Rachel Notley, would prefer energy poverty to a thriving natural resource sector that continues and contributes to human flourishing,” said Johnson, who vowed to stand up for Alberta’s beleaguered oil and gas sector..As someone whose family has farmed in the Bentley area almost 30 years and served on several agricultural boards, Johnson understands the industry..“We are feeding the world and must fiercely protect this precious resource, and I am committed to do just that.”.She wants Alberta Health Services restructured and subject to “new accountability measures.” She advocates for less red tape and more protection for frontline health workers..Johnson’s a fierce advocate of parental rights. Concerned about the push by educators to sexualize children, Johnson said “biology belongs in the classroom, sex education belongs at home.”.Parents across Alberta are increasingly opting to home school their children..“The homeschooling numbers have grown significantly. There’s lots of different reasons people are doing it. Some of them, it’s because during COVID they were forced to, and it turned out they actually like it and they stuck with it”.“Or because there are issues within the system they just weren’t comfortable with, and they pulled the kids out.”.Johnson said everyone has a “God-given right” to worship and assemble in speech. And everyone has a right to choose what “goes into their bodies.” She opposes vaccine mandates and lockdowns.. Dusty MyshrallDusty Myshrall .She served as Central Alberta regional director and sat on the Party Policy and Governance Committee with the UCP Executive Board and served as a director for both the Sylvan Lake-Innisfail and Lacombe-Ponoka constituency associations — all at the same time..UCP members who felt ignored or shut out by their MLAs when Jason Kenney was premier wouldn’t face that with Johnson who believes elected officials must be open, transparent, and accessible..“They matter to me. They all have a voice. It’s the number one job of an MLA to represent their constituents and I take that very seriously. My record on the board representing the constituents stands solid. I answered every piece of correspondence within my region and took that representation very seriously.”.Meanwhile, Johnson dismissed the legitimacy of a recent anonymous complaint to the College and Association of Registered Nurse of Alberta that she misleads people about her credentials as a registered nurse and worked instead in an office administrative job in a long-term care facility..“As soon as you give up your license, which I have done, you can no longer call yourself registered. But you can call yourself retired, which I do,” said Johnson who did work as an RN..“Two days ago, I got a call that completely cleared me and said ‘You are adhering with complete transparency.’ ”.Meanwhile, Myshrall, former president of the Alberta Paramedic Association, champions healthcare reforms.. Chris Ross LacombeCllr. Chris Ross .The New Brunswick-born Myshrall lived and worked as a flight paramedic in Alberta 10 years and has two decades of frontline healthcare experience..He served on the Alberta EMS Provincial Advisory Committee..“My experience will allow me to challenge the games health bureaucrats play with our communities,” he wrote in a recent letter to constituents..The Western Standard could not get a definitive answer on how long he's lived in the constituency — somewhere between less than two to a few years..Meanwhile Ross said he would push for better healthcare..After serving two terms, MLA Ron Orr decided not to run again.
