Lethbridge-West
Provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lethbridge-West is an Alberta provincial electoral district, covering the western half of the city of Lethbridge, including all of West Lethbridge. Under the Alberta electoral boundary re-distribution of 2004, 13 Street forms most of the dividing line between Lethbridge-East and Lethbridge West. Scenic Drive and 16 Avenue South form a small part of the boundary. Clockwise from Lethbridge-East, the constituency is bounded at the city limits by Little Bow, by Livingstone-Macleod and then again by Little Bow.
 Alberta electoral district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Lethbridge-West within the City of Lethbridge, 2017 boundaries | |||
| Provincial electoral district | |||
| Legislature | Legislative Assembly of Alberta | ||
| MLA |
New Democratic | ||
| District created | 1971 | ||
| First contested | 1971 | ||
| Last contested | 2024 by-election | ||
| Demographics | |||
| Census division | Division No. 2 | ||
| Census subdivision | Lethbridge | ||
The Member of the Legislative Assembly for this district is New Democrat Rob Miyashiro.
History
The electoral district was created in the 1971 boundary redistribution from the old electoral district of Lethbridge when it was split in half. It also took in territory from the riding of Macleod from west of the Oldman River.
The 2010 boundary redistribution made some minor revisions to equalize the population between West and East. North of St. Edward Blvd the boundary was pushed west from 13 Street to Stafford Drive.[1]
Boundary history
| 65 Lethbridge-East 2003 boundaries[2] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bordering districts | |||
| North | East | West | South |
| Little Bow | Lethbridge-East | Livingstone-Macleod | Little Bow |
| riding map goes here | map in relation to other districts in Alberta goes here | ||
| Legal description from the Statutes of Alberta 2003, Electoral Divisions Act. | |||
| Starting at the right bank of the Oldman River and the north Lethbridge city boundary; then 1. east along the city boundary to 13 Street North; 2. south along 13 Street North and 13 Street South to 16 Avenue South; 3. west along 16 Avenue South to Scenic Drive South; 4. southeast along Scenic Drive South to the east boundary of Sec. 30 in Twp. 8, Rge. 21 W4; 5. south along Secs. 30, 19 and 18 in the Twp. to the right bank of the Oldman River; 6. upstream along the right bank to the north boundary of Sec. 16, Twp. 8, Rge. 22 W4; 7. east along the north boundary to the west Lethbridge city boundary; 8. north, east and northeast along the west city boundary to the starting point. | |||
| Note: | |||
| 69 Lethbridge-West 2010 boundaries | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bordering districts | |||
| North | East | West | South |
| Little Bow | Lethbridge-East | Cardston-Taber-Warner | Little Bow |
 | |||
| Legal description from the Statutes of Alberta 2010, Electoral Divisions Act. | |||
| Note: | |||
Representation history
| Lethbridge-West | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assembly | Years | Member | Party | |
| Riding created from Lethbridge and Macleod | ||||
| 17th | 1971–1975 | Richard Gruenwald | Social Credit | |
| 18th | 1975–1979 | John Gogo | Progressive Conservative | |
| 19th | 1979–1982 | |||
| 20th | 1982–1986 | |||
| 21st | 1986–1989 | |||
| 22nd | 1989–1993 | |||
| 23rd | 1993–1997 | Clint Dunford | ||
| 24th | 1997–2001 | |||
| 25th | 2001–2004 | |||
| 26th | 2004–2008 | |||
| 27th | 2008–2012 | Greg Weadick | ||
| 28th | 2012–2015 | |||
| 29th | 2015–2019 | Shannon Phillips | New Democratic | |
| 30th | 2019–2023 | |||
| 31st | 2023–2024 | |||
| 2024–present | Rob Miyashiro | |||
The electoral district was created in 1971 from the old Lethbridge district when it was split in half. Prior to 1971 the city returned candidates from a number of different banners. The first representative returned in the election held that year was Social Credit candidate Richard Gruenwald who won the district with well over half of the popular vote.
Gruenwald would run for a second term in the 1975 election and would be defeated finishing a distant second place behind Progressive Conservative candidate John Gogo who took almost 60% of the popular vote. Gogo would win his next two terms in 1979 and 1982 with increasing majorities achieving almost 70% of the popular vote.
Gogo would lose significant popularity upon re-election to his fourth term in 1986. He would fall from 70% the previous election to under half. He would hold his seat for a final term in 1989 when he took just over 45% of the popular vote. In his last term in office Premier Don Getty appointed Gogo as Minister of Advanced education He held that until 1992. Gogo retired from dissolution of the Assembly in 1993.
The 1993 election saw a hotly contested race between Progressive Conservative candidate Clint Dunford and Liberal candidate Michael Dietrich. Dunford won by a razor thin margin of just over 100 votes to hold the seat for his party and taking just over 41% of the popular vote.
Dunford was re-elected in 1997 winning a slightly higher plurality. After the election he was appointed to the provincial cabinet by Premier Ralph Klein as Minister of Advanced Education and Career Development. In 1999 he was shuffled to the Minister of Human Resources and Employment portfolio.
Dunford ran for his third term in 2001 increasing his plurality slightly taking 48% of the popular vote and kept his cabinet post. He ran for his fourth term in office in 2004 and fell to an all-time low holding his seat with just 39% of the popular vote. After that election he was shuffled to the Minister of Economic Development until 2006. Dunford retired from the legislature in 2008.
The fourth representative returned from the riding was Progressive Conservative candidate Greg Weadick who won his first term as MLA in 2008, and was re-elected in 2012, but was defeated in the 2015 general election by Shannon Phillips of the NDP. In 2019, Phillips held onto the riding with a reduced margin of victory over the second-place finishing UCP candidate with just 45% of the popular vote.
Legislative election results
Elections in the 2020s
| Alberta provincial by-election, Lethbridge-West: December 18, 2024 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| New Democratic | Rob Miyashiro | 7,238 | 53.35 | -0.57 | ||||
| United Conservative | John Middleton-Hope | 6,093 | 44.91 | +2.40 | ||||
| Alberta Party | Layton Veverka | 237 | 1.75 | -0.15 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 13,568 | 99.46 | ||||||
| Rejected, spoiled, and declined | 74 | 0.54 | -0.47 | |||||
| Turnout | 13,642 | 36.06 | -25.71 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 37,828 | |||||||
| New Democratic hold | Swing | -1.49 | ||||||
Source(s)
Source: Elections Alberta[3] | ||||||||
| 2023 Alberta general election | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| New Democratic | Shannon Phillips | 12,082 | 53.92 | +8.70 | ||||
| United Conservative | Cheryl Seaborn | 9,525 | 42.51 | -1.78 | ||||
| Alberta Party | Braham Luddu | 425 | 1.90 | -5.34 | ||||
| Liberal | Pat Chizek | 375 | 1.67 | -0.21 | ||||
| Total | 22,407 | 98.99 | – | |||||
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | 228 | 1.01 | +0.42 | |||||
| Turnout | 22,635 | 61.77 | -7.01 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 36,642 | |||||||
| New Democratic hold | Swing | +5.24 | ||||||
Source(s)
Source: Elections Alberta[4] | ||||||||
Elections in the 2010s
| 2019 Alberta general election | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| New Democratic | Shannon Phillips | 11,016 | 45.22 | -14.12 | ||||
| United Conservative | Karri Flatla | 10,790 | 44.29 | +7.01 | ||||
| Alberta Party | Zac Rhodenizer | 1,763 | 7.24 | -- | ||||
| Liberal | Patricia Chizek | 460 | 1.89 | -1.49 | ||||
| Independence | Ben Maddison | 332 | 1.36 | -- | ||||
| Total valid votes | 24,361 | 99.42 | ||||||
| Rejected, spoiled, and declined | 143 | 0.58 | -0.37 | |||||
| Turnout | 24,504 | 68.79 | +13.26 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 35,623 | |||||||
| New Democratic hold | Swing | -10.57 | ||||||
Source(s)
Elections Alberta. "Electoral Division Results - Lethbridge-West". | ||||||||
| 2015 Alberta general election | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| New Democratic | Shannon Phillips | 11,114 | 59.34 | +29.40 | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Greg Weadick | 3,938 | 20.97 | -15.69 | ||||
| Wildrose | Ron Bain | 3,063 | 16.31 | -10.41 | ||||
| Liberal | Sheila Pyne | 634 | 3.38 | -2.18 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 18,779 | 99.05 | ||||||
| Rejected, spoiled, and declined | 181 | 0.95 | -0.08 | |||||
| Registered electors / turnout | 34,146 | 55.53 | +0.81 | |||||
| New Democratic gain from Progressive Conservative | Swing | +22.54 | ||||||
Source(s)
Elections Alberta. "Electoral Division Results - Lethbridge-West". | ||||||||
| 2012 Alberta general election | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Greg Weadick | 5,810 | 36.66 | -7.03 | ||||
| New Democratic | Shannon Phillips | 4,746 | 29.95 | +19.65 | ||||
| Wildrose | Kevin Kinahan | 4,235 | 26.72 | +19.25 | ||||
| Liberal | Bal Boora | 881 | 5.56 | -29.57 | ||||
| Alberta Party | David Walters | 177 | 1.12 | – | ||||
| Total valid votes | 15,849 | 98.97 | ||||||
| Rejected, spoiled, and declined | 165 | 1.03 | +0.62 | |||||
| Turnout | 16,014 | 54.72 | +20.84 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 29,267 | |||||||
| Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | -13.34 | ||||||
Source(s)
Elections Alberta. "Electoral Division Results - Lethbridge-West". | ||||||||
Elections in the 2000s
| 2008 Alberta general election | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Greg Weadick | 5,002 | 43.69 | +3.84 | ||||
| Liberal | Bal Boora | 4,022 | 35.13 | +2.34 | ||||
| New Democratic | James Moore | 1,179 | 10.30 | -1.96 | ||||
| Wildrose | Matt Fox | 855 | 7.47 | -0.78 | ||||
| Greens | Brennan Tilley | 392 | 3.42 | -0.05 | ||||
| Total votes | 11,450 | 99.59 | ||||||
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | 47 | 0.41 | -0.17 | |||||
| Turnout | 11,497 | 33.88 | -11.62 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 33,94 | |||||||
| Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | +0.75 | ||||||
Source(s)
"65 - LETHBRIDGE-WEST". Elections Alberta. | ||||||||
| 2004 Alberta general election | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Clint Dunford | 4,411 | 39.85 | -8.22 | ||||
| Liberal | Bal Boora | 3,629 | 32.78 | -6.74 | ||||
| New Democratic | Mark Sandlands | 1,357 | 12.26 | +4.62 | ||||
| Alberta Alliance | Merle Terlesky | 913 | 8.25 | |||||
| Greens | Andrew Sheridan | 385 | 3.48 | |||||
| Social Credit | Scott Sawatsky | 375 | 3.39 | |||||
| Total valid votes | 11,070 | 99.43 | ||||||
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | 64 | 0.57 | +0.42 | |||||
| Turnout | 11,134 | 45.50 | -11.20 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 24,471 | |||||||
| Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | -0.74 | ||||||
Source(s)
"Lethbridge-West". Canadian Elections Database. Retrieved December 17, 2024. | ||||||||
| 2001 Alberta general election | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Clint Dunford | 6,685 | 48.08 | +2.76 | ||||
| Liberal | Leslie Vaala | 5,496 | 39.53 | +1.51 | ||||
| New Democratic | Mark Sandilands | 1,062 | 7.64 | +1.21 | ||||
| Alberta First | Brian Stewart | 662 | 4.76 | -3.56 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 13,905 | 99.85 | ||||||
| Rejected, spoiled, and declined | 21 | 0.15 | ||||||
| Turnout | 13,926 | 56.70 | +1.12 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 24,561 | |||||||
| Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | +0.63 | ||||||
Source(s)
"Lethbridge-West". Canadian Elections Database. Retrieved December 17, 2024. | ||||||||
Elections in the 1990s
| 1997 Alberta general election | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Clint Dunford | 5,679 | 45.31 | +3.39 | ||||
| Liberal | Leslie Vaala | 4,765 | 38.02 | -2.92 | ||||
| Social Credit | Brian Stewart | 1,043 | 8.32 | |||||
| New Democratic | Tom Hovan | 806 | 6.43 | -2.35 | ||||
| Greens | Don Ferguson | 240 | 1.91 | |||||
| Total valid votes | 12,533 | |||||||
| Eligible electors / Turnout | 22,549 | 55.58 | +0.38 | |||||
| Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | +3.15 | ||||||
Source(s)
"Lethbridge-West". Canadian Elections Database. Retrieved December 17, 2024. | ||||||||
| 1993 Alberta general election | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Clint Dunford | 4,643 | 41.92 | -3.52 | ||||
| Liberal | Michael Dietrich | 4,534 | 40.94 | +10.17 | ||||
| New Democratic | Jacqueline Preyde | 973 | 8.78 | -15.01 | ||||
| Independent | Jason Kempt | 926 | 8.36 | |||||
| Total | 11,076 | 99.56 | ||||||
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | 49 | 0.44 | +0.25 | |||||
| Turnout | 11,125 | 55.20 | +7.23 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 20,154 | |||||||
| Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | -6.84 | ||||||
Source(s)
"Lethbridge-West". Canadian Elections Database. Retrieved December 17, 2024. | ||||||||
Elections in the 1980s
| 1989 Alberta general election | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | John Gogo | 4,741 | 45.44 | -3.20 | ||||
| Liberal | Rhonda Ruston | 3,210 | 30.76 | +11.56 | ||||
| New Democratic | Joyce Green | 2,483 | 23.80 | -0.60 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 10,434 | 99.75 | ||||||
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | 26 | 0.25 | -0.03 | |||||
| Turnout | 10,460 | 47.97 | +9.68 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 21,805 | |||||||
| Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | -7.38 | ||||||
Source(s)
"Lethbridge-West". Canadian Elections Database. Retrieved December 17, 2024. | ||||||||
| 1986 Alberta general election | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | John Gogo | 3,999 | 48.64 | -20.89 | ||||
| New Democratic | Ed Webking | 2,006 | 24.40 | +8.96 | ||||
| Liberal | Nora Galenzoski | 1,579 | 19.20 | |||||
| Representative | Douglas Pitt | 532 | 6.47 | +2.45 | ||||
| Confederation of Regions | Nora Galenzoski | 106 | 1.29 | |||||
| Total valid votes | 8,222 | 99.72 | ||||||
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | 23 | 0.28 | +0.06 | |||||
| Turnout | 8,245 | 38.29 | -23.39 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 21,535 | |||||||
| Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | -14.92 | ||||||
Source(s)
"Lethbridge-West". Canadian Elections Database. Retrieved December 17, 2024. | ||||||||
| 1982 Alberta general election | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | John Gogo | 8,302 | 69.53 | +4.88 | ||||
| New Democratic | Ian Whishaw | 1,844 | 15.44 | +4.39 | ||||
| Western Canada Concept | G.M. Genstad | 938 | 7.86 | |||||
| Social Credit | Jerry Waldern | 480 | 4.02 | -14.47 | ||||
| Alberta Reform Movement | Brenda Perkins | 377 | 3.16 | |||||
| Total valid votes | 11,941 | 99.78 | ||||||
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | 26 | 0.22 | +0.14 | |||||
| Turnout | 11,967 | 61.68 | +7.10 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 19,403 | |||||||
| Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | +0.24 | ||||||
Source(s)
"Lethbridge-West". Canadian Elections Database. Retrieved December 17, 2024. | ||||||||
Elections in the 1970s
| 1979 Alberta general election | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | John Gogo | 5,682 | 64.65 | +5.23 | ||||
| Social Credit | Jerry Waldern | 1,625 | 18.49 | -10.01 | ||||
| New Democratic | Ron Clark | 971 | 11.05 | -1.04 | ||||
| Liberal | Bob Wilson | 511 | 5.81 | |||||
| Total valid votes | 8,789 | 99.92 | ||||||
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | 7 | 0.08 | -1.86 | |||||
| Turnout | 8,796 | 54.58 | -9.92 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 16,117 | |||||||
| Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | +7.62 | ||||||
Source(s)
"Letbridge-West Official Results 1979 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Archived from the original on December 8, 2010. Retrieved March 1, 2010. {{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) | ||||||||
| 1975 Alberta general election | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | John Gogo | 3,991 | 59.42 | +23.17 | ||||
| Social Credit | Richard Gruenwald | 1,914 | 28.49 | -26.43 | ||||
| New Democratic | Ian Whishaw | 812 | 12.09 | +3.26 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 6,717 | 98.06 | ||||||
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | 133 | 1.94 | +0.96 | |||||
| Turnout | 6,850 | 64.49 | -8.76 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 10,621 | |||||||
| Progressive Conservative gain from Social Credit | Swing | +24.80 | ||||||
Source(s)
"Lethbridge-West". Canadian Elections Database. Retrieved December 17, 2024. | ||||||||
| 1971 Alberta general election | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||||
| Social Credit | Richard Gruenwald | 4,169 | 54.93 | |||||
| Progressive Conservative | R.J. Gray | 2,751 | 36.25 | |||||
| New Democratic | Klaas Buijert | 670 | 8.83 | |||||
| Total valid votes | 7,590 | 99.02 | ||||||
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | 75 | 0.98 | ||||||
| Turnout | 7,665 | 73.25 | ||||||
| Eligible voters | 10,464 | |||||||
| Social Credit pickup new district. | ||||||||
Source(s)
"Lethbridge-West". Canadian Elections Database. Retrieved December 17, 2024. | ||||||||
Senate nominee election results
2004
| 2004 Senate nominee election results: Lethbridge-West[5] | Turnout 45.59% | |||||
| Candidate | Votes | % votes | % ballots | Rank | ||
| Progressive Conservative | Bert Brown | 3,233 | 13.26% | 38.29% | 1 | |
| Independent | Link Byfield | 2,946 | 12.08% | 34.89% | 4 | |
| Progressive Conservative | Betty Unger | 2,906 | 11.92% | 34.41% | 2 | |
| Independent | Tom Sindlinger | 2,741 | 11.24% | 32.46% | 9 | |
| Alberta Alliance | Vance Gough | 2,263 | 9.28% | 26.80% | 8 | |
| Alberta Alliance | Michael Roth | 2,205 | 9.04% | 26.11% | 7 | |
| Progressive Conservative | Cliff Breitkreuz | 2,169 | 8.90% | 25.69% | 3 | |
| Progressive Conservative | David Usherwood | 2,043 | 8.38% | 24.20% | 6 | |
| Progressive Conservative | Jim Silye | 1,970 | 8.08% | 23.33% | 5 | |
| Alberta Alliance | Gary Horan | 1,905 | 7.82% | 22.56% | 10 | |
| Total votes | 24,381 | 100% | ||||
| Total ballots | 8,444 | 2.89 votes per ballot | ||||
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | 2,712 | |||||
Voters had the option of selecting four candidates on the ballot
Student vote results
2004
| Participating schools[6] |
|---|
| GS Lakie Middle School |
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.
| 2004 Alberta student vote results[7] | ||||
| Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Progressive Conservative | Clint Dunford | 184 | 34.26% | |
| Liberal | Bal Boora | 133 | 24.77% | |
| NDP | Mark Sandilands | 75 | 13.97% | |
| Green | Andrew Sheridan | 61 | 11.36% | |
| Social Credit | Scott Sawatsky | 44 | 8.19% | |
| Alberta Alliance | Merle Terlesky | 40 | 7.45% | |
| Total | 537 | 100% | ||
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | 19 | |||