Alberta’s Upgraders Are in Stelmach’s Riding

Here’s an amazing fact not many Albertans are aware of:

Ed Stelmach’s riding is host to billions of dollars in refinery investment - Fort Saskatchewan.

I work in this riding, at Shell’s Upgrader. Yes, this project supports my livelihood, as it does many Albertans. It’s such an odd riding. I mean, at least a few thousand members of Alberta’ Building Trades Council earn their living here, but very few seem to support this government.

For the first time, while on my way to work this morning, I put two and two together. Those Ed Stelmach signs are there alongside Highway 21 because it’s Ed’s riding.

I had a chance to tour the countryside this weekend, and traveled to Banff, via Cochrane, and traveled through Ted Morton’s homeland. The rolling hills, cattle and dry creekbeds had the words of Ian Tyson coming to mind. Each Morton sign I passed seemed to re-enforce the idea that this must be his riding, and, by extension, those Ed Stelmach signs I see on the way to work signify that the riding of Fort Saskatchewan is the land of Stelmachistan, aka ‘Refinery Row’, which often takes backseat to Fort McMurray in terms of the province’s focus.