# Pincher Creek-Crowsnest

Pincher Creek-Crowsnest was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada, mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1940 to 1993.

## History

Members of the Legislative Assembly for Pincher Creek-Crowsnest :
| Assembly | Years | Member | Party |
| See Pincher Creek electoral district from 1905-1940 and Cardston electoral district from 1905-1940 |||||
| 9th | 1940–1944 | Ernest O. Duke | Social Credit |
| 10th | 1944–1948 | Ernest O. Duke | Social Credit |
| 11th | 1948–1952 | William A. Kovach | Social Credit |
| 12th | 1952–1955 | William A. Kovach | Social Credit |
| 13th | 1955–1959 | William A. Kovach | Social Credit |
| 14th | 1959–1963 | William A. Kovach | Social Credit |
| 15th | 1963–1966 | William A. Kovach | Social Credit |
| 15th | 1966–1967 | Garth A. Turcott | New Democratic |
| 16th | 1967–1971 | Charles Duncan Drain | Social Credit |
| 17th | 1971–1975 | Charles Duncan Drain | Social Credit |
| 18th | 1975–1979 | Frederick Deryl Bradley | Progressive Conservative |
| 19th | 1979–1982 | Frederick Deryl Bradley | Progressive Conservative |
| 20th | 1982–1986 | Frederick Deryl Bradley | Progressive Conservative |
| 21st | 1986–1989 | Frederick Deryl Bradley | Progressive Conservative |
| 22nd | 1989–1993 | Frederick Deryl Bradley | Progressive Conservative |
| See Pincher Creek-Macleod electoral district from 1993-1997 |||||
The Pincher Creek-Crowsnest electoral district was formed prior to the 1940 Alberta general election from the Pincher Creek and Rocky Mountain electoral districts.
The Pincher Creek-Crowsnest electoral district was abolished in the 1993 electoral district re-distribution, and merged with portions of Macleod and Highwood electoral districts to form Pincher Creek-Macleod.

## Election results
### 1940

vte1940 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes 1st count | % | Votes final count | ±% |
| | Social Credit | Ernest O. Duke | 2,356 | 42.59% | 2,443 | – |
| | Independent | C.J. Tompkins | 2,129 | 38.49% | 2,210 | – |
| | Dominion Labor | Enoch Williams | 1,047 | 18.93% | – | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 5,532 | – | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 195 | – | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 6,650 | 86.12% | – | – |
| | Social Credit pickup new district. | Social Credit pickup new district. | Social Credit pickup new district. | Social Credit pickup new district. | Social Credit pickup new district. | Social Credit pickup new district. | Social Credit pickup new district. |
| Source(s) Source: "Pincher Creek-Crowsnest Official Results 1940 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.Instant-runoff voting requires a candidate to receive a plurality (greater than 50%) of the votes. As no candidate received a plurality of votes, the bottom candidate was eliminated and their 2nd place votes were applied to both other candidates until one received a plurality. |||||||

### 1944

vte1944 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes 1st count | % | Votes final count | ±% |
| | Social Credit | Ernest O. Duke | 2,109 | 43.40% | 2,228 | 0.82% |
| | Labour United | Enoch Williams | 1,788 | 36.80% | 1,870 | – |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth | W.H. Irwin | 962 | 19.80% | – | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 4,859 | – | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 50 | – | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 6,703 | 73.24% | -12.88% | – |
| | Social Credit hold | Social Credit hold | Swing | Swing | 1.25% |
| Source(s) Source: "Pincher Creek-Crowsnest Official Results 1944 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.Instant-runoff voting requires a candidate to receive a plurality (greater than 50%) of the votes. As no candidate received a plurality of votes, the bottom candidate was eliminated and their 2nd place votes were applied to both other candidates until one received a plurality. |||||||

### 1948

vte1948 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes 1st count | % | Votes final count | ±% |
| | Social Credit | William A. Kovach | 2,210 | 45.30% | 2,292 | 1.89% |
| | Liberal | J. W. Rutherford | 998 | 20.46% | 1,045 | – |
| | Labor–Progressive | B. R. Swankey | 856 | 17.54% | – | – |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth | John Lloyd | 815 | 16.70% | – | -3.09% |
| Total | Total | Total | 4,879 | – | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 498 | – | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 7,465 | 72.03% | -1.21% | – |
| | Social Credit hold | Social Credit hold | Swing | Swing | 9.12% |
| Source(s) Source: "Pincher Creek-Crowsnest Official Results 1948 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.Instant-runoff voting requires a candidate to receive a plurality (greater than 50%) of the votes. As no candidate received a plurality of votes, the bottom candidate was eliminated and their 2nd place votes were applied to both other candidates until one received a plurality. |||||||

### 1952

vte1952 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Social Credit | William A. Kovach | 3,207 | 76.09% | 30.79% |
| | Liberal | Thomas J. Costigan | 1,008 | 23.91% | 3.46% |
| Total | Total | Total | 4,215 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 429 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 7,446 | 62.37% | -9.66% |
| | Social Credit hold | Social Credit hold | Swing | Swing | 13.66% |
| Source(s) Source: "Pincher Creek-Crowsnest Official Results 1952 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1955

vte1955 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Social Credit | William A. Kovach | 2,799 | 61.44% | -14.65% |
| | Liberal–Conservative | H. Ferguson | 1,394 | 30.60% | – |
| | Labor–Progressive | B. R. Swankey | 363 | 7.97% | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 4,556 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 288 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 6,614 | 73.24% | 10.87% |
| | Social Credit hold | Social Credit hold | Swing | Swing | -10.67% |
| Source(s) Source: "Pincher Creek-Crowsnest Official Results 1955 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1959

vte1959 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Social Credit | William A. Kovach | 3,145 | 67.09% | 5.65% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Alex Grant | 1,133 | 24.17% | – |
| | Liberal | C. Boyden | 410 | 8.75% | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 4,688 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 14 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 6,280 | 74.87% | 1.63% |
| | Social Credit hold | Social Credit hold | Swing | Swing | 6.04% |
| Source(s) Source: "Pincher Creek-Crowsnest Official Results 1959 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1963

vte1963 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Social Credit | William A. Kovach | 2,524 | 54.43% | -12.65% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Frank Lynch-Staunton | 953 | 20.55% | -3.62% |
| | New Democratic | Arthur Lees | 621 | 13.39% | – |
| | Liberal | Thomas J. Costigan | 539 | 11.62% | 2.88% |
| Total | Total | Total | 4,637 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 11 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 6,847 | 67.88% | -6.99% |
| | Social Credit hold | Social Credit hold | Swing | Swing | -4.52% |
| Source(s) Source: "Pincher Creek-Crowsnest Official Results 1963 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1966 by-election

vteAlberta provincial by-election, October 6, 1966 Upon the death of William A. Kovach :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | New Democratic | Garth A. Turcott | 1,767 | 34.53% | 21.14% |
| | Social Credit | J. H. Hanrahan | 1,631 | 31.87% | -22.56% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Alexander B. Wells | 951 | 18.59% | -1.96% |
| | Liberal | F. Benton Murphy | 768 | 15.01% | 3.39% |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 5,117 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled, and declined | Rejected, spoiled, and declined | Rejected, spoiled, and declined | – | – | – |
| Electors / turnout | Electors / turnout | Electors / turnout | – | – | – |
| | New Democratic gain from Social Credit | New Democratic gain from Social Credit | Swing | Swing | N/A |
| Source(s) "By-elections". Elections Alberta. Retrieved May 26, 2020. |||||||

### 1967

vte1967 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Social Credit | Charles Duncan Drain | 2,345 | 46.03% | 15.16% |
| | New Democratic | Garth A. Turcott | 1,772 | 34.79% | 0.26% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Alexander B. Wells | 722 | 14.17% | -4.42% |
| | Liberal | F. Benton Murphy | 255 | 5.01% | -10.00% |
| Total | Total | Total | 5,094 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 28 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 6,574 | 77.91% | 10.03% |
| | Social Credit gain from New Democratic | Social Credit gain from New Democratic | Swing | Swing | N/A |
| Source(s) Source: "Pincher Creek-Crowsnest Official Results 1967 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1971

vte1971 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Social Credit | Charles Duncan Drain | 2,379 | 43.06% | -2.98% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Morgan Johnson | 1,791 | 32.42% | 18.24% |
| | New Democratic | Clarence W. Smith | 1,355 | 24.52% | -10.26% |
| Total | Total | Total | 5,525 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 31 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 7,284 | 76.28% | -1.64% |
| | Social Credit hold | Social Credit hold | Swing | Swing | -0.30% |
| Source(s) Source: "Pincher Creek-Crowsnest Official Results 1971 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1975

vte1975 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Frederick Deryl Bradley | 3,209 | 60.21% | 27.79% |
| | Social Credit | Charles Drain | 1,837 | 34.47% | -8.59% |
| | New Democratic | David Elliot | 235 | 4.41% | -20.12% |
| | Independent | Gwen Gyulai | 49 | 0.92% | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 5,330 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 35 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 7,488 | 71.65% | -4.63% |
| | Progressive Conservative gain from Social Credit | Progressive Conservative gain from Social Credit | Swing | Swing | 7.55% |
| Source(s) Source: "Pincher Creek-Crowsnest Official Results 1975 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1979

vte1979 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Frederick Deryl Bradley | 3,567 | 60.67% | 0.47% |
| | Social Credit | Robert (Bob) Westrop | 1,503 | 25.57% | -8.90% |
| | New Democratic | Ian Downie | 628 | 10.68% | 6.27% |
| | Liberal | Ann Gill | 181 | 3.08% | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 5,879 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 24 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 8,788 | 67.17% | -4.48% |
| | Progressive Conservative hold | Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | 4.68% |
| Source(s) Source: "Pincher Creek-Crowsnest Official Results 1979 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1982

vte1982 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Frederick Deryl Bradley | 4,388 | 64.69% | 4.02% |
| | New Democratic | Mike Cooper | 1,636 | 24.12% | 13.44% |
| | Western Canada Concept | Dennis Olson | 650 | 9.58% | – |
| | Liberal | Jerry Potts | 109 | 1.61% | -1.47% |
| Total | Total | Total | 6,783 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 18 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 9,188 | 74.02% | 6.85% |
| | Progressive Conservative hold | Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | 2.73% |
| Source(s) Source: "Pincher Creek-Crowsnest Official Results 1982 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1986

vte1986 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Frederick Deryl Bradley | 3,134 | 51.53% | -13.16% |
| | New Democratic | Mike Cooper | 2,948 | 48.47% | 24.35% |
| Total | Total | Total | 6,082 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 21 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 9,251 | 65.97% | -8.05% |
| | Progressive Conservative hold | Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | -18.76% |
| Source(s) Source: "Pincher Creek-Crowsnest Official Results 1986 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1989

vte1989 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Frederick Deryl Bradley | 3,262 | 52.68% | 1.15% |
| | New Democratic | Mike Cooper | 2,119 | 34.22% | -14.25% |
| | Liberal | Stan Stoklosa | 811 | 13.10% | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 6,192 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 14 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 9,044 | 68.62% | 2.65% |
| | Progressive Conservative hold | Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | 7.70% |
| Source(s) Source: "Pincher Creek-Crowsnest Official Results 1989 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

## Plebiscite results
### 1957 liquor plebiscite

1957 Alberta liquor plebiscite results: Pincher Creek-Crowsnest :
| Question A: Do you approve additional types of outlets for the sale of beer, wine and spirituous liquor subject to a local vote? ||||
| Ballot choice | Ballot choice | Votes | % |
| | Yes | 1,656 | 65.87% |
| | No | 858 | 34.13% |
| Total votes | Total votes | 2,514 | 100% |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 9 | 9 |
| 6,009 eligible electors, turnout 41.99% ||||
On October 30, 1957 a stand alone plebiscite was held province wide in all 50 of the then current provincial electoral districts in Alberta. The government decided to consult Alberta voters to decide on liquor sales and mixed drinking after a divisive debate in the legislature. The plebiscite was intended to deal with the growing demand for reforming antiquated liquor control laws.
The plebiscite was conducted in two parts. Question A, asked in all districts, asked the voters if the sale of liquor should be expanded in Alberta, while Question B, asked in a handful of districts within the corporate limits of Calgary and Edmonton, asked if men and women should be allowed to drink together in establishments.
Province wide Question A of the plebiscite passed in 33 of the 50 districts while Question B passed in all five districts. Pincher Creek-Crowsnest voted in favour of the proposal with a near landslide majority. Voter turnout in the district was poor, as it fell significantly below the province wide average of 46%.
Official district returns were released to the public on December 31, 1957. The Social Credit government in power at the time did not consider the results binding. However the results of the vote led the government to repeal all existing liquor legislation and introduce an entirely new Liquor Act.
Municipal districts lying inside electoral districts that voted against the plebiscite were designated Local Option Zones by the Alberta Liquor Control Board and considered effective dry zones. Business owners who wanted a license had to petition for a binding municipal plebiscite in order to be granted a license.