# Grande Prairie-Smoky

Grande Prairie-Smoky was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada, mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using first-past-the-post balloting from 1993 to 2019.
The riding was created in 1993 when from the Smoky River electoral district was expanded into the old Whitecourt electoral district. The district includes the north portion of the city of Grande Prairie as well as the towns of Fox Creek, Sexsmith and Valleyview.

## History

The electoral district was created in the 1993 boundary redistribution from the electoral district of Smoky River and Whitecourt. It remained mostly unchanged in the 1997 and 2003 electoral boundary re-distributions. The Boundaries Commission proposed to abolish the district to create a completely urban Grande Prairie district but it changed its decision under public pressure. The 2010 re-distribution made minor changes to the border with Grande Prairie-Wapiti in the city of Grande Prairie but stayed the same in the rural areas.

### Boundary history

56 Grande Prairie-Smoky 2003 boundaries :
| Bordering districts ||||
| North | East | West | South |
| Dunvegan-Central Peace, Lesser Slave Lake | Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock, Whitecourt-Ste. Anne | Grande Prairie-Wapiti | West Yellowhead |
| riding map goes here | riding map goes here | | |
| Legal description from Electoral Divisions Act, S.A. 2003, c. E-4.1 ||||
| Starting at the intersection of the east boundary of Rge. 7 W6 and the north boundary of Sec. 7 in Twp. 75, Rge. 6 W6; then 1. east along the north boundary of Secs. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 in Twp. 75, Rges. 6 and 5 W6 to the east boundary of Rge. 5 W6; 2. south along the east boundary of Rge. 5 to the north boundary of Twp. 74; 3. east along the north boundary of Twp. 74 to the east boundary of Sec. 3 in Twp. 75, Rge. 3 W6; 4. north along the east boundary of Secs. 3, 10, 15, 22 and 27 of the Twp. to the north boundary of the south half of Sec. 26 in the Twp.; 5. east along the north boundary of the south half of Secs. 26 and 25 in the Twp. to the east boundary of Rge. 3 W6; 6. north along the east boundary to the north boundary of Sec. 30 in Twp. 75, Rge. 2 W6; 7. east along the north boundary to the east boundary of the west half of Sec. 31 in the Twp.; 8. north along the east boundary to the north boundary of the south half of Sec. 31; 9. east along the north boundary of the south half of Secs. 31 and 32 in the Twp. to the east boundary of the west half of Sec. 32; 10. north along the east boundary of the west half of Sec. 32 in the Twp. and Sec. 5 in Twp. 76, Rge. 2 W6 to the north boundary of the south half of Sec. 5; 11. east along the north boundary to the east boundary of Sec. 5 in the Twp.; 12. north along the east boundary to the north boundary of Sec. 4 in the Twp.; 13. east along the north boundary of Secs. 4 and 3 in the Twp. to the east boundary of Sec. 3 in the Twp.; 14. south along the east boundary to the north boundary of Twp. 75; 15. east along the north boundary to the right bank of the Smoky River; 16. downstream along the right bank of the Smoky River to the right bank of the Little Smoky River; 17. upstream along the right bank of the Little Smoky River to the east boundary of Rge. 24 W5; 18. south along the east boundary to the north boundary of Twp. 73; 19. east along the north boundary to the east boundary of Rge. 20 W5; 20. south along the east boundary to the north boundary of Twp. 70; 21. east along the north boundary of Twp. 70 to the east boundary of Rge. 19 W5; 22. south along Rge. 19 to the north boundary of Twp. 67; 23. east along the north boundary to the east boundary of Rge. 14 W5; 24. south along the east boundary to the north boundary of Twp. 62; 25. west along the north boundary of Twp. 62 to the east boundary of Rge. 15 W5; 26. south along the east boundary to the north boundary of Twp. 61; 27. west along the north boundary of Twp. 61 to the east boundary of Rge. 16 W5; 28. south along the east boundary to the right bank of the Athabasca River; 29. upstream along the right bank of the Athabasca River to the right bank of the Berland River; 30. upstream along the right bank of the Berland River to the east boundary of Rge. 25 W5; 31. north along the east boundary to the north boundary of Twp. 62; 32. west along the north boundary to its most westerly intersection with the left bank of the Smoky River; 33. downstream along the left bank to the right bank of the Wapiti River; 34. upstream along the right bank to the east boundary of Sec. 19 in Twp. 70, Rge. 5 W6; 35. north along the east boundary of Secs. 19, 30 and 31 in the Twp. to the north boundary of Twp. 70; 36. west along the north boundary to the centre line of the Alberta RailNet Inc.; 37. in a generally northerly direction along the centre line of the Alberta RailNet Inc. to the south Grande Prairie city boundary; 38. east and north along the city boundary to the centre line of 100 Avenue (Richmond Avenue); 39. west along the centre line of 100 Avenue to the west Grande Prairie city boundary; 40. in a generally northerly and easterly direction along the city boundary to the intersection with the right bank of the Bear River; 41. upstream along the right bank of the Bear River to the intersection with the right bank of the Grande Prairie Creek; 42. upstream along the right bank of the Grande Prairie Creek to the north boundary of Twp. 72; 43. west along the north boundary to the east boundary of Rge. 7; 44. north along the east boundary of Rge. 7 to the starting point. ||||
| Note: ||||
61 Grande Prairie-Smoky 2010 boundaries :
| Bordering districts ||||
| North | East | West | South |
| Dunvegan-Central Peace-Notley and Lesser Slave Lake | Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock, Whitecourt-Ste. Anne | Grande Prairie-Wapiti | West Yellowhead |
| Note: Boundary descriptions were not used in the 2010 redistribution ||||

### Representation history

Members of the Legislative Assembly for Grande Prairie-Smoky :
| Assembly | Years | Member | Party |
| See Grande Prairie 1930-1993, Smoky River 1971-1993 and Whitecourt 1971-1993 |||||
| 23rd | 1993–1997 | Walter Paszkowski | Progressive Conservative |
| 24th | 1997–2001 | Walter Paszkowski | Progressive Conservative |
| 25th | 2001–2004 | Mel Knight | Progressive Conservative |
| 26th | 2004–2008 | Mel Knight | Progressive Conservative |
| 27th | 2008–2012 | Mel Knight | Progressive Conservative |
| 28th | 2012–2015 | Everett McDonald | Progressive Conservative |
| 29th | 2015–2017 | Todd Loewen | Wildrose |
| 29th | 2017-2019 | Todd Loewen | United Conservative |
| See Grande Prairie, Grande Prairie-Wapiti and Central Peace-Notley 2019- |||||
The electoral district was created in the 1993 boundary redistribution primarily from the old Smoky River and Whitecourt riding's. The first election held that year saw Progressive Conservative Smoky River incumbent Walter Paszkowski win a comfortable majority to pick up the seat for his party. He ran for a second term winning a larger majority in the 1997 election. He retired from the legislature at dissolution in 2001.
The former representative was Progressive Conservative Mel Knight who won his first election in 2001 with a massive majority taking 67% of the popular vote. He was re-elected to his second term in the 2004 election with a very large, but reduced majority.
Premier Ed Stelmach appointed Mel Knight as Minister of Energy in 2006. He won a slightly higher majority running for a third term in the 2008 general election. Knight was shuffled out of the Energy portfolio in 2010 and then served as the Minister of Sustainable Resource Development.
Upon his retirement, Everett McDonald kept the seat for the PCs at a reduced vote share in the 2012 election. In 2015, however, third-time candidate Todd Loewen finally captured the seat for Wildrose. He subsequently crossed the floor to the United Conservative Party when the two parties merged.

## Legislative election results
### 1993

vte1993 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Walter Paszkowski | 4,942 | 55.06% | – |
| | Liberal | John Croken | 2,506 | 27.92% | – |
| | New Democratic | Christine Potts | 1,199 | 13.36% | – |
| | Confederation of Regions | Herb Wohlgemuth | 329 | 3.67% | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 8,976 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled, and declined | Rejected, spoiled, and declined | Rejected, spoiled, and declined | 14 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 16,434 | 54.70% | – |
| | Progressive Conservative pickup new district. | Progressive Conservative pickup new district. | Progressive Conservative pickup new district. | Progressive Conservative pickup new district. | Progressive Conservative pickup new district. | Progressive Conservative pickup new district. | Progressive Conservative pickup new district. |
| Source(s) Source: "Grande Prairie-Smoky Official Results 1993 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1997

vte1997 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Walter Paszkowski | 5,753 | 64.71% | 9.65% |
| | Liberal | John A. Croken | 1,995 | 22.44% | -5.48% |
| | New Democratic | Linda Smith | 1,143 | 12.86% | -0.50% |
| Total | Total | Total | 8,891 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 30 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 18,818 | 47.41% | -7.30% |
| | Progressive Conservative hold | Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | 7.56% |
| Source(s) Source: "Grande Prairie-Smoky Official Results 1997 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 2001

vte2001 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Mel Knight | 6,241 | 67.54% | 2.84% |
| | Liberal | Barry Robinson | 1,777 | 19.23% | -3.21% |
| | New Democratic | Leon Pendleton | 842 | 9.11% | -3.74% |
| | Alberta Independence | Dennis Young | 380 | 4.11% | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 9,240 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 5 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 21,068 | 43.88% | -3.53% |
| | Progressive Conservative hold | Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | 3.02% |
| Source(s) Source: "Grande Prairie-Smoky Official Results 2001 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 2004

vte2004 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Mel Knight | 4,369 | 56.43% | -11.12% |
| | Liberal | Neil Peacock | 1,965 | 25.38% | 6.15% |
| | New Democratic | Georgina Szoke | 724 | 9.35% | 0.24% |
| | Alberta Alliance | Hank Rahn | 685 | 8.85% | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 7,743 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 25 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 22,083 | 35.18% | -8.71% |
| | Progressive Conservative hold | Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | -8.63% |
| Source(s) Source: "Grande Prairie-Smoky Statement of Official Results 2004 Alberta general election" (PDF). Elections Alberta. Retrieved March 27, 2010. |||||||

### 2008

vte2008 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Mel Knight | 4,769 | 59.43% | 3.01% |
| | Liberal | John A. Croken | 1,089 | 13.57% | -11.81% |
| | Wildrose Alliance | Todd Loewen | 1,049 | 13.07% | – |
| | New Democratic | Neil R.M. Peacock | 832 | 10.37% | 1.02% |
| | Green | Rebecca Villebrun | 285 | 3.55% | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 8,024 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 31 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 27,058 | 29.77% | -5.41% |
| | Progressive Conservative hold | Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | 7.41% |
| Source(s) Source: The Report on the March 3, 2008 Provincial General Election of the Twenty-seventh Legislative Assembly. Elections Alberta. July 28, 2008. pp. 424–429. |||||||

### 2012

vte2012 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Everett McDonald | 5,458 | 45.79% | -13.64% |
| | Wildrose | Todd Loewen | 4,912 | 41.21% | 28.14% |
| | New Democratic | Mary Dahr | 757 | 6.35% | -4.02% |
| | Liberal | Kevin McLean | 583 | 4.89% | -8.68% |
| | Independent | Andrew Muise | 209 | 1.75% | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 11,919 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 34 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 28,126 | 42.50% | 12.73% |
| | Progressive Conservative hold | Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | -20.64% |
| Source(s) Source: "Grande Prairie-Smoky Official Results 2012 Alberta general election". Elections Alberta. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 2015

vte2015 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Wildrose | Todd Loewen | 5,343 | 33.17% | -8.04% |
| | New Democratic | Todd Russell | 5,009 | 31.10% | 24.75% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Everett McDonald | 4,968 | 30.84% | -14.95% |
| | Liberal | Kevin McLean | 787 | 4.89% | -0.01% |
| Total | Total | Total | 16,107 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 42 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 32,930 | 49.04% | 6.54% |
| | Wildrose gain from Progressive Conservative | Wildrose gain from Progressive Conservative | Swing | Swing | -1.25% |
| Source(s) Source: "Grande Prairie-Smoky Official Results 2015 Alberta general election". Elections Alberta. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

## Senate nominee election results
### 2004

| 2004 Senate nominee election results: Grande Prairie-Smoky | 2004 Senate nominee election results: Grande Prairie-Smoky | 2004 Senate nominee election results: Grande Prairie-Smoky | 2004 Senate nominee election results: Grande Prairie-Smoky | 2004 Senate nominee election results: Grande Prairie-Smoky | Turnout 35.30% | Turnout 35.30% |
| | Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % votes | % ballots | Rank |
| | Progressive Conservative | Cliff Breitkreuz | 3,304 | 16.08% | 50.85% | 3 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Betty Unger | 2,831 | 13.77% | 43.57% | 2 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Bert Brown | 2,779 | 13.52% | 42.77% | 1 |
| | Independent | Link Byfield | 2,124 | 10.34% | 32.69% | 4 |
| | Progressive Conservative | David Usherwood | 1,872 | 9.11% | 28.81% | 6 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Jim Silye | 1,775 | 8.64% | 27.32% | 5 |
| | Alberta Alliance | Michael Roth | 1,645 | 8.01% | 25.32% | 7 |
| | Alberta Alliance | Gary Horan | 1,492 | 7.26% | 22.96% | 10 |
| | Alberta Alliance | Vance Gough | 1,477 | 7.19% | 22.73% | 8 |
| | Independent | Tom Sindlinger | 1,251 | 6.08% | 19.26% | 9 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 20,550 | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Total ballots | Total ballots | Total ballots | 6,497 | 3.16 votes per ballot | 3.16 votes per ballot | 3.16 votes per ballot |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 1,299 | 1,299 | 1,299 | 1,299 |
Voters had the option of selecting four candidates on the ballot

### 2012
## Student vote results
### 2004

* Participating schools
* Grande Prairie Composite HS
* Harry Balfour School
* Harry Gray Elementary School
* Hillside Jr-Sr High School
* Peace Wapiti Academy
* Sexsmith Secondary School
* St. Marys School
* St. Stephens
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 :
| | Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Progressive Conservative | Mel Knight | 609 | 44.88% |
| | Liberal | Neil Peacock | 386 | 28.45% |
| | NDP | Georgina Szoke | 252 | 18.57% |
| | Alberta Alliance | Hank Rahn | 110 | 8.10% |
| Total | Total | Total | 1,357 | 100% |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 54 | 54 |

### 2012

2012 Alberta student vote results :
| | Affiliation | Candidate | % |
| | Progressive Conservative | Everett McDonald | % |
| | Wildrose | Todd Loewen |
| | Liberal | Kevin McLean | % |
| | NDP | Mary Dahr | % |
| Total | Total | Total | 100% |