Alberta NDP suspends campaigns in ridings hit by wildfires

Alberta NDP Opposition Leader Rachel Notley addresses the Calgary Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022. Notley and the NDP suspended their election campaigning in six ridings impacted by the Alberta wildfires Saturday. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh)

The Alberta NDP announced Saturday it has suspended campaigns in six ridings impacted by wildfires across the province.

Campaigning has been suspended in the following ridings:

•          Drayton Valley-Devon;
•          Lesser Slave Lake;
•          Central Peace-Notley;
•          Lac Ste. Anne-Parkland;
•          West Yellowhead; and
•          Grande Prairie-Wapiti

In a press briefing Saturday afternoon, NDP leader Rachel Notley said she was willing to work with Premier Danielle Smith and the emergency cabinet committee to share her experience from previous emergencies such as the 2016 Fort McMurray fire.

Notley also reflected on her mindset during those 2016 wildfires that forced the evacuation of Fort McMurray, in response to a question from CTV News reporter Timm Bruch.

"What we did, as we wrestled with the many, many pressures that came as a result of a city of 80,000 or more being evacuated and in 12 hours, was we tried to put ourselves in the position of the folks who were being evacuated," she said.

"We tried to put ourselves in the position of the people who left their homes. And then we said, if I was that person, what would I need in order to help make this a little bit easier?"

The Fort McMurray wildfire doubled in size in 12 hours, and at one point crossed Highway 63, the only major evacuation route south. The blaze was nicknamed "The Beast." It caused billions of dollars of damages.

"We worked backwards from that position," she said. "And that's where we came to the conclusion that we needed to give them a support for the emergent pressures that would impact their daily living.

"When they're no longer in their jobs, and they're no longer in their houses," she said. "We needed to make sure that they had all the information possible that it was given to them on every possible different channel, so they knew what was happening.

"And we knew that we needed to make sure that there were comprehensive health and mental health supports made available to them subsequently, there were other things that they needed to.

"But at this point in the process," she added, "those were the things that that were really important along, of course, with doing everything that we could to support our incredible firefighters and to help them consolidate their efforts on getting that fire under control."

Smith and the emergency cabinet committee updated Notley later Saturday afternoon. A state of emergency has been declared in the province.

She also announced that two UCP candidates have officially suspended their campaigns - Todd Loewen, who is running in Central Peace-Notley and Andrew Boitchenko, who is running in Drayton Valley-Devon.