Whalen pulls out of Lethbridge mayoral race, backing Hyggen
One of six candidates running for mayor of Lethbridge has pulled out of the race and will seek a city council position instead.
Lethbridge restaurant owner Brad Whalen said he is also throwing his support behind mayoral candidate Blaine Hyggen, since there are strong similarities in their platforms.
“I decided rather than run against Blaine, I would endorse him,” said Whalen.
“The progress that he wants to see is the same progress that I want to see.”
Whalen was the first candidate to officially file his nomination papers for mayor back in March. The four others vying for the top job are Sheldon Day Chief, Gary Klassen, Kolton Menzak and Stephen Mogdan.
Whalen said he made a decision to withdraw from the mayoral race after having a few discussions with Hyggen and realizing their campaigns were closely aligned.
“I really liked the direction he’s going, and he’s got a great deal of support, and now he has my support as well," he said.
Whalen added he would rather run for a council position and work on the same team, than run against Hyggen and have only one of them be successful.
“It was never about me being mayor and being in that position,” said Whalen. “It was about being part of a team and building a team that can make the city move in the right direction.”
Whalen said his goals are still to support small businesses and build a progressive city that is ready to expand.
Whalen was planning to retract his mayoral bid and officially file nomination papers for councillor on Tuesday.
That will leave five candidates for mayor, and increase the number of nominees seeking a councillor position to 12. The municipal election in Lethbridge is set for Oct. 18.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
N.S. Progressive Conservatives win second majority government; NDP to form opposition
For the second time in a row, Tim Houston's Progressive Conservatives have won a majority government in Nova Scotia. But this time, the NDP will form the official opposition.
Paul Bernardo denied parole after victims' families plead he be kept behind bars
Notorious killer and rapist Paul Bernardo has been denied parole for a third time after the families of his victims made an emotional plea to the Parole Board of Canada on Tuesday to keep him behind bars.
'We would likely go out of business': Canadian business owners sound the alarm over Trump's tariffs
Business leaders across Canada are voicing concerns and fear over the widespread impact increased tariffs could have on their companies and workers, with some already looking to boost sales in other markets in the event their products become too expensive to sell to American customers.
Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire takes effect
A ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed group Hezbollah took effect on Wednesday after U.S. President Joe Biden said both sides accepted an agreement brokered by the United States and France.
Longtime member of Edmonton theatre community dies during 'A Christmas Carol' performance
Edmonton's theatre community is in mourning after an actor died during a performance of "A Christmas Carol" at the Citadel Theatre on Sunday.
'We need to address those issues': Alberta Premier Danielle Smith won't denounce Trump tariff threat
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says Canada should address U.S. president-elect Donald Trump's border concerns in the next two months, before he's back in the White House, instead of comparing our situation to Mexico's and arguing the tariff threats are unjustified.
Loonie tanks after Trump threatens tariffs on Canadian goods
The Canadian dollar fell to its lowest level since May 2020 after Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Canadian goods shipped to the United States once he takes office in January.
Should Canada retaliate if Trump makes good on 25 per cent tariff threat?
After U.S. president-elect Donald Trump threatened to impose a 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian imports on his first day back in the White House unless his border concerns are addressed, there is mixed reaction on whether Canada should retaliate.
'We need to do better': Canadian leaders respond to Trump's border concerns
As U.S. president-elect Donald Trump threatens Canada with major tariffs, sounding alarms over the number of people and drugs illegally crossing into America, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and some premiers say they agree that more could be done.