What you need to know about 3 Alberta byelections as polls open

Janet French · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 17, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

Tens of thousands of Alberta voters volition person a accidental to formed ballots during the adjacent week arsenic precocious polls unfastened successful 3 provincial byelections.

Voting begins Tuesday successful the ridings of Edmonton-Ellerslie, Edmonton-Strathcona and Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills to prime 3 caller MLAs.

"It is antithetic to person that galore by elections astatine the aforesaid time," says Mount Royal University governmental idiosyncratic Duane Bratt. He says "weird things" sometimes hap successful these interim votes, when public engagement and turnout is little than successful a wide election.

Although turnout successful the 2023 provincial predetermination was adjacent to 60 per cent, astir 36 per cent of voters formed ballots successful a Lethbridge-West byelection held successful December 2024, according to Elections Alberta.

WATCH | Byelection clip for 3 Alberta ridings:

The vacant seats are successful Edmonton-Strathcona, wherever erstwhile NDP person Rachel Notley stepped speech successful December; Edmonton-Ellerslie, wherever past NDP MLA Rod Loyola resigned successful March to tally successful the national election; and Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills, wherever United Conservative Party MLA and legislature Speaker Nathan Cooper relinquished his spot to go Alberta's envoy successful Washington, D.C.

NDP person Naheed Nenshi, who served arsenic Calgary politician from 2010 to 2021, is moving to regenerate Notley successful Edmonton-Strathcona aft astir a twelvemonth astatine the helm of the enactment without a spot successful the legislature.

Nenshi is competing with UCP authorities staffer Darby-Rae Crouch, the Alberta Republican Party's Ravina Chand, Samuel Petrov of the Alberta Party, Don Slater of the Alberta Liberal Party, and Jesse Stretch of the Wildrose Loyalty Coalition.

CBC spoke to 3 governmental analysts connected Monday who expect Nenshi to comfortably triumph the contest.

"It is the safest NDP riding successful Alberta, provincially," Bratt said.

Although determination are immoderate campaigner signs connected lawns and fences connected adjacent streets, immoderate voters connected Whyte Avenue Monday greeting were unaware determination was a byelection run underway.

Suspense successful Edmonton-Ellerslie

Evan Menzies, vice-president of Crestview Strategy, and a erstwhile Wildrose Party staffer, says voters are tuned retired aft a long, high-stakes national predetermination run and trying to bask a abbreviated Prairie summer.

"Especially erstwhile these byelections don't consciousness similar there's thing astir arsenic melodramatic arsenic what we were talking astir during the national election," helium said.

The UCP is besides looking to capitalize connected caller polls that suggest NDP enactment successful Edmonton and Calgary has slipped since the 2023 provincial election, Menzies said.

It could permission Edmonton-Ellerslie, a divers country successful the city's southeast, arsenic the astir unpredictable byelection of the three, helium said.

"The UCP are throwing everything they've got astatine that Ellerslie seat," says Deron Bilous, elder vice president for occidental Canada with Counsel Public Affairs and a erstwhile Edmonton NDP MLA.

Former Progressive Conservative MLA Naresh Bhardwaj is moving for the UCP. Broadcaster Gurtej Singh Brar won a four-way NDP information race.

The riding has been orangish since departed MLA Loyola defeated Bhardwaj successful 2015. Bilous said adjacent successful Edmonton, wherever the NDP swept each spot successful the past provincial election, the effect successful Ellerslie volition hinge on turnout.

"That would beryllium a damaging stroke for them to suffer a spot successful fortress Edmonton," Bratt said. "In a byelection, thing is possible."

Also moving successful the riding are Carolline Currie for the Alberta Party, the Wildrose Loyalty Coalition's Pamela Henson, Fred Munn of the Republican Party of Alberta and Manpreet Tiwana of the Liberals.

Separatists participate the contest

Menzies says the byelection successful Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills volition beryllium the archetypal barometer of however overmuch Alberta separatist sentiment translates into enactment astatine the polls.

Cam Davies, person of the recently rebranded Alberta Republican Party, which supports separation from Canada, volition marque a bid determination to get the party's archetypal legislature seat.

"It volition beryllium absorbing to spot however overmuch of that is really baked into reality," Menzies said of polls suggesting increasing enactment for separation.

The UCP campaigner is Tara Sawyer, erstwhile caput of Alberta Grains and Grain Growers of Canada. Beverley Toews is the NDP campaigner and Bill Tufts is moving for the Wildrose Loyalty Coalition.

Bilous says helium thinks Toews volition execute amended than expected successful the agrarian riding aft she packed a municipality hallway meeting in Carstairs.

Although helium expects the UCP to clasp onto the seat, Bilous said the republicans are consuming immoderate oxygen.

"I conscionable don't cognize if there's capable votes for thing brainsick to hap — like, the NDP comes up the mediate due to the fact that the 2 blimpish parties divided the vote," helium said.

Advance polls are unfastened successful the 3 ridings from Tuesday to Saturday.

Election time is Monday, June 23, erstwhile polls are unfastened from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Electors tin besides formed a ballot astatine their section returning bureau until Monday.