The election is over, the votes have been counted, and by overwhelming majority, Genia Leskiw was re-chosen to represent the Progressive Conservative party (PC party) in the Bonnyville – Cold Lake constituency.
Now it's time to move on, to do the things that were such hot-button topics during that brief campaign where both Leskiw and challenger Gene Sobolewski frequently spoke of regional unity, and co-operation.
At the forum last week, a resident asked Leskiw and Sobolewski why the MD of Bonnyville, Town of Bonnyville, and City of Cold Lake just didn't form a regional government, and the answers were varied. Sobolewski didn't believe in regional governments because individual identities of the municipalities were lost, and Leskiw didn't think the MD and the Town were ready to accept it and said a regional government would not be forced on them.
There is still time to prove we, as three separate municipalities, have the maturity and leadership to work together without having to join together as one massive municipality. There is still time to prove that we, as the Town of Bonnyville, have the political maturity to get over the fact that somehow, the City of Cold Lake got a whole bunch of money and we didn't.
Picking your battles is an important part of politics and this one has already been lost. Repeatedly. At risk of relying on a cliché, the horse is dead and we're continuing to beat it, and the only thing that's going to do is cause more and more alienation between the three municipalities that make up this constituency.
As many politicians have said lately, the eyes of the province are on this region in the aftermath of the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range (CLAWR) deal, evaluating the unprecedented outcome. What sort of impression do we want to leave them with? Three municipalities who continue to bicker and fight over a decision made a few months ago that some of us don't appreciate or agree with, or a region that, despite adversity and differences of opinion, manages to work together for the betterment of the region.
There were concerns the CLAWR deal would split the constituency, pitting Bonnyville against Cold Lake, the MD picking sides between the two. After Saturday's results, where Leskiw handily won all corners of the constituency, maybe it goes to show that politicians are the only ones worrying that Leskiw isn't who the constituents want to represent them in the PC Party.
Eight-hundred-and-ninety-seven of 1,071 voters this Saturday supported Leskiw. Maybe it's time the rest of our politicians started supporting her too.
