Banff (provincial electoral district)

Banff was a provincial electoral district, in south west Alberta, Canada.

The riding has existed twice, the first incarnation was created in 1905 when Alberta formed as a province. The riding was carried over from the old Banff riding that existed from 1891 to 1905 in the Northwest Territories.

The riding disappeared only one election later when it was merged into the newly formed Rocky Mountain Riding. The second incarnation was when Banff-Cochrane was renamed Banff during the 1975 redistribution, it was changed back to Banff-Cochrane during the 1979 election.

The riding was named after the scenic town of Banff, Alberta and Banff National Park.

Banff history

Members of the Legislative Assembly for Banff[1]
Assembly Years Member Party
1st 1905–1909 William Bredin Liberal
See Rocky Mountain and Cochrane electoral districts from 1909-1940
See Banff-Cochrane electoral district from 1940-1979
18th 1975–1979 Frederick Kidd Progressive Conservative
See Banff-Cochrane electoral district from 1979-present

Election results

1905 general election

Returning Officer
Howard Douglas

The first incarnation of the Banff electoral district in Alberta was created in 1905 when Alberta was created into a province separate from the Northwest Territories. The electoral district replaced the old Banff territorial electoral district that had previously been represented in the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories from 1891 to 1905.[2] Banff during that era was defining itself as a popular destination for tourists due to its abundant natural beauty. The electoral district also saw growth as mining camps were springing up forming a fertile pocket for the socialist movement.

1905 Alberta general election results[3] Turnout Unknown
Affiliation Candidate Votes %
     Liberal Charles W. Fisher 421 53.70%
     Conservative Robert Brett 363 46.30%
Total 784 100%
Rejected, Spoiled and Declined Unknown

The electoral district was hotly contested and the race was closely watched around the province. The electoral district had two well known candidates and political veterans. Charles Wellington Fisher the provincial Liberal candidate had been serving as a Northwest Territories MLA supporting the Haultain government for the old Banff electoral district since winning a by-election on February 4, 1903. He was opposed by Conservative candidate Robert George Brett who had also been a Northwest Territories MLA starting in 1888 and represented the Banff electoral district from its creation in 1891 to 1899.[2]

Brett was a pioneer medical doctor who was heavily involved in the early history of the town of Banff having moved to the site in 1883 and founding a sanitarium.[4]

On election night the results came back Fisher had defeated Brett by winning a slim 58 majority of the 784 votes cast. The Conservative party was disappointed with the result as the district had been one of their best hopes to pickup.

1975 general election

1975 Results Turnout 62.16%
Affiliation Candidate Votes %
     Progressive Conservative Frederick Kidd 5,221 68.92%
     Social Credit Merlyn Kirk 1,129 16.22%
New DemocraticWayne Getty 737 9.73%
     Liberal Morna Schechtel 453 5.13%
Total 7,540 100%

References

  1. "Members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta 1905-2006" (PDF). Legislative Assembly of Alberta. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 30, 2007. Retrieved February 27, 2010.
  2. 1 2 "History of the Northwest Territories Legislature 1876-1905" (PDF). Saskatchewan Archives. p. 22. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-04-11. Retrieved 2008-08-10.
  3. "Banff Official Results 1905 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 2008-10-08.
  4. "The Honourale Dr. Robert G. Brett". Alberta Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 2008-10-08.

External links and references

Coordinates: 51°25′44″N 116°12′09″W / 51.42876°N 116.20239°W / 51.42876; -116.20239

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