Banff was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada, mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using the first past the post method of voting from 1905 to 1909, and again from 1975 to 1979.[1]
 Alberta electoral district | |
|---|---|
| Defunct provincial electoral district | |
| Legislature | Legislative Assembly of Alberta |
| District created | 1905 |
| District abolished | 1909 |
| District re-created | 1975 |
| District re-abolished | 1979 |
| First contested | 1905 |
| Last contested | 1975 |
History
editThe Banff electoral district has existed twice, both time for a single election period. Banff was one of the original 25 electoral districts contested in the 1905 Alberta general election upon Alberta joining Confederation in September 1905. The district was carried over from the old Banff electoral district which returned a single member to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories from 1891 to 1905.[2]
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 re-distribution, it was changed back to Banff-Cochrane prior to the 1979 election.[3]
The riding was named after the town of Banff, Alberta and Banff National Park.
Banff representation history
edit| Members of the Legislative Assembly for Banff[4] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assembly | Years | Member | Party | |
| See Banff (N.W.T.) 1891-1905 | ||||
| 1st | 1905–1909 | Charles W. Fisher | Liberal | |
| See Rocky Mountain, Okotoks and Cochrane 1909-1940 | ||||
| See Banff-Cochrane 1940-1979 | ||||
| 18th | 1975–1979 | Frederick Kidd | PC | |
| See Banff-Cochrane 1979-2019 | ||||
Election results
edit1905
editThe 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.[5] Banff during that era was defining itself as a destination for tourists due to its natural environment.[citation needed] The electoral district also saw growth as mining camps were springing up forming a fertile pocket for the socialist movement.[citation needed] Howard Douglas would serve as Returning Officer.
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.[5]
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.[6]
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 pick up.
| 1905 Alberta general election | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||||
| Liberal | Charles W. Fisher | 421 | 53.70% | |||||
| Conservative | Robert George Brett | 363 | 46.30% | |||||
| Total | 784 | – | ||||||
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | N/A | – | ||||||
| Eligible electors / turnout | N/A | – | ||||||
| Liberal pickup new district. | ||||||||
Source(s)
Source: "Banff Official Results 1905 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. | ||||||||
1975
edit| 1975 Alberta general election | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||||
| Progressive Conservative | Fred Kidd | 5,221 | 69.24% | |||||
| Social Credit | Merlyn Kirk | 1,129 | 14.97% | |||||
| New Democratic | Wayne Getty | 737 | 9.77% | |||||
| Liberal | Morna Schechtel | 453 | 6.01% | |||||
| Total | 7,540 | – | ||||||
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | 35 | – | ||||||
| Eligible electors / turnout | 12,186 | 62.16% | ||||||
Source(s)
Source: "Banff Official Results 1975 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. | ||||||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Election results for Banff". abheritage.ca. Wayback Machine: Heritage Community Foundation. Archived from the original on December 8, 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
- ^ "North-West Territories: Council and Legislative Assembly, 1876-1905" (PDF). Saskatchewan Archives. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 28, 2007. Retrieved September 30, 2007.
- ^ "Election results for Banff. Year: 1905 - 2001". abheritage.ca. Heritage Community Foundation. Archived from the original on December 8, 2010. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b "History of the Northwest Territories Legislature 1876-1905" (PDF). Saskatchewan Archives. p. 22. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 11, 2008. Retrieved August 10, 2008.
- ^ "The Honourale Dr. Robert G. Brett". Alberta Heritage Foundation. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
Further reading
edit- Office of the Chief Electoral Officer; Legislative Assembly Office (2006). A Century of Democracy: Elections of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, 1905-2005. The Centennial Series. Edmonton, AB: Legislative Assembly of Alberta. ISBN 0-9689217-8-7. Retrieved May 25, 2020.