Kenneth Brown
of The Crossroads
The Kindersley constituency has been without a member of the legislative assembly since September but that’s about to change with a byelection set for March 1.
Premier Scott Moe was sworn in to office on Feb. 2 by Lt.- Gov. Vaughn Solomon Schofield and one of his first orders of business as premier was to call three byelections for Kindersley, Melfort and Swift Current, all on March 1.
Three parties had announced their candidates for the Kindersley byelection by Feb. 6. The Saskatchewan Party candidate is Ken Francis, who won a contested nomination in January; the New Democratic Party of Saskatchewan candidate is Travis Hebert, who won an uncontested nomination; and the Saskatchewan Green Party candidate is Yvonne Potter-Pihach.
Advanced polls take place from Feb. 23 to 27 and the polling stations will be located in Eston, Kerrobert, Kindersley, Macklin, Major and Tramping Lake. Advanced voting takes place on Feb. 23, 26 and 27 from 3 to 10 p.m., and on Feb. 24 and 25 from noon to 7 p.m.
The writ for the byelection was issued on Feb. 2, and candidates have until Feb. 13 to enter the race to be the next Kindersley MLA.
The constituency has been served by Bill Boyd, who resigned on Sept. 1, or Jason Dearborn since 1991.
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Interviews were conducted with Francis and Hebert with the two candidates in place by the day Moe called the byelection. Potter-Pihach was announced as the candidate for the Green Party on the evening on Feb. 6. Watch for more on this candidate and others in a future publication.
Francis, a land agent and business owner, kicked off his campaign on Feb. 2 by delivering signs to residents in Kindersley. He said the byelection is less than four weeks away, so the campaign window is small and he wants to get signs out to supporters.
“We’re officially into campaign mode and our first order of business is getting our lawn signs distributed and erected,” he said, recognizing that his team will be delivering signs to communities throughout the constituency.
Francis served as a councillor in the Town of Kindersley since October 2016 and served as deputy mayor over that time, but he resigned from council on Jan. 29 after a council meeting. The candidate said he resigned position as deputy mayor of Kindersley to focus on his campaign. Francis grew up on a farm in the Mantario area.
He said he is also trying to wind down his activity and involvement with his land business, but it is something he has been planning for several years before his political involvement. Excitement started to mount after he was nominated.
“It really sunk in at the nomination event,” he said, recognizing there is no way to know which candidate wins a nomination until the ballots are counted. “When you are nominated (and) you become the candidate, that’s when it gets real and that’s when you know that things are about to take off.”
Francis said his team is confident the Sask. Party will do well in the byelection, but he is not taking anything for granted. He noted that he and his team plan to visit all corners of the constituency to reach out to voters.
Hebert, a student at the University of Saskatchewan, said he has been preparing to run in the Kindersley byelection since before Boyd resigned in September. At 22 years of age, he said he could become the province’s youngest MLA in history if he is elected.
The candidate said he spent time in the summer knocking on doors in the Kindersley constituency and in other parts of Saskatchewan due to a summer position with the NDP, so he believes there is an appetite for change. Hebert moved to Kindersley with his family when he was five years old and he left to attend school. He said his grandparents have a farm in the Glidden area and he spent a lot of time there.
His positions at the U of S, including his role as president of the Arts & Science Students’ Union, a group that oversees the affairs of 10,000 students, and his roles in the community have given him experiences to be successful in politics, he said.
Hebert has worked with campus groups and community organizations to promote food security, affordable housing, peace and justice and community health. He said he believes his age will serve as both a benefit and a challenge. He noted that he has the energy to be successful and he will work hard to counter any lack of experience.
“All you have to do is prove to people that you know the issues and you’re willing to listen to what they have to say, and you’re willing to reflect that in the legislature as much as possible,” he added, noting he loves learning and he is confident in his abilities.
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