Todd Loewen

The Honourable
Todd Loewen
Minister of Forestry and Parks
Assumed office
June 9, 2023
PremierDanielle Smith
Preceded byHimself
Minister of Forestry, Parks and Tourism
In office
October 21, 2022 – June 9, 2023
PremierDanielle Smith
Preceded byDevin Dreeshen (Forestry), Jason Nixon (Parks)
Succeeded byJoseph Schow (Tourism)
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Central Peace-Notley
Assumed office
April 16, 2019
Preceded byMarg McCuaig-Boyd
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Grande Prairie-Smoky
In office
May 5, 2015 – April 16, 2019
Preceded byEverett McDonald
Succeeded byRiding merged
Personal details
Born (1966-09-16) September 16, 1966 (age 58)
Alberta, Canada
Political partyUnited Conservative (2017-2021, 2022-present)
Other political
affiliations
ResidenceValleyview, Alberta
Occupationbusinessman, farmer

Douglas Todd Loewen ECA MLA (born September 16, 1966) is a Canadian politician and the Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Central Peace-Notley. Loewen was first elected in 2015 as a member of the Wildrose Party for the electoral district of Grande Prairie-Smoky.[1][2][3][4] He was afterward elected in Central Peace-Notley as a member of the United Conservative Party and briefly sat as an independent[5] until being welcomed back by premier Danielle Smith.

On June 1, 2022, Loewen registered his candidacy in the 2022 United Conservative Party leadership election, which was held on October 6, 2022.[6] He finished fifth.

Early life

Todd Loewen moved to the Valleyview area at a young age, in 1967, with his parents and two brothers where he lived on a farm and homestead. In 1989, Loewen purchased his own farm and started a small business.[7] Loewen is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[8]

Political career

Early failure (2008-2015)

Todd Loewen first contested a seat in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in the 2008 Alberta general election in the Grande Prairie-Smoky electoral district as a member of the Wildrose Alliance, finishing third with 13 per cent of the vote behind Progressive Conservative incumbent Mel Knight and Liberal John Croken. Loewen, following his defeat, served as the Northern Director for the Wildrose board for two years and as one of the three members of the board on the Wildrose leadership nominating committee in 2009.[7]

Loewen again stood as the candidate for the renamed Wildrose Party in the 2012 Alberta general election in Grande-Prairie-Smoky finishing second with 41 per cent of the vote behind Progressive Conservative and former Reeve of County of Grande Prairie Everett McDonald who captured 46 per cent of the vote.

MLA of 29th Alberta Legislature

In the 2015 Alberta general election Loewen was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Grande Prairie-Smoky capturing 33 per cent of the vote. Loewen defeated New Democrat candidate Todd Russell (31 per cent) and incumbent Everett McDonald.[9] After the election, Loewen was appointed as the Official Opposition's critic for Environment and Parks, a position he retained when the Wildrose Party merged with the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta in 2017 to form the United Conservative Party (UCP). During the 29th Legislature Loewen came under public scrutiny when he insinuated New Democrat Rod Loyola received illegal election contributions from South America.[10]

MLA of 30th Alberta Legislature

Loewen was elected in the newly formed Central Peace-Notley electoral district in the 2019 Alberta general election capturing 75 per cent of the vote, defeating former New Democrat Minister of Energy Marg McCuaig-Boyd to sit in the 30th Legislature.[11]

In February 2021, Loewen argued for a regional based reopening strategy during the end of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta.[12] In April 2021, Loewen was one of 18 United Conservative members to sign an open letter to Premier Jason Kenney criticizing public health measures aimed to reduce the spread of COVID-19.[13] On May 13, 2021 Loewen posted an open letter calling for Premier Jason Kenney to resign, and in the letter Loewen resigned his position as caucus chair, but did not resign from the United Conservative Party. Loewen's letter criticized Kenney's government for weak negotiations with the federal government, ignoring caucus members, delivering contradictory messages, failures in negotiations with doctors over billing, and the controversy regarding coal mining in the Eastern Slopes of the Rocky Mountains.[14][15]

On May 13, 2021, Loewen and fellow UCP MLA Drew Barnes were kicked out of the UCP caucus by a caucus-wide vote after both criticized the UCP government response to COVID-19.[5]

On June 1, 2022, Loewen registered his candidacy in the 2022 United Conservative Party leadership election, which was scheduled for October 6, 2022.[6]

On October 6, 2022, Loewen received 7.7% of the vote. A total of 6,496 votes were cast for him in the 2022 United Conservative Party leadership election. The following day, he was readmitted into the UCP caucus.[16]

MLA of 31st Alberta Legislature

In 2023 Loewen was elected to the 31st Alberta Legislature. He received a mandate letter for the Ministry of Forestry and Parks from Premier Danielle Smith in July 2023.[17]

On 1 November 2023 Loewen was interviewed at the Jasper Park Lodge as part of the Alberta Forests Products Association annual general meeting. He lamented the fact that the year was a record breaker for forest fires. He promised a departmental review of the wildfire response and emphasized the value of the forestry management process in deterring catastrophic wildfires. At the time 17,000 Albertans were employed directly by the industry.[18]

Electoral history

2008 general election

2008 Alberta general election: Grande Prairie-Smoky
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Conservative Mel Knight 4,769 59.43% 3.01%
Liberal John A. Croken 1,089 13.57% -11.81%
Wildrose Alliance Todd Loewen 1,049 13.07%
New Democratic Neil R.M. Peacock 832 10.37% 1.02%
Green Rebecca Villebrun 285 3.55%
Total 8,024
Rejected, spoiled and declined 31
Eligible electors / turnout 27,058 29.77% -5.41%
Progressive Conservative hold Swing 7.41%
Source(s)
Source: The Report on the March 3, 2008 Provincial General Election of the Twenty-seventh Legislative Assembly. Elections Alberta. July 28, 2008. pp. 424–429.

2012 general election

2012 Alberta general election: Grande Prairie-Smoky
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Conservative Everett McDonald 5,458 45.79% -13.64%
Wildrose Todd Loewen 4,912 41.21% 28.14%
New Democratic Mary Dahr 757 6.35% -4.02%
Liberal Kevin McLean 583 4.89% -8.68%
Independent Andrew Muise 209 1.75%
Total 11,919
Rejected, spoiled and declined 34
Eligible electors / turnout 28,126 42.50% 12.73%
Progressive Conservative hold Swing -20.64%

2015 general election

2015 Alberta general election: Grande Prairie-Smoky
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Wildrose Todd Loewen 5,343 33.17% -8.04%
New Democratic Todd Russell 5,009 31.10% 24.75%
Progressive Conservative Everett McDonald 4,968 30.84% -14.95%
Liberal Kevin McLean 787 4.89% -0.01%
Total 16,107
Rejected, spoiled and declined 42
Eligible electors / turnout 32,930 49.04% 6.54%
Wildrose gain from Progressive Conservative Swing -1.25%

2019 general election

2019 Alberta general election: Central Peace-Notley
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
United Conservative Todd Loewen 10,680 75.17% 10.31%
New Democratic Margaret McCuaig-Boyd 2,770 19.50% -15.66%
Alberta Party Travis McKim 651 4.58%
Liberal Wayne F. Meyer 106 0.75%
Total 14,207
Rejected, spoiled and declined 55 37 8
Eligible electors / turnout 19,745 72.46%
United Conservative notional hold Swing +17.8%
Source(s)
Source: "55 - Central Peace-Notley, 2019 Alberta general election". officialresults.elections.ab.ca. Elections Alberta. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

2023 general election

2023 Alberta general election: Central Peace-Notley
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
United Conservative Todd Loewen 9,280 77.68 +2.51
New Democratic Megan Ciurysek 2,216 18.55 -0.95
Alberta Independence Rodney Bowen 238 1.99
Alberta Party Lynn Lekisch 166 1.39 -3.19
Solidarity Movement Nancy O'Neill 46 0.39
Total 11,946 99.42
Rejected and declined 70 0.58
Turnout 12,016 58.53
Eligible voters 20,529
United Conservative hold Swing +1.73
Source(s)

References

  1. ^ Klinkenberg, Marty; Stolte, Elise (May 8, 2015). "Fresh faces in the Wildrose Opposition". Edmonton Journal. Archived from the original on May 19, 2015. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  2. ^ "Live Alberta election results 2015: Real-time results in the provincial election | Globalnews.ca". Archived from the original on 2019-07-31. Retrieved 2015-05-06.
  3. ^ "GP-Smoky Wildrose Party Candidate Profile: Todd Loewen". Daily Herald Tribune. April 30, 2015. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
  4. ^ Rinne, Fred (May 6, 2015). "Winds of change in the Peace". Daily Herald Tribune. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Drew Barnes & Todd Loewen expelled from UCP Caucus". Western Standard. May 13, 2021. Archived from the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Junker, Anna (2022-06-01). "Independent MLA Todd Loewen enters UCP leadership race". The Edmonton Journal. Archived from the original on 2022-06-02. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  7. ^ a b "Todd Loewen Wildrose candidate". Fox Creek Times. November 9, 2011. ProQuest 903610252.
  8. ^ "Church Leaders Meet With Premier of Alberta". news-ca.churchofjesuschrist.org. 2019-11-18. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  9. ^ Fisher, Erica (May 11, 2015). "Wildrose MLA Todd Loewen plans to keep government honest". My Grande Prairie Now. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  10. ^ "Wildrose MLA stands by 'disrespectful' remark about Rod Loyola". CBC News. June 1, 2017. Archived from the original on May 31, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  11. ^ Shokeir, Peter (April 17, 2019). "'A resounding vote': UCP's Loewen wins in Central Peace-Notley". Daily Herald Tribune. Archived from the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  12. ^ Lumsden, Michael (February 9, 2021). "MLA Loewen pushing for regional reopening strategy". My Grande Prairie Now. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  13. ^ Lumsden, Michael (April 7, 2021). "Allard, Loewen among MLAs calling for new restrictions to be dropped". My Grande Prairie Now. Archived from the original on April 19, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  14. ^ Bennett, Dean (May 13, 2021). "'We did not unite around blind loyalty to one man': Jason Kenney faces internal call to quit". CBC News. The Canadian Press. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  15. ^ Penner, Shaun (May 13, 2021). "MLA Loewen stepping down as UCP caucus chair, calls for Kenney to resign". Everything GP. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  16. ^ "Member Information". www.assembly.ab.ca. Archived from the original on 2022-10-14. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  17. ^ "Mandate Letter from Premier to Todd Loewen".
  18. ^ "Navigating the Flames with Minister Todd Loewen". November 2023.
  19. ^ "55 - Central Peace-Notley". officialresults.elections.ab.ca. Elections Alberta. Retrieved June 9, 2023.