After Alana Ross was announced as the Saskatchewan Party’s Prince Albert Northcote candidate, she said she was overwhelmed and excited.
She was the first of three candidates to announce they were seeking the nomination, followed by Martin Ring and Victoria Jurgens.
She’ll go up against current Northcote MLA Nicole Rancourt, a member of the NDP, in the October 2020 provincial election.
Ross has 30 years of experience as a healthcare professional, mostly as a nurse, and has taught Continuing Care Education to post-secondary students for eight years.
Each candidate got 10 minutes to make a speech to voters at the Exhibition Centre on Monday evening—Ross primarily spoke about communication.
“Politics has really changed in the last 10 years. Technology has taken over how we communicate,” she said. “Because of this, we stop listening to each other.”
“I am running in this nomination because we need to refocus and refresh. We need experience and listening and mentoring; we need passion from our neighbours and their wellbeing; we need someone who can bridge the divides in our community. I am here tonight because I believe I am that person.”
Cheering wasn’t the only way you could distinguish Ross’ supporters. Several people wore purple and yellow T-shirts reading ‘Team Alana.’
One of them held up a cellphone on a video call with a family member from Calgary.
“I’m a very proud grandma of a very active three-year-old,” said Ross in her speech with a smile, thanking the other candidates and her support system.
“It doesn’t matter what election we’re in, whether it’s a nomination or an election, it’s all about the team because it is a team effort.”
Ross said her focus is mental health and addictions.
“This is a really diverse constituency and we have a number of concerns that we need to look at and part of that is creating dialogue with the community, so it’s one thing for us to say ‘We need this,’ but it’s another thing to find out ‘What’s the community think they need?’ And that’s something that will be very important moving forward,” she said.
Ross attributed hard work to the reason she won the Sask. Party nomination, saying she made the effort to get out and talk to people.
She’s lived in the riding since 2010.
Ring served on city council for 10 years and Jurgens has been the Sask. Party candidate twice before: she won in 2011 and lost in 2016 to Rancourt.
Joe Hargrave—Prince Albert Carlton MLA, minister responsible for SGI and minister of Crown Investments Corporation—spoke while the votes were being tallied.
