Alec Salloum
Regina Leader-Post
As of Monday night, both the Saskatchewan Party and the Saskatchewan NDP have candidates selected in all three constituencies ahead of imminent byelections.
On Friday, Saskatchewan NDP named Kaitlyn Stadnyk as their candidate for the Lumsden-Morse riding, which will put her against Blaine McLeod who will attempt to hold the riding replacing veteran Lyle Stewart, who is retiring for health reasons.
Stadnyk may offer a rural edge in the race, considering she grew up near Lumsden on her family’s farm. According to a release from the NDP, Stadnyk has a Bachelor of Human Justice from the University of Regina.
“We need to work collaboratively with our small towns and communities to bring back local voices so that we can build a brighter future for everyone in Saskatchewan,” said Stadnyk in a press release.
And while the newly acclaimed NDP candidate has some rural bonafides, so does McLeod who has been a dairy farmer for 42 years and is currently the Saskatchewan director with Dairy Farmers of Canada.
“I look forward to hitting the road this summer to meet with constituents across our riding,” said McLeod.
In a contested election Monday night, the NDP named Jared Clark as their candidate for Regina Walsh Acres. For the Sask. Party, acclaimed nominee and former Regina Pat and Boston Bruin Nevin Markwart will face off with Clark in the riding formerly held by Sask. Party MLA Derek Meyers, who passed away during the spring sitting.
Clark has previously run for the NDP in the Indian Head-Milestone constituency back in 2020. He works as a teacher within Regina Public Schools and can be found around Regina volunteering or spending time as a board member for the Friends of Wascana Marsh.
“The time is now to listen to educators and parents about the state of our schools. Saskatchewan was once a nation-leader in education, health care, and the economy, and together we can do that again,” said Clark.
After his hockey career, Markwart went to school earning an MBA in finance and then a master of science degree in computer science. Markwart is currently the Chief Information Security Officer with FutureVault, described as “a cloud-based document management company.”
In a press release, Markwart said “I look forward to meeting with the great people of Regina Walsh Acres on their doorsteps this summer, and will be working hard to earn their vote.”
Earlier this year, Noor Burki won the nomination to with the NDP to run in the Coronation Park riding. Burki will face off against Sask. Party candidate Riaz Ahmad in Coronation Park, a seat long held by former Saskatchewan Party MLA Mark Docherty, who announced his departure in early February.
All three ridings have different dates for when a byelection must be called; Aug. 10 for Coronation Park, Sept. 10 for Lumsden-Morse and Sept. 28 for Walsh Acres. It is possible to bundle the byelections together and Premier Scott Moe has said in the past that it would make sense to do exactly that.
Once called there will be a 27- to 34-day period for the byelection to be held.
alsalloum@postmedia.com
