Kenneth Brown
of The Clarion
The Kindersley constituency has been without a member of the legislative assembly since September but that will 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. One of his first orders of business as premier was to call byelections for Kindersley, Melfort and Swift Current. The three byelections all take place on March 1.
Ken Francis, stakes a campaign sign as he gets prepared to represent the Saskatchewan Party in the March byelection.
Two of the province’s political parties have candidates in place for the Kindersley byelection. The Saskatchewan Party’s candidate is Ken Francis, who won a hotly-contested nomination early in January. The New Democratic Party of Saskatchewan’s candidate is Travis Hebert, who won an uncontested nomination.
The advanced polls will be held from Feb. 23 to 27 and the polling station for Kindersley is at Caleb Village. The 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.
On March 1, polls will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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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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.
The candidate, whose campaign office is located on Third Avenue West in Kindersley, said he has already been out knocking on doors, so he is starting to get used to the cold. He noted that he has resigned a recent position as deputy mayor of Kindersley to focus on his campaign.
Francis said he did not have to resign from his council position until after the results of the byelection are known, but he chose to resign because he would not be in the position to give his full attention to the duties.
He said he is also trying to wind down his activity and involvement with his land business, but it’s something he has been planning for several years before he decided to get involved in politics.
The excitement started to mount after he was nominated.
“It really sunk in at the nomination event.” He said there’s 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’s not taking anything for granted. He noted that he is going to get out to talk to voters and get to know what they are thinking. The candidate and his team plan to visit every corner of the constituency before March, he said.
Nathan Hebert, 22, will represent the NDP in the upcoming byelection.
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 believes he could become the province’s youngest MLA ever if elected.
He said there were rumours circulating about Boyd stepping down, so he knew the opportunity to run was possible. He 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’s an appetite for change.
He noted that he moved to Kindersley with his family when he was five years old and he lived in the community until he left for school, so he is familiar with the area. Hebert said he comes from a long line of hard workers.
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 his community have given him the experiences he needs 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 said he has the energy to put the necessary time and effort into his campaign and as an MLA if he is elected. He said people might see a 22-year-old and think the person doesn’t have the experience for the position, but it’s a matter of making an effort to work hard and listen.
“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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