Calgary-Elbow PC candidate expects flood will be key byelection issue

The newly-acclaimed Progressive Conservative candidate in Calgary-Elbow says he expects flood claim and flood protection will be key issues in an upcoming byelection.

Education Minister Gordon Dirks was appointed by Premier Jim Prentice last week but does not hold a seat in the Alberta Legislature. He's trying to earn one by capturing the southwest Calgary riding vacated by former premier Alison Redford but says there is still plenty of work left to do to cope with the effects of the flood.

"There's a lot of angst and fear," Dirks said. "As I've been talking to community members about what might happen in the future and certainly upstream mitigation on the Elbow [River] and places like that are absolutely critical to be addressed."

Dirks lives in the northwest but says he and his wife will put their house up for sale and move into the riding.

The new health minister, Stephen Mandel, has also been acclaimed as a PC candidate.

The former mayor of Edmonton will run in Edmonton Whitemud.

No date has been set for the byelections and it's still not known where Prentice will run for a seat in the legislature.