Jim Prentice to run for Calgary-Foothills seat

Jim Prentice will run for a seat in the legislature in the riding of Calgary-Foothills, the Alberta premier announced on Monday.

The former federal cabinet minister, who won the leadership of the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party on Sept. 6, does not yet have a seat in the provincial legislature.

Prentice said voters in four Alberta ridings Calgary-Foothills, Calgary-West, Calgary-Elbow and Edmonton-Whitemud will go to the polls for byelections on Oct. 27.

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Former Tory Calgary-FoothillsMLALen Webber who has been sitting as an independent since earlier this year announced earlier in the day that he was resigning as the MLA for the riding, opening the door for Prentice to run for that seat.

Webberwon theConservative Party nomination in the new federal riding of Calgary Confederation on the weekend.

Calgary-West PC MLA Ken Hughes also saidon Monday he is giving up hisseat in the legislature. Prentice said Calgary police Sgt. Mike Ellis will be the PC candidate in that riding.

Education Minister Gordon Dirks will run for the Tories inCalgary-Elbow, Prentice announced. Theriding was recently vacated by former premier Alison Redford.

Stephen Mandel will be the party's candidate in Edmonton-Whitemud. The former Edmonton mayor was named Alberta's health minister by Prentice earlier this month.

The Alberta NDP has already lined up a candidateto run in each of the four ridings, with Jennifer Burgess running against Prentice in Calgary-Foothills.Leader Brian Mason said candidates are going to talk about the issues that matter to Albertans.

"Mr. Prentice can probably fix up some of the corruption and the scandals that plagued the Redford government, but he cant run away from the governments record on health care or on education, or on the development of our natural resources. And those are the issues were going to be taking to voters in these byelections, said Mason.