New landfills, such as one proposed near Blackie, should be a last resort said a former municipal politician now looking represent the area in the provincial legislature.
Former Lethbridge County councillor John Kolk announced last week he will seek the nomination to become the Progressive Conservative Party’s candidate in the Little Bow riding, which will include the Blackie area in the next election.
Kolk said all other options for dealing with waste should be looked at before more landfills are built.
“I think there are opportunities to recycle and to reduce our waste and to use waste-to-energy,” he said. “I would be inclined to be hesitant to be putting in more landfills when there’s technology that’s a little bit safer and better overall for our economy.”
Kolk lives in the riding, near Picture Butte in the County of Lethbridge. He is a farmer and he served nine years as a councillor for the County of Lethbridge.
Current Little Bow MLA Barry McFarland, a Conservative, will not seek re-election. Once new riding boundaries come into effect with the next provincial election, the Blackie and Mazeppa areas, which are currently located in the Highwood constituency, will be part of Little Bow.
Kolk said improving the strength of the riding’s rural communities is a top issue.
“There are some of the social issues such as continuing to have access to good health care and giving seniors and disabled people an opportunity to be properly served in our rural area,” he said.
Kolk said he wants to promote economic development opportunities and provide employment in the region. He also said the Province needs to open more export markets for agricultural products.
“Alberta is one of the areas of the world that over the next 20 years will be called on to help feed the world,” he said. “So, how do we open up those markets so that our farmers and our agribusinesses have a chance to participate?”
According to Kolk, the protection of water is an important issue and he wants to ensure continued access to water for farmers and people in the area.
“If you want to look at the biggest challenge for the riding it’s going to be maintaining that opportunity,” he said.
For more information about Kolk, visit www.kolk.ca.
The final vote to select the candidate will be held on Jan. 28 from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. in six locations across the riding. Voting stations will be set up in Blackie, Vulcan, Lomond, Coaldale, Picture Butte and Vauxhall. People have until Jan. 20 at noon to apply to seek the nomination.
