Bow Valley-Empress was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada, mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1940 to 1971.[1]

Bow Valley-Empress
Alberta electoral district
Defunct provincial electoral district
LegislatureLegislative Assembly of Alberta
District created1940
District abolished1971
First contested1940
Last contested1967

History edit

Bow Valley-Empress was formed in the 1939 redistribution from Empress and Bow Valley.

The Bow Valley-Empress electoral district was dissolved in the 1970 electoral district re-distribution, and renamed Bow Valley.

Members of the Legislative Assembly for Bow Valley-Empress
Assembly Years Member Party
See Bow Valley electoral district from 1913-1940
and Empress electoral district from 1926-1940
9th  1940–1944     Wilson E. Cain Social Credit
10th  1944–1948
11th  1948–1952
12th  1952–1955
13th  1955–1959     Bryce C. Stringam Independent
14th  1959–1963     William Delday Social Credit
15th  1963–1967
16th  1967–1971 Fred T. Mandeville
See Bow Valley electoral district from 1971-1997

Election results edit

1940 edit

1940 Alberta general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Social Credit Wilson E. Cain 2,035 53.59%
Independent E. L. Gray 1,762 46.41%
Total 3,797
Rejected, spoiled and declined 146
Eligible electors / turnout 5,596 70.46%
Social Credit pickup new district.
Source(s)
Source: "Bow Valley-Empress Official Results 1940 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

1944 edit

1944 Alberta general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Social Credit Wilson E. Cain 2,131 56.24% 2.65%
Co-operative Commonwealth John Fowlie 1,033 27.26%
Independent T. S. Montgomerie 625 16.50% -29.91%
Total 3,789
Rejected, spoiled and declined 144
Eligible electors / turnout 5,290 74.35% 3.89%
Social Credit hold Swing 10.89%
Source(s)
Source: "Bow Valley-Empress Official Results 1944 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

1948 edit

1948 Alberta general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Social Credit Wilson E. Cain 2,178 55.50% -0.74%
Liberal Herbert G. Claxton 1,063 27.09%
Co-operative Commonwealth John William McLachlan 683 17.41% -9.86%
Total 3,924
Rejected, spoiled and declined 312
Eligible electors / turnout 6,150 68.88% -5.47%
Social Credit hold Swing -0.28%
Source(s)
Source: "Bow Valley-Empress Official Results 1948 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

1952 edit

1952 Alberta general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Social Credit Wilson E. Cain 2,475 61.34% 5.83%
Liberal Albert T. Johnson 1,560 38.66% 11.57%
Total 4,035
Rejected, spoiled and declined 352
Eligible electors / turnout 6,463 67.88% -1.00%
Social Credit hold Swing -2.87%
Source(s)
Source: "Bow Valley-Empress Official Results 1952 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

1955 edit

1955 Alberta general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Bryce C. Stringam 2,569 52.44%
Social Credit William Delday 2,330 47.56% -13.78%
Total 4,899
Rejected, spoiled and declined 234
Eligible electors / turnout 6,887 74.53% 6.65%
Independent gain from Social Credit Swing -8.90%
Source(s)
Source: "Bow Valley-Empress Official Results 1955 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

1959 edit

1959 Alberta general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Social Credit William Delday 2,863 56.40% 8.84%
Independent Bryce C. Stringam 2,213 43.60% -8.84%
Total 5,076
Rejected, spoiled and declined 4
Eligible electors / turnout 6,908 73.78% -0.75%
Social Credit gain from Independent Swing 3.96%
Source(s)
Source: "Bow Valley-Empress Official Results 1959 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

1963 edit

1963 Alberta general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Social Credit William Delday 2,871 60.24% 3.84%
Progressive Conservative George A. Simpson 972 20.39%
Liberal George Timko 923 19.37%
Total 4,766
Rejected, spoiled and declined 4
Eligible electors / turnout 7,088 67.30% -6.49%
Social Credit hold Swing 13.52%
Source(s)
Source: "Bow Valley-Empress Official Results 1963 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

1967 edit

1967 Alberta general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Social Credit Fred T. Mandeville 2,525 49.59% -10.65%
Coalition Ben M. MacLeod 2,018 39.63%
New Democratic Calvin Steinley 549 10.78%
Total 5,092
Rejected, spoiled and declined 44
Eligible electors / turnout 6,922 74.20% 6.90%
Social Credit hold Swing -14.94%
Source(s)
Source: "Bow Valley-Empress Official Results 1967 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

Plebiscite results edit

1957 liquor plebiscite edit

1957 Alberta liquor plebiscite results: Bow Valley-Empress[2]
Question A: Do you approve additional types of outlets for the
sale of beer, wine and spirituous liquor subject to a local vote?
Ballot choice Votes %
Yes 1,818 54.86%
No 1,496 45.14%
Total votes 3,314 100%
Rejected, spoiled and declined 11
6,341 eligible electors, turnout 52.44%

On October 30, 1957 a stand-alone plebiscite was held province wide in all 50 of the then current provincial electoral districts in Alberta. The government decided to consult Alberta voters to decide on liquor sales and mixed drinking after a divisive debate in the legislature. The plebiscite was intended to deal with the growing demand for reforming antiquated liquor control laws.[3]

The plebiscite was conducted in two parts. Question A, asked in all districts, asked the voters if the sale of liquor should be expanded in Alberta, while Question B, asked in a handful of districts within the corporate limits of Calgary and Edmonton, asked if men and women should be allowed to drink together in establishments.[2]

Province wide Question A of the plebiscite passed in 33 of the 50 districts while Question B passed in all five districts. Bow Valley-Empress voted in favour of the proposal by a solid margin. The district recorded one of the higher turnouts in the province, well above the province wide average of 46%.[2]

Official district returns were released to the public on December 31, 1957.[2] The Social Credit government in power at the time did not consider the results binding.[4] However the results of the vote led the government to repeal all existing liquor legislation and introduce an entirely new Liquor Act.[5]

Municipal districts lying inside electoral districts that voted against the plebiscite were designated Local Option Zones by the Alberta Liquor Control Board and considered effective dry zones. Business owners who wanted a license had to petition for a binding municipal plebiscite in order to be granted a license.[6]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Election results for Bow Valley-Empress". abheritage.ca. Wayback Machine: Heritage Community Foundation. Archived from the original on December 8, 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d Alberta Gazette. Vol. 53 (December 31 ed.). Government of Alberta. 1957. pp. 2, 247–2, 249.
  3. ^ "Albertans Vote 2 to 1 For More Liquor Outlets". Vol L No 273. The Lethbridge Herald. October 31, 1957. pp. 1–2.
  4. ^ "No Sudden Change In Alberta Drinking Habits Is Seen". Vol L No 267. The Lethbridge Herald. October 24, 1957. p. 1.
  5. ^ "Entirely New Act On Liquor". Vol LI No 72. The Lethbridge Herald. March 5, 1958. p. 1.
  6. ^ "Bill 81". Alberta Bills 12th Legislature 1st Session. Government of Alberta. 1958. p. 40.

Further reading edit

External links edit