James Finkbeiner wants UCP’s Cypress-Medicine Hat nomination

He says his focus for the area is on infrastructure, education and health care.

“There’s been a lot of struggle with health-care down here. I’ve seen it with my own family with my father with my grandmother-in-law having to leave the city for medical treatments, being put on waiting lists for months at a time,” Finkbeiner says. “I can’t sit on the sidelines. I want to get in the game and I want to help, help fix the system.”

On infrastructure, Finkbeiner says he wants to see Highway 3 twinned and the Wild Horse border hours extended, and on education more teacher input on the new curriculum.

Finkbeiner was a member of the former Wild Rose Party and supported its merger with the former PC Party in 2017. He became disillusioned with the new party under Jason Kenney and went to work for the Western Standard before deciding to run in Cypress-Medicine Hat.

Current MLA Drew Barnes was elected in 2019 as a UCP member but has sat as an independent since being kicked out of caucus last year by then-premier Kenney. Barnes’ status for the general election in May is up in the air.

Finkbeiner says if Barnes is welcomed back to the party, he would like to challenge some of his ideas and present his own in an open nomination process.

“I don’t think that the constituents should have to make up his mind on what he’s going to do if he’s going to try to rejoin the party or if he’s going to run. I think that there needs to be a good strong conservative voice down here that’s already running,” Finkbeiner says.

Finkbeiner is still collecting the signatures needed before filing his papers with the party. He says he’ll be hosting events in the area to help grow his support and adds more information can be found on his Facebook page.

Cypress County councillor Robin Kurpjuweit also plans to run for the nomination. No nomination date has been set thus far.

by Chris Brown

James Finkbeiner wants UCP’s Cypress-Medicine Hat nomination

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