Les Woodrow to the left, Shane Hok to the right. Submitted Photos

By Jett Schwaier

ELXN25

Council candidates in Cypress County, Woodrow and Hok are representing Ward 8 in the election

Oct 18, 2025 | 9:00 PM

Les Woodrow

Les Woodrow is running for council in Cypress County to focus on the fiscal responsibility of how the tax dollars are being handled.

“The regulations that are coming in. Just to take the voice of my neighbours and my constituents to the council, and deal with it there as a whole,” Woodrow said.

“My main purpose of running is to carry the voice of the constituents’ wants and needs to Council.”

“That’s it. No more. It’s [the constituents’] tax dollars that we’re using, and people lose track of that. And we have to pay attention to the constituents,” he added.

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The number one priority in Woodrow’s campaign is ensuring the council addresses the concerns of the people.

“I’ve knocked on all the doors as much as I could, and talked to as many of the constituents in my area as possible to get their thoughts, their needs, and their concerns,” Woodrow said.

Woodow said Medicine Hat is losing business, which opens up the opportunity for those businesses to come to Cypress County.

“That’s hurting the area, not necessarily our area in Cypress County, but Medicine Hat. And Medicine Hat is in Cypress County,” Woodrow said.

“Our goal as councillors is for the betterment of the whole area, not just one particular area.”

Shane Hok

Shane Hok is running for council in Cypress County and looking to be elected for his third term, representing Ward 8.

Completing unfinished business is the main focus for Hok’s re-election campaign.

“I like to say, I accomplished quite a bit in the first two [terms], but we need economic development,” Hok said.

“We need to get more businesses, agribusiness, or more stuff going here in this region. We’re slowly dwindling, we’re going the wrong direction, so that’s what I’m looking at and pushing for.”

Hok said the council in Cypress County has to treat Medicine Hat and Redcliff as a region to improve business growth.

“You’ve got to think, what we can do as a region to attract bigger businesses, to have industries that are building airplanes in their county. We’ve got to all work together,” Hok said.

According to Hok, the council needs to look outside the box to find more opportunities for economic development due to the dying oil and gas industry in the county.

“Look at all the potato chip plants and all the other different types of businesses and industries that got going that way. We’ve got to start attracting some here,” Hok said.

Hok has been on several committees over the years and has gained experience in many ways.

“I sit on the Highway 320 Committee, I’m Chairman of the Ag Service Board, I’m Chairman of the Cypress, Red Cliff Regional Landfill, and I’m on the Red Cliff Rec Board and Emergency Services Board,” Hok said.

While being born and raised in Maple Creek, Hok moved to Medicine Hat and worked in road construction.

Location

Ward 8 runs from the boundary road at CFB Suffield to the north side of Holsom Road, from Medicine Hat, west side of Medicine Hat, to roughly Rattlesnake Lake.