Todd Loewen Explained

Honorific-Prefix:The Honourable
Todd Loewen
Smallimage:Todd Loewen.png
Birth Date:16 September 1966
Birth Place:Alberta, Canada
Residence:Valleyview, Alberta
Office:Minister of Forestry and Parks
Term Start:June 9, 2023
Premier:Danielle Smith
Predecessor:Himself
Office1:Minister of Forestry, Parks and Tourism
Term Start1:October 21, 2022
Term End1:June 9, 2023
Premier1:Danielle Smith
Predecessor1:Devin Dreeshen (Forestry), Jason Nixon (Parks)
Successor1:Joseph Schow (Tourism)
Office2:Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Central Peace-Notley
Predecessor2:Marg McCuaig-Boyd
Term Start2:April 16, 2019
Office3:Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Grande Prairie-Smoky
Predecessor3:Everett McDonald
Term Start3:May 5, 2015
Term End3:April 16, 2019
Successor3:Riding merged
Party:United Conservative (2017-2021, 2022-present)
Occupation:businessman, farmer

Douglas Todd Loewen (born September 16, 1966) is a Canadian politician and the Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Central Peace-Notley. Loewen was first elected in 2015 as a member of the Wildrose Party for the electoral district of Grande Prairie-Smoky.[1] [2] [3] [4] He was afterward elected in Central Peace-Notley as a member of the United Conservative Party and briefly sat as an independent until being welcomed back by premier Danielle Smith.

On June 1, 2022, Loewen registered his candidacy in the 2022 United Conservative Party leadership election, which was held on October 6, 2022.[5] He finished fifth.

Early life

Todd Loewen moved to the Valleyview area at a young age, in 1967, with his parents and two brothers where he lived on a farm and homestead. In 1989, Loewen purchased his own farm and started a small business.[6] Loewen is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[7]

Political career

Early failure (2008-2015)

Todd Loewen first contested a seat in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in the 2008 Alberta general election in the Grande Prairie-Smoky electoral district as a member of the Wildrose Alliance, finishing third with 13 per cent of the vote behind Progressive Conservative incumbent Mel Knight and Liberal John Croken. Loewen, following his defeat, served as the Northern Director for the Wildrose board for two years and as one of the three members of the board on the Wildrose leadership nominating committee in 2009.[6]

Loewen again stood as the candidate for the renamed Wildrose Party in the 2012 Alberta general election in Grande-Prairie-Smoky finishing second with 41 per cent of the vote behind Progressive Conservative and former Reeve of County of Grande Prairie Everett McDonald who captured 46 per cent of the vote.

MLA of 29th Alberta Legislature

In the 2015 Alberta general election Loewen was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Grande Prairie-Smoky capturing 33 per cent of the vote. Loewen defeated New Democrat candidate Todd Russell (31 per cent) and incumbent Everett McDonald.[8] After the election, Loewen was appointed as the Official Opposition's critic for Environment and Parks, a position he retained when the Wildrose Party merged with the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta in 2017 to form the United Conservative Party (UCP). During the 29th Legislature Loewen came under public scrutiny when he insinuated New Democrat Rod Loyola received illegal election contributions from South America.[9]

MLA of 30th Alberta Legislature

Loewen was elected in the newly formed Central Peace-Notley electoral district in the 2019 Alberta general election capturing 75 per cent of the vote, defeating former New Democrat Minister of Energy Marg McCuaig-Boyd to sit in the 30th Legislature.[10]

In February 2021, Loewen argued for a regional based reopening strategy during the end of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta.[11] In April 2021, Loewen was one of 18 United Conservative members to sign an open letter to Premier Jason Kenney criticizing public health measures aimed to reduce the spread of COVID-19.[12] On May 13, 2021 Loewen posted an open letter calling for Premier Jason Kenney to resign, and in the letter Loewen resigned his position as caucus chair, but did not resign from the United Conservative Party. Loewen's letter criticized Kenney's government for weak negotiations with the federal government, ignoring caucus members, delivering contradictory messages, failures in negotiations with doctors over billing, and the controversy regarding coal mining in the Eastern Slopes of the Rocky Mountains.[13] [14]

On May 13, 2021, Loewen and fellow UCP MLA Drew Barnes were kicked out of the UCP caucus by a caucus-wide vote after both criticized the UCP government response to COVID-19.[15]

On June 1, 2022, Loewen registered his candidacy in the 2022 United Conservative Party leadership election, which was scheduled for October 6, 2022.

On October 6, 2022, Loewen received 7.7% of the vote. A total of 6,496 votes were cast for him in the 2022 United Conservative Party leadership election. The following day, he was readmitted into the UCP caucus.[16]

MLA of 31st Alberta Legislature

In 2023 Loewen was elected to the 31st Alberta Legislature. He received a mandate letter for the Ministry of Forestry and Parks from Premier Danielle Smith in July 2023.[17]

On 1 November 2023 Loewen was interviewed at the Jasper Park Lodge as part of the Alberta Forests Products Association annual general meeting. He lamented the fact that the year was a record breaker for forest fires. He promised a departmental review of the wildfire response and emphasized the value of the forestry management process in deterring catastrophic wildfires. At the time 17,000 Albertans were employed directly by the industry.[18]

Electoral history

2023 general election

Notes and References

  1. News: Klinkenberg . Marty . Stolte . Elise . Fresh faces in the Wildrose Opposition . May 19, 2015 . . May 8, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150519071307/https://edmontonjournal.com/news/alberta-politics/Fresh+faces+Wildrose+Opposition/11041850/story.html . May 19, 2015.
  2. Web site: Live Alberta election results 2015: Real-time results in the provincial election | Globalnews.ca . 2015-05-06 . 2019-07-31 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190731210332/https://globalnews.ca/news/1971080/live-alberta-election-results-2015/ . live .
  3. News: GP-Smoky Wildrose Party Candidate Profile: Todd Loewen . May 18, 2015 . Daily Herald Tribune . April 30, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150518072408/https://www.dailyheraldtribune.com/2015/04/30/candidate-profile-todd-loewen . May 18, 2015.
  4. News: Rinne . Fred . Winds of change in the Peace . May 18, 2015 . Daily Herald Tribune . May 6, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150518072658/https://www.dailyheraldtribune.com/2015/05/06/winds-of-change-in-the-peace . May 18, 2015.
  5. News: Junker . Anna . 2022-06-01 . Independent MLA Todd Loewen enters UCP leadership race . The Edmonton Journal . 2022-06-15 . 2022-06-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220602021639/https://edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/independent-mla-todd-loewen-enters-ucp-leadership-race . live .
  6. News: Todd Loewen Wildrose candidate . Fox Creek Times . November 9, 2011 . .
  7. Web site: 2019-11-18 . Church Leaders Meet With Premier of Alberta . 2024-04-28 . news-ca.churchofjesuschrist.org.
  8. News: Fisher . Erica . Wildrose MLA Todd Loewen plans to keep government honest . May 13, 2021 . My Grande Prairie Now . May 11, 2015 . March 1, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210301091837/https://www.mygrandeprairienow.com/9410/wildrose-mla-todd-loewen-plans-to-keep-government-honest/ . live .
  9. News: Wildrose MLA stands by 'disrespectful' remark about Rod Loyola . May 13, 2021 . . June 1, 2017 . May 31, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210531114728/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-legislature-todd-loewen-rod-loyola-disrespectful-1.4142411 . live .
  10. News: Shokeir . Peter . 'A resounding vote': UCP's Loewen wins in Central Peace-Notley . May 13, 2021 . Daily Herald Tribune . April 17, 2019 . May 14, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210514014254/https://www.dailyheraldtribune.com/news/local-news/a-resounding-vote-ucps-loewen-wins-in-central-peace-notley . live .
  11. News: Lumsden . Michael . MLA Loewen pushing for regional reopening strategy . May 13, 2021 . My Grande Prairie Now . February 9, 2021.
  12. News: Lumsden . Michael . Allard, Loewen among MLAs calling for new restrictions to be dropped . May 12, 2021 . My Grande Prairie Now . April 7, 2021 . April 19, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210419085124/https://www.mygrandeprairienow.com/83476/allard-loewen-among-mlas-calling-for-new-restrictions-to-be-dropped/ . live .
  13. News: Bennett . Dean . 'We did not unite around blind loyalty to one man': Jason Kenney faces internal call to quit . May 13, 2021 . . The Canadian Press . May 13, 2021 . May 13, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210513123414/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alta-kenney-caucus-todd-loewen-1.6024857 . live .
  14. News: Penner . Shaun . MLA Loewen stepping down as UCP caucus chair, calls for Kenney to resign . May 13, 2021 . Everything GP . May 13, 2021 . May 13, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210513121850/https://everythinggp.com/2021/05/13/mla-loewen-stepping-down-as-ucp-caucus-chair-calls-for-kenney-to-resign/ . live .
  15. News: May 13, 2021. Drew Barnes & Todd Loewen expelled from UCP Caucus. Western Standard. May 13, 2021. May 14, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210514013929/https://westernstandardonline.com/2021/05/breaking-drew-barnes-todd-loewen-expelled-from-ucp-caucus/. live.
  16. Web site: Member Information . 2023-04-16 . www.assembly.ab.ca . 2022-10-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221014201216/https://www.assembly.ab.ca/members/members-of-the-legislative-assembly/member-information?mid=0890&legl=30&from=mla_home . live .
  17. News: Mandate Letter from Premier to Todd Loewen .
  18. News: Navigating the Flames with Minister Todd Loewen . November 2023 .