WHEELS OF THE NEXT PREMIER
The future head of the Sask. Party will bring a taste for vehicles as unique as her or his leadership style, writes Dale Edward Johnson.
With the selection later this month of the new leader of the Saskatchewan Party, a new premier will soon be in place, taking over from Brad Wall.
It’s well known that outgoing Premier Wall is a car guy. Wall’s first set of wheels was a 1966 Dodge Charger that he bought while he was still in high school. He later owned a 1973 Dodge Challenger. And his hobby car for several years was a 1967 Dodge Coronet 500 — although he replaced it with a 1973 Cadillac Eldorado convertible that was once owned by country singer Waylon Jennings.
Here’s a look at the automotive profiles of those hoping to replace Wall as premier:
Tina Beaudry-Mellor is a Jeep fan, and says her Wrangler is the best vehicle she’s ever owned.
“I have driven on absolutely every kind of road in all conditions, and it goes through everything. I am an outdoors person, so it suits me. My dogs or bikes are almost always in it, along with kids and groceries! It also has a great Alpine stereo with a sub,” she says.
She expects her next vehicle will likely also be a Jeep — or perhaps a Land Rover. Her dream vehicle is a Mercedes-Benz G wagon.
Her current Wrangler is a far cry from her first car, the twodoor Mercury LN7, a little-known two-seater that was offered only in 1982 and 1983.
“I bought it while I was in high school with half my own money that I saved, and half of the money from my parents, which I paid back. I think it was $3,500.”
She says her worst car was her mom’s Mercury Cougar, because “it was boring!”
“I drive a lot with a political career and two busy athletic kids. My son once told me that there should be a reality show about me called ‘Driving with Mom’ which would feature me saying things to other drivers, like ‘It’s a merging lane!’ or ‘It’s the right pedal, try it out!’ I am not a patient driver,” she admits.
Ken Cheveldayoff also has a preference for Jeeps. He currently drives a black Jeep Grand Cherokee, and says, “I have had four of this same vehicle; it is sturdy and handles well on the road.” And he figures he’ll get another Grand Cherokee someday.
“I like driving and have taken many trips throughout Canada. I used to drive to many of my brother’s hockey games throughout North America during his hockey career,” he recalls. His brother, Kevin, now the general manager of the Winnipeg Jets, played minor pro hockey in Springfield, Mass. and Troy, N.Y. He later managed the Chicago Wolves, and was assistant general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks when they won the Stanley Cup in 2010.
Ken Cheveldayoff — nicknamed “Chevy” — has owned a Chevy. But the nickname came long before he started driving.
“Cheveldayoff was too long a name for other kids to say, so the name ‘Chevy’ came about.”
When his kids were young, the family vehicle was a Chevy Venture van. “That was the first vehicle to have a VCR inside. The kids could watch cartoons.”
His first car was a 1980 Oldsmobile Omega.
For a dream car, this “Chevy” would love a Ford, specifically a 1965 Mustang. “It is a muscle car and I have had my eye on it for quite some time.” Alanna Koch was driving her parents’ old car — a 1970s big yellow four-door Chrysler New Yorker — when she was in high school. She says it was her worst car ever. “While the vehicle had plenty of room for many passengers, it was a huge, ugly boat with a broken radio. It was the source of an endless supply of jokes from my friends who coined it ‘the yellow submarine.’ ”
Koch’s first car was a rustbrown 1982 Mercury Capri hatchback.
“My parents surprised me during my first year of university by delivering it to me up in Saskatoon. Up until that point I had been driving an older farm truck.”
Since then she’s been driving trucks and crossovers. She currently drives a 2017 white Dodge Durango. Also in the family are a 2017 red Ford F-150, a 2013 white Nissan Frontier and a 2011 black Ford escape.
She says her best vehicle was a late 1990s white GMC Jimmy. “It was great because I felt like Superwoman driving it. It had 4x4 that went through snow and mud, making my commute to Regina from the farm safe. It also had a lot of space in the back to haul everything from machinery parts to groceries to the girls’ hockey equipment.”
“My dream vehicle would be some kind of convertible — a standard! Totally impractical, but it would be great to rip around in the summer with the top down!” Koch says.
Scott Moe is clearly a truck person. His first vehicle was a 1976 dark brown Chevrolet Silverado pickup with a 350 V-8.
“I purchased it with money from my first summer job in construction,” he recalls.
Moe’s favourite vehicle was a 1983 white and red Ford truck that he purchased from his grandfather when he was in high school.
“My least-favourite vehicle that I owned would be a Chevrolet Malibu that I bought after I was elected in 2011. Every time I entered it, my head would rub on the door jamb, and it was slowly removing my hair. This is very concerning for a person of my age.”
Perhaps that’s why he now owns a truck again — a white Chevrolet Silverado.
Moe says his next vehicle will also be a truck, but he’s undecided on the brand. It could be a Ford — “I like their trucks and have usually purchased Fords” — or a Chevrolet — because “they are lower in height and fit into parkades in the city” — or maybe a Dodge — because “my brother sells them.”
His dream vehicle is not a truck, but a car. Someday he says he would like to purchase a mid1960s Ford Mustang or Chevrolet Chevelle.
Gord Wyant is a passionate car collector with a preference for Ford products.
His first car was a 1963 Mercury Comet with a 289 cubic inch V-8, which he shared with his younger brother David.
“It was a car we could work on and that was fun. We both learned a lot fixing it up,” he says.
They got the Comet from their older brother Vaughn, who was working as a car salesman in Vancouver at the time. He now owns several dealerships, including Ford, Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz dealerships in Saskatoon.
Wyant says his best car was a two-door 1964 Meteor.
His worst car was a 1976 Mercury Montego, which he says, “always seemed to have something wrong with it.”
He has a few collectible cars, including a 1957 Meteor Ranchero. “It’s in a thousand pieces right now and because my time is somewhat limited these days, I haven’t had time to work on it”; a red 1965 Ford Mustang convertible, and a 1976 Ford LTD he found in Moose Jaw. “It had 32,000 miles on it, so it was hard to pass it up.”
His everyday driver is a Ford F-150, and he also has a 1998 black Jaguar XK8 convertible, while his wife has a 2008 Volvo.
His dream car is also a Ford — a 1964 Galaxie 500 XL with a 427 cubic inch V-8; a close second choice is a 1957 Ford with a retractable hardtop.
One thing is for sure: No matter who becomes the next leader of the Saskatchewan Party, they will bring a preference for automobiles as unique as their leadership style.
It was great because I felt like Superwoman driving it. It had 4x4 that went through snow and mud ...