Kelly Jensen seeks Federal Conservative nomination for Yellowhead Riding

Many may know Kelly Jensen for all his years of service with the Royal Canadian Legion Joe Wynne Branch #51, Air Cadet Tiger Moth Squadron in Edson, as Captain Jensen. Kelly Jensen has entered the race for the Conservative MP nomination in the Yellowhead Riding. With Conservative MP Jim Eglinski’s announcement on January 9 that he won’t be seeking re-election in 2019, the seat will become vacant. MP Eglinski has been in public service for 52 years and feels the time has come to enjoy life’s finest moments with family and friends.

Jensen says “I would like to announce that I have recently been approved as a Conservative Party Candidate Nomination Contestant for the Riding of Yellowhead. Since current Member of Parliament Jim Eglinski decided not to run in 2019, the opportunity opened up for other members of the Party to put in their names for the nomination. At present no one knows when the nomination contest will be called, as it will be up to the party to call those dates when they feel it is time.”

“The important thing is it will only be members that will be voting in the nomination contest, in the nomination meetings. If a person is not a member of the Federal Conservative Party, they won’t be helping to select the candidate.” says Jensen.

Kelly Jensen and his family have been in Edson since 1978. Kelly graduated from University of Alberta in 1987, and he has worked for Yellowhead County since 1994 in various capacities, he is currently a Planning Subdivision officer, and has been a member of the Canadian Forces Reserve for 25 years. There, Jensen was a Cadet Instructor and Commanding Officer of the squadron since 2005. Since 2010 Kelly Jensen has been Aide -de-Camp to the Lieutenant Governor, both with the previous Lieutenant Governor and the current Lieutenant Governor Lois Mitchell. In 2011 Jensen received his National Advanced Certificate in Local Authority Administration Level One and his Level Two. “I believe in life time learning, it keeps your brain active. These programs have helped make me a solid employee for the county, as it was all knowledge that was related to the Municipal Government. I have a strong understanding of government and bureaucracy. From working at the county for as many years as I have, dealing with the public as a Subdivision Officer, answering questions about by-laws, registration and attending council meetings presenting on the public’s behalf. It takes tact and diplomacy at times when you have to relay unpleasant news back to the parties involved. I like to understand the by-laws and the legislation, I have been fortunate to have been there when two of the by-laws were drafted. So knowing some of the background on where some of these regulations come from, so you can say to people, it’s not just a black and white rule. The origin of that thinking came from a steering committee, council or a public meeting where the public has said what they are expecting to be done” stated Jensen.

Kelly and his wife Marsha have two adult kids, their son Elliot is in the Canadian Armed Forces and daughter Emily who is 19 just finished her fist year in University. Kelly is also a volunteer for the Yellowhead County Fire Department; he works inside the Incident Emergency

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Support Trailer. “Looking after our Fire Fighters is what that big trailer is for. We do rehabilitation; look after giving the fire fighters water and something to eat while attending a fire. We refill the air cylinders for the firefighters breathing apparatus, so they can go back out. The unit is called Special Operations, so if there is a fire situation where the firefighters are going to be out for a long time, they will bring out the Incident Support unit and we are there to look after the firefighters. We need to ensure the firefighters have hydration and food, so they don’t exhaust themselves and they can go back out feeling refreshed.” When asked why Jensen has an interest in running for this position his response was “I have worked in public service my whole life, I have worked for the Provincial Government and for the County for 24 years. Being a member of the military, serving the public and my country has always been a passion of mine. It is a good time for my wife and I to do something different, the kids have grown up and moved away, giving us a opportunity to do more things. It would be a very interesting career change for us, I have lived in the area for my adult life and I feel I have a strong understanding of what issues our Constituents are facing.”

Kelly enjoys marksmanship and teaching the Air Cadets, fishing and family time. One of Jensen’s highlights was last year in November when he went to Ottawa to receive a Senate 150 medal for Community Service which is rare. Jensen said “I wanted to experience the ceremony in the Senate, so I flew myself down to Ottawa for the event. The ceremony itself was very interesting to be a part of. You receive the medal from the Senator that nominated you and the speaker of the Senate. Later I was invited to have a tour of the Parliament Building, the Centre Block and a tour of the east block, so being in Ottawa was a very unique and memorable experience for me. My background experience has given me stronger leadership abilities and understanding of issues related in rural communities. I will do my best to represent all your issues and concerns at the Federal Level, your voices and concerns will be heard.”

Kelly invites communication and can be reached at 780 7233775 or by email: kjensen7@telus. net. For more information go to his website at www.kellyjensen. ca , or his facebook page Kelly Jensen for Conservative Candidate – Yellowhead.