RIDING TO WATCH
SASKATOON WEST
WHY IT MATTERS: This longtime Conservatives stronghold could be one of the fiercest battles in the entire country. New urban-only election boundaries means city-dwellers in Saskatoon will be electing an MP of their own — and for the first time in a long time they won’t have their votes combined with their rural cousins.
With no incumbent in the race, most experts agree it’s a showdown between Conservative Randy Donauer, a well-known city councillor, and the NDP’s Sheri Benson, the CEO of the local United Way. Liberal candidate Lisa Abbot shouldn’t be counted out either. She’s a First Nations lawyer who could do some serious damage to both front-runners if she taps into the riding’s large aboriginal population. The riding encompasses huge swaths of Saskatoon’s lower-income inner city, which the NDP likely see as part of their base. But those votes could be balanced out. The inner-city is rapidly gentrifying and the affluent voters living in the city’s suburbs will also play a huge role. The NDP lead the polls and hope this seat is their chance to get some Saskatchewan representation for the first time in more than a decade.
KEY DEMOGRAPHIC:
One of the province’s most diverse ridings, this area contains a large percentage of aboriginal and new Canadian voters. More than 60 per cent of voters in the riding identify as Christian, which could help Donauer who has strong ties to churches in the area.
CLAIM TO FAME:
This riding is the childhood home of one of the greatest hockey players of all time. Hockey legend Gordie Howe first strapped on a pair of skates at a small rink at the King George Athletic Club. Now with the hockey great’s health failing him, a local rink is being named in his honour. It seems appropriate since for decades his name has adorned an adjacent football stadium and some baseball fields — even though he never played either of those sports professionally.
THE DARKEST HORSE:
Liberals haven’t had an MP from Saskatoon in nearly two decades, but Lisa Abbot — a young aboriginal lawyer with strong community ties — is hoping to change all that. Given the demographics of the riding, she has a shot.
TIM HORTONS OR STARBUCKS?:
Traditionally a Tim Hortons area, the rapid influx of yuppies and hipsters are transforming it into profitable territory for locally owned, fair trade, organic espresso bars.