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AUPE News & Updates
Member Updates
Monday, July 28, 2003
AUPE political candidates’ seminar set for Nov. 28 and 29
EDMONTON – AUPE’s seminar for potential candidates to public
office is scheduled to take place on Nov. 28 and 29 in Edmonton.
There are still openings for participants in the seminar, an initiative
of AUPE’s Committee on Political Action.
“COPA’s objective is to identify AUPE members who are interested
in running for political office at the school board, municipal, provincial
and federal level,” said AUPE President Dan MacLennan.
AUPE has a longstanding policy of supporting members who want to run
for public office, he said.
“However, unlike some unions, AUPE’s policy is not to back
a single political party,” MacLennan noted. “We accept that
political diversity is a reality among AUPE’s membership, and our
aim is simply to encourage participation in the democratic process by
people who understand the importance of public service to their community.
We ask nothing more.”
MacLennan said he hopes the November seminar will lead to the election
of more people like Jason Heistad, the 32-year-old Olds College employee
and Local 071 Chair who was elected as an alderman in his home town
of Innisfail in a July 7 by-election.
Heistad ran on a platform of encouraging community growth while preserving
the natural trails and other assets of the town of 7,000, located about
28 kilometres south of Red Deer, and of providing more services for
the community’s young people. He defeated four other candidates
in the civic by-election – with 515 votes compared to 204 for the
second-place candidate.
“I’m very grateful to AUPE for the support individual members
and AUPE gave me, as well as to the dozens of volunteers from Innisfail
who worked so hard on my campaign,” Heistad said at the time. “AUPE’s
support was a great help.”
Heistad and Don Westman, a union activist and member of the City of
Fort Saskatchewan Council, are expected to take part in the conference,
as will speakers with backgrounds in organizing and financing political
campaigns.
AUPE members interested in taking part in the seminar should contact
COPA’s Staff representative, AUPE Communications Director David
Climenhaga by telephoning 930-3311 in Edmonton or 1-800-232-7284 toll-free
province wide. Climenhaga can also be e-mailed at d.climenhaga@aupe.org.
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