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By rdnewsNOW staff

proud of 7 years as mla

Lacombe-Ponoka MLA Ron Orr won’t seek re-election in spring 2023

Oct 25, 2022 | 4:54 PM

Out of a cabinet spot, Lacombe-Ponoka MLA Ron Orr is headed towards retirement from provincial politics.

Orr says he had made the decision around the time of the last election that this would be his last go-round, but is now making it a little more official.

Prior to his recent shuffle out of cabinet, he was serving as Minister of Culture, also overseeing the Status of Women portfolio.

He spoke to rdnewsNOW this week, noting that he is the eldest MLA in the Alberta Legislature.

“I think it’s time for somebody younger to do it. There are too many leaders who don’t know their own best before date, and I want to retire while I’m still on top and doing good,” says Orr, who is 68 and was first elected in 2015 as a Wildrose MLA.

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“I’ve really enjoyed doing it, and I’ve really appreciated working in the constituency trying to bring people’s issues forward.”

Orr says a highlight of his tenure as MLA was the last year as Culture Minister, which led him to meeting many ‘fascinating’ and ‘incredible’ people.

“People out there are doing good things for others, and that’s great for the province,” he says. “People are quietly working away in their own place, not looking for glory, but looking to make Alberta a better place to live. There are good people everywhere.”

He admits it’s been a tumultuous time, perhaps one of the most in Alberta’s political history during his stint. He attributes that primarily to COVID-19.

“There have always been people on both sides of the issue. It was stressful, and when people get stressed, they act out. Society now is generally more polarized,” says Orr. “We all need to take a breath and be civil with each other if we want to keep Alberta the great place its been.”

Asked about holding power come next spring, Orr adds he was encouraged by the lack of personal attacks during the UCP’s recent leadership campaign.

“They’re all Conservative, and to me it was more important how we come together after that. Alberta is still truly one of the greatest places in the world to live. Everybody has their challenges, but there’s no better place and Albertans have made it that way,” he says.

“I believe there are good times ahead of us. Though I’m looking forward to retiring, meaning I can go canoeing, do more woodworking, and spend more time with family, I do plan to finish well. I don’t like to burn bridges and so the next several months will be focused on my constituency.”