Independent Alberta legislature member says he isn’t joining Progressive Tory party

A former United Conservative member of Alberta’s legislature says he will remain an Independent MLA when the house reconvenes in February.

Scott Sinclair, who represents the Lesser Slave Lake riding, was expelled from the governing UCP caucus last spring after threatening to not support the budget.

In a letter posted to social media, Sinclair says he doesn’t want to join any political party so that he can work constructively across partisan lines and freely advocate for his constituents in northern Alberta.

Sinclair also cited proposed electoral boundary changes, saying he will focus on protecting his riding from being what he calls “diluted or erased.”