Klooster looking to shake-off partisan politics during election campaign

As for the Alberta Party, Klooster says they have a strong vision to adapt to emerging economic trends moving forward, with central Alberta in a unique position to capitalize.

“When you look at central Alberta, it’s different here,” explains Klooster. “We have been hit harder by the economic downturn and we recognize that many of those jobs are not going to come back and they’re not going to be what they were. So we need a new path forward and it’s going to look different here than it looks in the two large urban centres.”

Klooster says the number one issue she’s heard about from constituents is the constant overlooking of central Alberta by the province.

“The number of times people have to go outside of the region for services and support is just ridiculous and that’s all on our own dime, where people in the large urbans don’t have to drive for two hours to access services and supports,” she laments.

“I really think that we need to fight for a better deal for central Alberta. According to government statistics, by 2041, 80 per cent of Albertans will be living in the QEII corridor, so it only makes sense that we have the supports and resources.”

A long-time resident of Penhold, Klooster says the other issues she finds herself talking about the most are economic diversification, healthcare, education and Alberta’s long-term care crisis.

“The government of the day campaigned in 2015 on bringing in 2,000 more long-term care beds but they haven’t hit that mark,” she says. “As the population ages, I think people should be really scared about what’s ahead of them in terms of whenever they need to access long-term care. That situation needs a massive overhaul.”

The problem according to Klooster, is that the long-term care model takes after one focused on acute care.

“When you go into a long-term care facility, it looks exactly like a hospital with long hallways and wings and the nurse’s station, it just doesn’t fit,” says Klooster. “Research clearly shows that a home or home-like environment has much better outcomes for elderly people. The more we can make long-term care look and feel like a regular home and put people in small home environments, the better they will do and the more dignity they will have.”

For voters unfamiliar with the former two-term Penhold town councillor, Klooster says her experience in consulting, community development, economic development and business development makes her a strong choice for the constituency.

“I got meaningfully involved in politics in the PC party when I first joined council, then transitioned over to the Alberta Party in 2010,” recalls Klooster. “I was looking for a party that would put governance and common sense ahead of game-play. What I saw behind the scenes in politics, I just couldn’t align it with my values and principles, so I wanted to be part of a party and a movement that valued personal principles and integrity over just getting ahead and winning and gaining and maintaining power.”

Ultimately, Klooster says her goal for the campaign is to help voters shake-off the partisan politics and see more clearly the real issues at hand.

“People can’t tell the difference between politics and government anymore,” she says. “That’s really sad that politics has so pervaded government that people will not vote for government because they don’t like politics. For me, a key goal would be to help people pull away from the political partisan stuff and just think about what is good governance, what are good principles and good values. Then outside of politics, how do we expect our leaders to behave?”

The provincial election is April 16.

by Sheldon Spackman

Klooster looking to shake-off partisan politics during election campaign

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