The Wildrose party has found a standard-bearer for the Spruce Grove-St. Albert riding for the upcoming election.
Travis Hughes was acclaimed in the party's nomination contest earlier this month and was officially announced as the party's candidate Friday afternoon.
Hughes said the Progressive Conservatives are taking the province down the wrong path and he decided he could no longer sit back and watch.
"I was just tired of sitting on the sidelines and I honestly felt helpless about making change in the political scene in Alberta," he said. "I am a do-it-yourself kind of person and I feel if you want to do something right you have to do it yourself."
Hughes said one of his top concerns is health care and especially emergency room wait times. He said he has waited long hours with his two-year-old daughter and doesn't want to see that continue.
"I have had to wait in an emergency room when she is sick and waited at the Sturgeon emergency room for six hours, it is just unacceptable that people aren't getting cared for in a timely manner."
He said it is about managing the system more efficiently and not simply throwing more money at it.
"We need a better solution for health care and I think the way Wildrose is looking at it we could probably put in the best solution as opposed to just throwing money into the system."
Big challenge
Hughes will be challenging sitting MLA, deputy premier and former leadership candidate Doug Horner in the coming campaign.
Despite Horner's previous electoral success and visibility Hughes is confident he can win.
"I think my chances are pretty good, Albertans are looking for change and Wildrose represents that change."
Horner's prominence in government will be a liability for him, Hughes argues, because he can't pretend he wasn't involved in the government's more unpopular decisions.
"He can't distance himself from the poor decisions that the current government has made."
His political ambition aside, Hughes already has a government position working as a technical services manager with the sheriff's branch of the provincial government.
"Being in the government I can see where there are inefficiencies in the public service, where there might be waste and where things can be improved," he said.
He has previously done work in the private sector as well.
Hughes lives in Legal today, but he plans to move into the riding if he is successful. He grew up in St. Albert and said he is familiar with the area.
"I have lived here my whole life and I have friends and families in this area and I can identify with it."
To get better known in the area and find out about the issues affecting constituents Hughes plans to go one door at a time.
"It is going to be a ground effort. I want to talk to people door-to-door and discuss the issues and get their thoughts on how they feel the province is being run."
In addition to Horner and Hughes, the NDP have announced Juliette Trudeau as their candidate in the riding. The newly aligned riding includes the area of St. Albert north of McKenney Avenue and west of St. Albert Trail.
