Edmonton Griesbach (Alberta) 91/338

Edmonton Griesbach (Alberta)

Today we're one riding northeast with Edmonton Griesbach!

Edmonton Griesbach has existed as a riding since the 2012 redistribution, created from Edmonton West and Edmonton—St. Albert. The population of the riding was 112,287 in 2016. The riding contains the neighbourhoods of Griesbach, Dickinsfield, and Beverly. The riding is 10.1% Indigenous, almost double the Edmonton total (5.5%). 

Politically, this seat has been strongly Conservative since 1997, only being under a 5 point margin in 2015 (when now MLA Janis Irwin was the NDP candidate) and 2021. Since 2008, the NDP have been in second place in the riding, never quite getting enough support to take the riding. That was, of course, until this election. This election, the NDP was able to mobilize support and take the riding by a mere 3.4%. The riding is represented by NDP MP Blake Desjarlais.

Back in 1988, this was the first NDP seat in Alberta federally, won by MP Ross Harvey. Harvey would go on to become the leader of the Alberta NDP after his federal defeat in 1993, but would resign his position before facing an election. Harvey would be the only NDP MP elected for 20 years, when Linda Duncan won her seat in Edmonton Strathcona. In 2019, this seat was 5/34 in Alberta and 238/338 in Canada by margin.

Rating:

Name: 7.2/10 - I appreciate the effort, but Griesbach is a pretty small neighbourhood. Maybe a larger one like Montrose or Highlands would work better.

Shape: 6.2/10 - Pretty good, just really not a fan of the choice to give Strathcona Riverdale and the appendages are a little weird.

Individuality: 8.9/10 - Interesting trajectory from the first NDP seat in Alberta to a Conservative base to the second NDP seat in Alberta.

Total: 22.3/30 (74.3%)

Tomorrow we're northeast again with Edmonton Manning!