With a 5,000-vote lead on election night and only 1,146 mail-in ballots left to be counted, Sask Party candidate Terry Jenson is headed to the provincial legislature as the new MLA for the Martensville-Warman constituency.
In an interview at his campaign office in Warman on Monday, October 26, Jenson said he’s proud to follow in the footsteps of retiring MLA Nancy Heppner, who represented the riding for many years. Ben Heppner, Nancy’s late father, was the MLA prior to that.
“This is the first time in 24 years that this constituency will have somebody other than a Heppner in the Chamber in Regina,” said Jenson. “I’m very humbled to be able to take over from Nancy. I heard on the doorsteps that I have some pretty big shoes to fill.
“I intend to wear my own shoes, but the path has been well-worn by those two individuals. I can’t think of a better MLA to follow and keep the momentum going.”
Jenson said he knocked on literally thousands of doors over the past 21 months since he first decided to seek the Sask Party nomination. He intends to continue doing exactly that.
“As a new MLA, it’s important for me to make sure I’m on the doorsteps talking to people and listening to what they’re telling us,” said Jenson. “We’re forming another majority government and I think that shows the people of Saskatchewan are pleased with the way things are being handled.
“I will be listening to the people here and bringing their concerns and issues to Regina.”
He said his first priority following the election is to spend a few days with his family. Then it’s down to work.
“I’ll be meeting with the mayors, reeve and councillors in each community after the municipal elections in early November. I’ll continue to door-knock when I can.”
Jenson said over the past decade, the Sask Party government has brought several new schools to Martensville and Warman, as well as two highway overpasses. He said it’s important for the province and region to work together to encourage ongoing prosperity.
“There is more work to be done,” said Jenson. “This area is still growing and we want to make sure we put things in place to foster an environment where this area can continue to grow in a very controlled manner.”
Voter turnout in the Martensville-Warman riding during the five-days of advanced polls prior to election night was among the highest in the province. A total of 5,054 voters took advantage of the opportunity, while 1,146 voted by mail. The mail-in ballots are slated to be counted on Wednesday, October 28.
With all 70 polls reporting on Tuesday morning, October 27, Jenson received 6,486 votes. NDP candidate Carla Streeton had 1,445 votes; while Buffalo Party candidate Wade Sira had 536 votes and Green Party candidate Melvin Pylypchuk received 144 votes.