From bus driver to provincial politician, West Yellowhead MLA Eric Rosendahl has come a long way since being elected to the Legislative Assembly last year.
Prior to that fateful day, Rosendahl–a retired pulp mill worker–kept busy by sitting on various committees and filling in as a bus driver for students in Grande Yellowhead.
However, all of that changed on May 5, 2015 after the NDP clinched enough seats to form a majority government, ending the Progressive Conservative’s 44-year grip on provincial politics.
For Rosendahl the impact was almost immediate. He left behind his small-town celebrity status, and quickly became a public figure throughout the province as he stepped into his new role as West Yellowhead’s MLA—a victory which was a shock even to him.
“I was pretty surprised,” said Rosendahl, who defeated Robin Campbell, the province’s former finance minster.
“I didn’t think this would be a position I would ever hold.”
Despite the new responsibilities tied to his job, Rosendahl said he has comfortably slid into his role as an MLA.
“The thing is it’s not really that much different from what I was doing before being elected. What I’m doing now is just a step higher up,” Rosendahl said. “It’s just a different level of responsibilities.”
While juggling another tier of tasks may come easily for Rosendahl, he admits the position isn’t without its challenges.
“A lot of it is trying to figure out who you need to talk to— working with different levels of bureaucrats has been the biggest learning curve,” he said. “I’m learning how things fit together and who you need to talk to when an issue comes forward.”
When Rosendahl isn’t figuring out who’s who in the province’s political world, he spends many hours on the road throughout West Yellowhead to get more acquainted with the people of his riding.
“It has been challenging in some areas because I just don’t know the people quite as well as I do in Hinton,” he said. “That’s one thing I’m working on.”
To stay connected with his constituents, Rosendahl recently set up satellite offices in Edson, Jasper and Grande Cache. The satellite office in Jasper opened at the Jasper Legion in February. Either
Rosendahl or one of his staff members will be at the office every fourth Wednesday of the month from 11 a.m.- 3 p.m.
Rosendahl said the Jasper hours have been well attended.
“The idea behind the satellite offices is to give these communities the same services as the people of Hinton,” said Kathleen Westergaard, Rosendahl’s constituency manager.
“People come into the office and explain what they are having problems with and then we have specialized contacts in all the different ministers’ offices who will help resolve their problems.”
While issues vary depending on the town, Rosendahl said the most common complaints are woes regarding provincial programming, health services, transportation and workers’ compensation.
“It’s a broad range, but if people are having difficulties then we can support them,” Rosendahl said. “We help them understand why they are not getting what they want, but we often help them resolve their issues.
“We help with different processes to make sure things are being done in a fair manner.”
Looking forward, there are still many issues to tackle, but as Rosendahl reflected on his past year in office he said he has experienced a handful of career highlights including an NDP tour throughout Alberta last year.
“That was fantastic. We got to be out there and meet with different communities,” he said. “Just meeting the people is what it’s all about.”
According to Rosendahl, another feat this year was the government’s resurrection of the Summer Temporary Employment Program (STEP), which was cut in 2013 by the previous government.
The program helps employers hire students for the summer.
“We’ve been checking in with locals and the program has been highly accessed,” Rosendahl said. “It’s good when you bring stuff forward that’s actually being used.”
As the MLA heads into his second year in office, he says there are no major plans on the table for West Yellowhead, but he will continue to support the people of the region.
On a provincial level, Rosendahl said he will continue to push the Alberta Jobs Plan that was outlined in the government’s budget. According to the government, the Alberta Jobs Plan is designed to support families and communities, investing in infrastructure, diversifying Alberta’s energy industry, and supporting provincial businesses.
“Our jobs plan and our budget is front and center right now, but it’s also important for me to be there for the constituents,” Rosendahl said. “But all in all I’m having a great time.
“There are some negative things, but you just have to look past those things and say ‘Okay, what can we do better?’”
Kayla Byrne
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