Ray Prins
Encyclopedia
Ray Prins is a Canadian
politician and current Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
, representing the constituency of Lacombe-Ponoka
as a Progressive Conservative
.
. After high school, he worked a variety of agriculture and construction jobs, including two years in oilfield construction northeast of Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories
, and a year in refinery maintenance in Edmonton
. In 1974, Prins bought a farm near Gull Lake, Alberta
where he grew grain and hay, and raised cattle, hogs, elk and bison.
in the 2008 provincial election, where he received 58 per cent of the vote. The constituency race garnered national media attention with Green Party
candidate Joe Anglin thought by many to be the Alberta Green's best chance at earning its first seat in a provincial legislature. Anglin took 23 per cent of the March 2008 vote.
Currently, Prins is chair of the Policy Field Committee on Resources and Environment, and the Standing Committee on Privileges and Elections, Standing Orders and Printing. He is also a member of the Treasury Board and the Cabinet Policy Committee on Resources and the Environment.
Prins was first elected in 2004, when he received 53 per cent of the vote in his constituency. Since being elected, Prins has sat on numerous committees. He has chaired the Seniors Advisory Council, MLA Task Force for Seniors, the Review of Local Authorities Election Act and Rural Development Strategy. He has also served as deputy chair of the Public Accounts Committee.
Prior to entering provincial politics, Prins was reeve of Lacombe County from 2001 to 2004. He was a founding member of the North Red Deer River Regional Water Services Commission (2004), a process he saw to completion as an MLA. He has also served as chair of the Lacombe County Agricultural Service Board.
with his wife, Pauline. The couple has four grown children and two grandsons, Gideon and Levi.
He is a member of Woodynook Christian Reformed Church in Blackfalds, Alberta, past chair of the Lacombe Christian School Board and former vice-chair of King’s University College Board of Governors.
Prins has volunteered on community developing trips to Mali
, Kenya
, Russia
and Armenia
. He also participated in a project building water systems throughout rural Sierra Leone
, where he was named an honorary Kuranko tribesman.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
politician and current Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
Legislative Assembly of Alberta
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is one of two components of the Legislature of Alberta, the other being the Queen, represented by the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta. The Alberta legislature meets in the Alberta Legislature Building in the provincial capital, Edmonton...
, representing the constituency of Lacombe-Ponoka
Lacombe-Ponoka
Lacombe-Ponoka is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Canada.-Boundary history:- Members of the Legislative Assembly :-2004 general election:-2004 Senate nominee election district results:...
as a Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta
The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta is a provincial centre-right party in the Canadian province of Alberta...
.
Early life
Prins was born April 15, 1951 in Lacombe, AlbertaLacombe, Alberta
Lacombe is a city in Alberta, Canada. It is located north of Red Deer, the nearest major city, and south of Edmonton, the nearest metropolitan area...
. After high school, he worked a variety of agriculture and construction jobs, including two years in oilfield construction northeast of Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories
Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories
Tuktoyaktuk, or Tuktuyaaqtuuq , is an Inuvialuit hamlet located in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Commonly referred to simply by its first syllable, Tuk, the settlement lies north of the Arctic Circle on the shore of the Arctic Ocean...
, and a year in refinery maintenance in Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
. In 1974, Prins bought a farm near Gull Lake, Alberta
Gull Lake, Alberta
Gull Lake is a summer village located on the southern shores of Gull Lake, located about 24 kilometres from the town of Rimbey in central Alberta, Canada.- Demographics :...
where he grew grain and hay, and raised cattle, hogs, elk and bison.
Political career
Prins was elected to a second term representing the constituency of Lacombe-PonokaLacombe-Ponoka
Lacombe-Ponoka is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Canada.-Boundary history:- Members of the Legislative Assembly :-2004 general election:-2004 Senate nominee election district results:...
in the 2008 provincial election, where he received 58 per cent of the vote. The constituency race garnered national media attention with Green Party
Green Party of Alberta
The Green Party of Alberta, also known as the Alberta Greens, was a provincial political party in the province of Alberta, Canada.The Alberta Greens were formed in 1986 and received official party status on April 6, 1990...
candidate Joe Anglin thought by many to be the Alberta Green's best chance at earning its first seat in a provincial legislature. Anglin took 23 per cent of the March 2008 vote.
Currently, Prins is chair of the Policy Field Committee on Resources and Environment, and the Standing Committee on Privileges and Elections, Standing Orders and Printing. He is also a member of the Treasury Board and the Cabinet Policy Committee on Resources and the Environment.
Prins was first elected in 2004, when he received 53 per cent of the vote in his constituency. Since being elected, Prins has sat on numerous committees. He has chaired the Seniors Advisory Council, MLA Task Force for Seniors, the Review of Local Authorities Election Act and Rural Development Strategy. He has also served as deputy chair of the Public Accounts Committee.
Prior to entering provincial politics, Prins was reeve of Lacombe County from 2001 to 2004. He was a founding member of the North Red Deer River Regional Water Services Commission (2004), a process he saw to completion as an MLA. He has also served as chair of the Lacombe County Agricultural Service Board.
Personal life
Prins lives near Gull Lake, AlbertaGull Lake, Alberta
Gull Lake is a summer village located on the southern shores of Gull Lake, located about 24 kilometres from the town of Rimbey in central Alberta, Canada.- Demographics :...
with his wife, Pauline. The couple has four grown children and two grandsons, Gideon and Levi.
He is a member of Woodynook Christian Reformed Church in Blackfalds, Alberta, past chair of the Lacombe Christian School Board and former vice-chair of King’s University College Board of Governors.
Prins has volunteered on community developing trips to Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
. He also participated in a project building water systems throughout rural Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
, where he was named an honorary Kuranko tribesman.
Election results
| 2008 Alberta general election results ( Lacombe-Ponoka Lacombe-Ponoka Lacombe-Ponoka is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Canada.-Boundary history:- Members of the Legislative Assembly :-2004 general election:-2004 Senate nominee election district results:... ) |
font style="font-size: 90%;">Turnout 49.6% | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % |
Progressive Conservative | Ray Prins | 8,201 | 58% |
Wildrose Alliance Wildrose Alliance Party of Alberta The Wildrose Party, formerly Wildrose Alliance Party, is a conservative provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. It includes free market conservative, libertarian and socially conservative factions and was formed in 2008 following a merger of the Wildrose Party of Alberta and the Alberta... |
Daniel Friesen | 911 | 6% |
Liberal Alberta Liberal Party The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time... |
Edith McPhedran | 1,200 | 9% |
Green Green Party of Alberta The Green Party of Alberta, also known as the Alberta Greens, was a provincial political party in the province of Alberta, Canada.The Alberta Greens were formed in 1986 and received official party status on April 6, 1990... |
Joe Anglin | 3,226 | 23% |
NDP Alberta New Democratic Party The Alberta New Democratic Party or Alberta NDP is a social-democratic political party in Alberta, Canada, which was originally founded as the Alberta section of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation... |
Stephen P. Bradshaw | 570 | 4% | |
| Total | 14,108 | 100% | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004 Alberta general election Alberta general election, 2004 The Alberta general election of 2004 was the twenty-sixth general election for the province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on November 22, 2004 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.... results ( Lacombe-Ponoka Lacombe-Ponoka Lacombe-Ponoka is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Canada.-Boundary history:- Members of the Legislative Assembly :-2004 general election:-2004 Senate nominee election district results:... ) |
font style="font-size: 90%;">Turnout 49.8% | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % |
Progressive Conservative | Ray Prins | 6,923 | 52.9% |
Alberta Alliance | Ed Klop | 2,349 | 18% |
Liberal Alberta Liberal Party The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time... |
Glen T. Simmonds | 2,214 | 16.9% |
Social Credit Social Credit Party of Alberta The Alberta Social Credit Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada, that was founded on the social credit monetary policy and conservative Christian social values.... |
Teena Cormack | 461 | 3.5% |
NDP Alberta New Democratic Party The Alberta New Democratic Party or Alberta NDP is a social-democratic political party in Alberta, Canada, which was originally founded as the Alberta section of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation... |
Jim Graves | 1,133 | 8.7% | |
| Total | 13,080 | 100% | ||||||||||||||||||||||