Blake Pedersen

Blake Pedersen
MLA for Medicine Hat
In office
April 23, 2012  May 5, 2015
Preceded by Rob Renner
Succeeded by Bob Wanner
Personal details
Born (1965-02-09) February 9, 1965
Gull Lake, Saskatchewan
Political party Alberta Party (2017-present)
Other political
affiliations
Wildrose (2012–2014)
Progressive Conservative (2014-2017)
Residence Medicine Hat
Occupation small business owner
Website blakepedersen.ca

Blake James Pedersen (born February 9, 1965) is a Canadian politician who was an elected member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, previously representing the electoral district of Medicine Hat.[1] He was born at Gull Lake, Saskatchewan.[2][3]

He was first elected in the 2012 provincial election as a member of the Wildrose Party caucus.

In the spring 2013 sitting of the Alberta Legislature, Pedersen put forward Motion 510 to restore a competitive tax credit system for film industry labour costs, which was supported by the Progressive Conservatives, NDP and Liberals. Motion 510 was the first Wildrose motion to ever pass in the Alberta Legislature.[4] The proposal in Pedersen's motion would replace the current system of awarding grants to film companies through the Alberta Multimedia Development Fund with a tax credit that would enable all companies to recoup a portion of their production costs.[5][6]

Pedersen was born and raised in Gull Lake, Saskatchewan, on the family ranch. Following graduation from Gull Lake High School, he moved to Vancouver as a drummer with a band, but returned to Gull Lake a few months later and entered the work force with a local oilfield services company. Experiencing his first of many boom and bust cycles, after one year of employment Pedersen participated in a 10-month agricultural exchange program to Australia with the International Agricultural Exchange Association. Upon his return to Canada, Pedersen returned to the oilfield services industry, and in 1999 became a small business owner.[7]

On December 17, 2014, he was one of nine Wildrose MLAs who crossed the floor to join the Alberta Progressive Conservative caucus.[8] Pederson stood for reelection during the 2015 Alberta election but was defeated by NDP's Bob Wanner, finishing third.[9]

In November 2017, it was reported that Pedersen had since joined the Alberta Party, and was seeking a seat on the party's board of directors.[10]

Electoral history

Alberta general election, 2012: Medicine Hat
Party Candidate Votes%
WildroseBlake Pedersen6,03043.53
Progressive ConservativeDarren Hirsch5,34138.56
New DemocraticDennis Perrier1,1688.43
LiberalMatthew Sandford1,1017.95
EvergreenGraham Murray2121.53
Alberta general election, 2015: Medicine Hat
Party Candidate Votes%
New DemocraticBob Wanner6,15938.0%
WildroseVal Olson5,76035.5%
Progressive ConservativeBlake Pedersen3,22719.9%
Alberta PartyJim Black9315.7%
IndependentDavid Phillips1350.8%

References

  1. Alberta Election 2012: Riding-by-riding results
  2. http://medicinehatnews.com/alberta-election/meet-the-candidates/2015/04/07/blake-pedersen-pc-medicine-hat/%5Bpermanent+dead+link%5D
  3. "Legislative Assembly of Alberta Blake Pedersen biography". Retrieved 2013-06-10.
  4. "Alberta film tax credit earns all-party support". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 2013-06-10.
  5. "Alberta Hansard May 6, 2013". Retrieved 2013-06-10.
  6. "Legislature passes Wildrose film tax credit motion". Archived from the original on 2013-06-06. Retrieved 2013-06-10.
  7. "Legislative Assembly of Alberta Blake Pedersen biography". Retrieved 2013-06-10.
  8. "9 Wildrose MLAs, including Danielle Smith, cross to Alberta Tories". CBC News, December 17, 2014.
  9. http://medicinehatnews.com/alberta-election/stories-features/2015/05/06/050615-medhat-runner-ups/%5Bpermanent+dead+link%5D
  10. "Alberta Party leader Greg Clark to step down, opening door for leadership campaign". Retrieved 2017-11-17.


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