In ramp up to leadership vote, Stelmach taps a major player
In the mythology of recent Alberta Tory power bids, particularly in Calgary, Ed Stelmach and Ted Morton stole the Progressive Conservative leadership from Jim Dinning, a Calgary business community insider and a former MLA who for a time served as Ralph Klein’s provincial treasurer. Now Dinning, who went to ground after losing that race in 2006, has publicly declared his support for embattled Premier Stelmach ahead of a leadership review vote at the party’s AGM on Nov. 7 that some disgruntled party members see as a chance to bump the chief. Dinning was rumoured to be open to a draft should Stelmach stumble; that rumour now appears to have been put to rest.