Hickie Announces He Will Not Seek Re-election

Regina - Prince Albert Carlton MLA Darryl Hickie today announced he will not be running again in the next provincial election, expected in 2016.

Hickie is serving his second term as the MLA for Prince Albert Carlton. Before winning his first election in 2007, Hickie was a constable in the Forensic Identification Unit of the Prince Albert Police Service. He is also past President of the Prince Albert Police Association. Hickie said he plans to return to the Prince Albert Police Service after completing his current term of office.

Hickie served in several posts as an MLA including as the Minister for Corrections, Public Safety and Policing from 2007-2009. In June 2010, Premier Brad Wall appointed him Minister of Municipal Affairs until 2012.

"I feel honoured and humbled to have been elected to represent the people of Prince Albert Carlton as their voice in the Legislature," Hickie said. "I will continue to serve as MLA for Prince Albert Carlton until the next election. The Saskatchewan Party has worked hard and delivered real results for Prince Albert and I am proud to have been a part of that. I look forward to continuing to serve the people of Prince Albert by returning to my previous career as a police officer."

Premier Brad Wall thanked Hickie for his many years of service to the people of Prince Albert Carlton and Saskatchewan.

"Darryl Hickie was and will continue to be a strong voice for the people of Prince Albert," Wall said. "He worked tirelessly to deliver on behalf of his constituents, advocating for the twinning of Highway 11 and in helping to deliver significant funding for the renewal of Victoria Hospital."

"Darryl has played a leadership role in our party, serving the Prince Albert Carlton constituency and as a very effective cabinet minister. He has been instrumental in the numerous initiatives our government has taken to support our province's steady growth by spearheading initiatives that invest in the infrastructure that keep our economy strong, and in people who benefit from that growth."

Wall said he expects a strongly contested nomination meeting in the Prince Albert Carlton constituency. "This has been an important community for our government thanks in large part to Darryl's time as MLA," Wall said. "We will work hard to continue earning the trust of the people of Prince Albert Carlton so that our candidate can succeed Darryl as the next Saskatchewan Party MLA for Prince Albert Carlton."

Three Saskatchewan Party MLAs have already been nominated for the next provincial election and 20 more nominations involving incumbent MLAs are scheduled for the coming weeks.

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For more information: The Saskatchewan Party, 306.359.1638 or 1.800.966.9611.