Arthur Johnston (politician)
Encyclopedia
Arthur "Art" Johnston is a Canadian
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 Calgary-Hays
Calgary Hays
Calgary Hays is a provincial electoral district mandated to return one member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Canada using the first past the post method of voting.The riding was formed in 2004, carved out of the Calgary-Shaw electoral district...

 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

Johnston was born August 3, 1947 in Halifax, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...

. In 1970, he began a career with the Canadian Forces
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...

, eventually earning two United Nations service medals and NATO Service Medal. He held the rank of sergeant when he left the Forces 11 years later. In 1979 he attended the University of New Brunswick
University of New Brunswick
The University of New Brunswick is a Canadian university located in the province of New Brunswick. UNB is the oldest English language university in Canada and among the first public universities in North America. The university has two main campuses: the original campus founded in 1785 in...

 before starting a 25 year career with the Calgary Police Service
Calgary Police Service
Calgary Police Service, formed in 1885, is the municipal police force for the City of Calgary, Alberta.- Organization :Founded in 1885, the current head of the CPS is Chief Rick Hanson...

 (CPS). In 2003, Johnston retired from the CPS as a patrol sergeant. During his service he was awarded the 12 year Police Service Medal and the 20 year Police Exemplary Medal.

Political career

Johnston first sought public office in the 2001 Calgary municipal election as alderman for Ward 12. Defeat in the aldermanic race did not deter him from later seeking election provincially in the constituency of Calgary-Hays
Calgary Hays
Calgary Hays is a provincial electoral district mandated to return one member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Canada using the first past the post method of voting.The riding was formed in 2004, carved out of the Calgary-Shaw electoral district...

 in 2004. In that election, he was the successful candidate and received 64% of the vote.

Since his election to 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...

, Johnston has been involved with various committees. During his first term in office, he held the position of chair for the Social Care Facilities Review Committee, the Special Constable Review Committee, and the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund Committee while also sitting as a member on a number of other committees. He also helped develop several bills including: Correction Amendment Act, 2007, Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act, Peace Officer Act, and Traffic Safety Amendment Act, 2007.

In the 2008 provincial election Johnston was reelected with 54% of the vote. Currently, he is chair of both the Cabinet Policy Committee on Community Services and the Social Care Facilities Review Committee, and a member of the Standing Committee on the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund, the Legislative Review Committee, and the Standing Committee on Community Services.

Personal life

Johnston is currently married to his wife Shirley. The couple has four sons: Ed, Eric, Don and Darcy. In addition to reading and playing badminton, Johnston enjoys hockey, is a member of the Fish Creek Recreational Hockey League, and is a two-time gold medal recipient in the Charles Schulz hockey tournament in Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa is the county seat of Sonoma County, California, United States. The 2010 census reported a population of 167,815. Santa Rosa is the largest city in California's Wine Country and fifth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, after San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont and 26th...

. An active volunteer, he has served as director of both the Shawnessy Community Association and the Calgary-Shaw Progressive Conservative Association and volunteered for various community events. Johnston was awarded the Centennial Medal for his community contributions.

Election results

2008 Alberta general election results ( Calgary-Hays
Calgary Hays
Calgary Hays is a provincial electoral district mandated to return one member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Canada using the first past the post method of voting.The riding was formed in 2004, carved out of the Calgary-Shaw electoral district...

 )
font style="font-size: 90%;">Turnout 39.1%
Affiliation Candidate Votes %

Progressive Conservative Arthur Johnston 6,959 54%
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...

Bill Kurtze 3,582 28%
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...

Bruce Keely 564 4%
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...

Tyler Kinch 367 3%
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...

Devin Cassidy 1,364 11%
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 ( Calgary-Hays
Calgary Hays
Calgary Hays is a provincial electoral district mandated to return one member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Canada using the first past the post method of voting.The riding was formed in 2004, carved out of the Calgary-Shaw electoral district...

 )
font style="font-size: 90%;">Turnout 34.9%
Affiliation Candidate Votes %

Progressive Conservative Arthur Johnston 5,523 63.8%
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...

Sharon Howe 1,926 22.2%
Alberta Alliance Robert Wawrzynowski 534 6.2%
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...

Rachell Wienfeld 298 3.4%
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...

Bernie Amell 378 4.4%
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