NDP Premier Rachel Notley has called an Alberta general election for April 16. The contest will see Notley battle United Conservative Party leader Jason Kenney for credibility as a builder of pipelines. Both have laboured to see Alberta oil shipped faster and safely in all directions but both live in a world of rich, committed opponents. Kenney has apparently won ground by promising to take on wealthy US environmentalists who fund anti-pipeline groups in Canada. An Ipsos/Global News poll shows him with a substantial lead. The poll — which surveyed 900 eligible Alberta voters both online and by telephone — asked questions ranging from who people would vote for if the election were held today, how certain they were and which leader might be the best to govern the province. Overall, the majority — 53 per cent — of Albertans polled seemed ready to throw their support behind the UCP, with 35 per cent saying they’d vote for the NDP. The Liberal and Alberta parties came in with a total of seven per cent.
