Darwin Roy is continuing his pursuit for provincial representation after falling to Georgina Jolibois in the NDP nomination race. (Submitted photo/Darwin Roy)

By Elliott Knopp

Athabasca Independent

Darwin Roy running independently in Athabasca byelection

Jan 13, 2022 | 5:00 AM

Following a tight contest for the NDP nomination in Athabasca, Darwin Roy has maintained focus on his goal of becoming the provincial representative for the constituency. This time around, he’ll be running independent from any political party.

In an interview with meadowlakeNOW, Roy explained his reason for running as an independent after missing out on the NDP nomination. He said the move would allow him to hone in on the needs of the region rather than partisan politics.

“I believe that we could get a lot further, more efficiently and effectively by just working on what works for our constituency first,” he said.

“I’ve always had the desire to run politically and serve the people from my home area. I never was set on a particular party.”

Roy said vying for a spot within the NDP was much closer to a formality than an actual desire to colour his political identity. If he secured a nomination with a political party, Roy said he would’ve had more access to support for his campaign through financial and network means.

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With that aspect of his campaign now seemingly out of the picture, Roy said the upcoming byelection is the time for people to forego the fight between left and right, and act together in the best interests of the community.

“We can’t take a cookie cutter approach to northwest Saskatchewan,” he remarked.

“We need to be directly involved with our policies and programs, and create balance. I really think that we could move forward more effectively and more efficiently if we balanced that, and we’re not always having conflicting policies conflicting.”

Roy said his focus when it comes to political decision making walks the line between both sides of the table. He feels it’s important to consider the environmental impacts when looking into economic development. This carries over with his views on technological advancements as he said there are some traditional lifestyle elements that should also be assessed.

He added he would like to see the region become more advanced with innovation and technology, but also mentioned there is more work to be done.

“Before we advance, we must catch up to the rest of the province, and to the rest of the country in terms of communications and connectivity, and in terms of technological advances.”

Roy said in order to achieve these goals and help the region progress with the rest of the country, all organizations, decision-makers and perspectives need to be welcomed to discussions and be heard.

“We can all work together and move forward with our needs and concerns as a united force. Inclusiveness and cooperation. I am the best person on the ballot to facilitate that unity for Northwest Saskatchewan.”

The Athabasca byelection is set to occur by Feb. 15, 2022.

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elliott.knopp@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @ElliottKnopp