Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock

Leslie Penny

“As a nurse, I saw the effects of the cutbacks during the Klein years. We need smart government policies that work for the majority of Albertans, not just in health care, but in every sector of the province.” – Leslie Penny

Leslie is a longtime resident of Barrhead who has spent her career in the field of health care, giving her valuable perspectives on an issue critical to Albertans. She is the director of Community Health Services for Aspen Regional Health, where she has earned the respect of her colleagues and community members for her willingness to innovate in meeting the vast spectrum of health care needs of the community.

She obtained her nursing degree from the University of Alberta and, as a health care professional, had a front-row seat to the cutbacks to the health care system during the Klein years. She has witnessed firsthand the effects of poor government policy on the health of her patients, and believes firmly in a strong government commitment to public health care.

Leslie is a board member for a number of community organizations, including the Alberta Hospice Palliative Care Association and Camp Mackinicholea, located north of Westlock. You might also hear her voice ringing out from Barrhead United Church, where she is a member of the choir. Her dedication to the community earned her recognition as the first recipient of the Rosemary Empey Volunteer of the Year Award in Barrhead.

Alberta’s unprecedented boom has not filtered down to many members of the community, especially those in the agricultural sector, a problem Leslie hopes to address in the Legislature. Specifically, Leslie wishes to tackle high housing costs, lack of rental units, labour shortages in the public and non-profit sectors, and lack of childcare spaces.

With her husband, Rick, Leslie has two daughters, Kristine and Shauna. She is also a proud grandmother to Hannah. Her leisure activities include swimming, curling, dancing and horseback riding.