With a 71 per cent increase in turnout at the advance polls, there is a lot of interest in this week’s Calgary-Lougheed by-election.  Seven candidates are vying for the seat vacated by the UCP’s Dave Rodney to give his party’s leader, Jason Kenney, a crack at sitting in the legislature.  Our Politics Panel puts Thursday’s vote into perspective.

Plus...had the Fall Session wrapped-up as scheduled, Alberta MLAs would already be in holiday mode, or trudging the campaign trail in support of candidates contesting the Calgary-Lougheed by-election.  Instead, the fall sitting has spilled over into this week thanks to a slew of major bills and policy announcements introduced over the last few weeks.  It has not only left the opposition scrambling to catch up, but is also helping further inflame heightened political tensions.