Link Byfield begins campaign ...

... and Wildrose Alliance Watch was there to witness his arrival in the riding of Whitecourt-Ste. Anne.

Given Link's mode of transportation, it behooves me to raise the question of why he chose this riding to be the launching pad for his bid for a seat under the Dome. What connection does he actually have with the riding of Whitecourt-Ste. Anne?

Well, Link's official announcement states that "Byfield has lived near Onoway for 25 years, and raised a family there". What does this mean? Did Link raise his family in Onoway, due to Onoway's proximity to his actual residence? Does he then consider Onoway to be his home town? How far is his residence from Onoway, and is the residence located within the boundaries of the riding of Whitecourt-Ste. Anne?

Onoway is located in the eastern end of Whitecourt-Ste. Anne, right up against the border with the neighboring riding of Spruce Grove-Sturgeon-St. Albert. Byfield's use of the phrase "near Onoway" creates the impression that he resides in a rural setting, near the Town of Onoway. But on the "About Me" page at linkbyfield.ca, Link describes himself as residing "near Edmonton at Riviere Qui Barre". Riviere Qui Barre is located about 35km northeast of Onoway, in the riding of Spruce Grove-Sturgeon-St. Albert. It is not in Whitecourt-Ste. Anne.

The original "Executive" page on the Wildrose Party site describes Link as being a resident "of Morinville". Morinville is located even further to the east, in the riding of Barrhead-Westlock-Morinville. It is about 50km from Onoway, and an entire riding lies between it and Whitecourt-Ste. Anne.

There's more.

After the October 27, 2007 founding conference of the Wildrose Party, Link assumed new duties as the VP Communications. The Wildrose Party website was updated, and Link was then described as being resident in both Riviere Qui Barre, and Morinville:

No mention of Onoway.

Where exactly does Link live, and, if he does live in either Riviere Qui Barre or Morinville, why not simply admit that he is a parachute candidate rather than using weasel words like "near Onoway"?

I note that linkbyfield.ca is no longer up and running, so I have no email address for his campaign. I'm sure he'll have an email posted there soon, at which time I will seek clarification from his campaign as to what connection he has with Whitecourt-Ste. Anne.

Update (Feb 07, 2008): I notice that Link's campaign website just went up at linkbyfield.ca. The "About Link Byfield" page from his 2004 Senate campaign website can now be viewed here.