Ernie Jamison
Encyclopedia
William Ernest "Ernie" Jamison (born: February 27, 1924 - died: April 11, 2003) was a publisher and member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
.
Jamison grew up in Edmonton
. Early in his career, he worked as an ad setter for the Edmonton Bulletin
. He went on to acquire the Western Weekly, a magazine that circulated with weekly newspapers around Alberta
. In an effort to increase circulation of the magazine, he purchased the St. Albert Gazette from Ronald Harvey
in 1966. He continued to publish the paper until his retirement, whereupon he passed it on to his children.
In the 1971 Alberta election
, Jamison was one of more than forty new Progressive Conservative
MLAs elected as Peter Lougheed
swept to power. Jamison was re-elected in the 1975 election
, but his performance in office had begun to alienate many members of his party. Former St. Albert mayor Ray Gibbon
announced his intention to challenge him party's nomination in 1975, and another former mayor, Richard Plain
, blamed Jamison for his defeat in 1977, accusing him of using his control of what was then St. Albert's only newspaper to orchestrate a victory for Ronald Harvey, from whom Jamison had bought the paper eleven years previous. Myrna Fyfe
defeated Jamison for the nomination in the 1979 election
, as Jamison left the Legislature.
Jamison would run unsuccessfully for provincial office twice more in his career: in the 1982 election
he ran as an independent, finishing third as Fyfe was re-elected, while in the 1986 election
he finished third while running under the banner of the short-lived Representative Party of Alberta
. He also ran federally in the riding of Pembina
as an independent in a 1986 by-election, finishing fifth of seven candidate with 2.7% of the vote.
In 2001, Jamison was hospitalized with cancer, which took his life in 2003.
Legislative Assembly of Alberta
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is one of two components of the Legislature of Alberta, the other being the Queen, represented by the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta. The Alberta legislature meets in the Alberta Legislature Building in the provincial capital, Edmonton...
.
Jamison grew up in Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
. Early in his career, he worked as an ad setter for the Edmonton Bulletin
Edmonton Bulletin
The Edmonton Bulletin was a newspaper in Edmonton, Alberta published from 1880 until January 20, 1951. It was founded by Frank Oliver, a politician and future minister in the Canadian Government....
. He went on to acquire the Western Weekly, a magazine that circulated with weekly newspapers around Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
. In an effort to increase circulation of the magazine, he purchased the St. Albert Gazette from Ronald Harvey
Ronald Harvey
Ronald Harvey was the third Director of the Australian Institute of Sport, serving in the role from 1987 until 1990. In 1990, the well-known Australian marathon runner Robert de Castella succeeded Harvey as the new Director of the AIS....
in 1966. He continued to publish the paper until his retirement, whereupon he passed it on to his children.
In the 1971 Alberta election
Alberta general election, 1971
The Alberta general election of 1971 was the seventeenth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on August 30, 1971 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
, Jamison was one of more than forty new Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta
The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta is a provincial centre-right party in the Canadian province of Alberta...
MLAs elected as Peter Lougheed
Peter Lougheed
Edgar Peter Lougheed, PC, CC, AOE, QC, is a Canadian lawyer, and a former politician and Canadian Football League player. He served as the tenth Premier of Alberta from 1971 to 1985....
swept to power. Jamison was re-elected in the 1975 election
Alberta general election, 1975
The Alberta general election of 1975 was the eighteenth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on March 25, 1975 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
, but his performance in office had begun to alienate many members of his party. Former St. Albert mayor Ray Gibbon
Ray Gibbon
Ray M. Gibbon is a former mayor of St. Albert, Alberta, having served in this capacity from 1968 to 1974, and briefly again in 1989....
announced his intention to challenge him party's nomination in 1975, and another former mayor, Richard Plain
Richard Plain
Richard Plain is a Canadian politician. Plain is the former mayor of St. Albert, Alberta, having served from 1974 to 1977 and again from 2001 to 2004. In February 2007, he announced that he would seek a third term as mayor in the 2007 election....
, blamed Jamison for his defeat in 1977, accusing him of using his control of what was then St. Albert's only newspaper to orchestrate a victory for Ronald Harvey, from whom Jamison had bought the paper eleven years previous. Myrna Fyfe
Myrna Fyfe
Myrna Catherine Fyfe is a retired provincial level politician and hospital administrator from Alberta, Canada. She served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1979 to 1986.-Political career:...
defeated Jamison for the nomination in the 1979 election
Alberta general election, 1979
The Alberta general election of 1979 was the nineteenth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on March 14, 1979 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
, as Jamison left the Legislature.
Jamison would run unsuccessfully for provincial office twice more in his career: in the 1982 election
Alberta general election, 1982
The Alberta general election of 1982 was the twentieth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on November 2, 1982 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
he ran as an independent, finishing third as Fyfe was re-elected, while in the 1986 election
Alberta general election, 1986
The Alberta general election of 1986 was the twenty-first general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on May 8, 1986 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
he finished third while running under the banner of the short-lived Representative Party of Alberta
Representative Party of Alberta
The Representative Party of Alberta was a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada formed by Raymond Speaker in 1984. The party was right of center, conservative in ideology and considered a modern version of Social Credit without the monetary reforms....
. He also ran federally in the riding of Pembina
Pembina (Alberta electoral district)
Pembina was a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1968 to 1988.This riding was created in 1966 from parts of Athabaska, Edmonton West, Jasper—Edson and Vegreville ridings....
as an independent in a 1986 by-election, finishing fifth of seven candidate with 2.7% of the vote.
In 2001, Jamison was hospitalized with cancer, which took his life in 2003.