Elmer Elsworth Borstad (August 27, 1924 – July 18, 2015) was a municipal and provincial level politician, surveyor, farmer, sailor and entrepreneur from

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, Canada. He served as an alderman and mayor for the city of

Grande Prairie Grande Prairie is a city in northwest Alberta, Canada within the southern portion of an area known as Peace River Country. It is located at the intersection of Highway 43 (part of the CANAMEX Corridor) and Highway 40 (the Bighorn Highway), a ...

and later served as a member of the

Legislative Assembly of Alberta The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is the deliberative assembly of the province of Alberta, Canada. It sits in the Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton. The Legislative Assembly currently has 87 members, elected first past the post from singl ...

from 1979 to 1982 sitting with the governing Progressive Conservative caucus.

Early life

Elmer Elsworth Borstad was born on a farm in the Ross Creek area near Elk Island National Park, Alberta in 1924. His first job was working as a caretaker for the nearby school. After short term employment in a sawmill in Chipman, Alberta he went north to work as a surveyor on the CANOL pipeline during the winter of 1941. In 1942 he joined the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve, RCNVR and was based in Halifax where he operated small harbour patrol craft until VE Day. Following the end of the war in Europe, he was posted to Victoria, where he saw active duty on HMCS ''Gatineau'' and HMCS ''Sioux'' until 1945. After the war Borstad moved to Grande Prairie and became a surveyor until 1953 when he helped found a trucking business with his father Cloff and brother Roy. The Borstads started a welding supply business in 1972. Both were eventually sold, the Cartage company to the employees and the welding supply company to Union Carbide. He served as president of the Grande Prairie Chamber of commerce in 1979.

Political career

Borstad began his political and public service career on the municipal level serving on the police and economic development commissions for the city of

. Borstad was elected as an alderman for the first time in 1963 and he became mayor of the city in 1968. Borstad was also active in provincial politics. He joined the Progressive Conservatives and became president of the Grande Prairie electoral district. Borstad ran for a seat to the provincial legislature in the

1979 Alberta general election The 1979 Alberta general election was held on March 14, 1979, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, which had been expanded to 79 seats. The Progressive Conservative Party of Peter Lougheed won its third consecutive term in go ...

. He won a large majority to hold the district for the Progressive Conservatives. He retired from provincial politics and decided to return to his family business after the legislature dissolved in 1982.

Late life

After leaving provincial politics Borstad worked until 1985 before moving to

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

to retire. He returned to Grande Prairie in 1995 and continued his public service by becoming chairman of the QEII Hospital foundation where he successfully campaigned and raised funds for an MRI Machine. He also worked as a fundraiser for Grande Prairie Regional College and was awarded the Alumni/Foundation Volunteer Award by the college in 2004 for his half century of service to the city. He served on the 50th Anniversary Committee for the city in 2008. He died on July 18, 2015, at the age of 90.

References

External links

Legislative Assembly of Alberta Members Listing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Borstad, Elmer 1924 births Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta MLAs Canadian military personnel of World War II 2015 deaths