Dave Quest

David Jonothan Quest is a politician in Alberta, Canada, who was elected to the province's Legislative Assembly on March 3, 2008 as the Progressive Conservative MLA for Strathcona-Sherwood Park.

Dave Quest
MLA for Strathcona-Sherwood Park
In office March 3, 2008 – May 5, 2015
Preceded by	Rob Lougheed
Succeeded by	Estefania Cortes-Vargas
Personal details
Born	(1964-01-28) January 28, 1964 Bangor, United Kingdom
Political party	Alberta Party
Other political affiliations	Progressive Conservative
Residence	Sherwood Park
Website	http://www.davequest.ca

Political career

Quest served two terms as MLA, first for Strathcona, and subsequently for Strathcona-Sherwood Park. In addition to his regular duties as an MLA, he had roles on many committees during his term, including as Chair of the Cabinet Policy Committee on Finance. However, he was defeated in 2015 along with most of the Progressive Conservative caucus.

Quest defended his successor, Estefania Cortes-Vargas, when The Rebel Media[1] published personal attacks against them, stating that "to be attacked as an individual based on your sexuality or your country of birth is inexcusable."[2]

Having opposed Jason Kenney's bid for leadership of the Progressive Conservatives, Quest joined the Alberta Party and will be its candidate in Strathcona-Sherwood Park in 2019.[2][3]

Personal life

Quest spent his high school years in the Ardrossan area where his father was the local veterinarian. Over the years he was fortunate to have many opportunities to enjoy animals, including his horses Chunky and Chea. Dave graduated from Ardrossan Sr. High School and regularly attends the Ardrossan United Church.

Dave obtained his post-secondary education from NAIT and in 1985 he graduated with a business administration diploma with a major in marketing management. Dave established a successful and rewarding career in the automotive industry. Prior to his election, he was the President of Kallal Pontiac in Tofield, and then general sales manager and a shareholder of Beaverhill GMC in Tofield and Petersen Pontiac in Sherwood Park. In 1997 he achieved a General Motors Dealer Award of Excellence.

During his business career, Dave served with the Better Business Bureau of Northern Alberta, fulfilling various board positions, including chair and director of the Canadian Council. These volunteer experiences built a foundation for his future role of provincial representative.

Dave has many personal interests, including sports. He coached a minor soccer team for four years. He enjoys running and has completed the Edmonton half-marathon six times.

Dave also loves aviation, having obtained his private pilot's licence in 1998. He flies small aircraft and takes frequent tours around the constituency,

Dave, his wife Fiona Beland-Quest, and their son live in Sherwood Park. Two Newfoundland dogs and two cats round out their household.

Electoral history

2012 Alberta general election: Strathcona-Sherwood Park
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Progressive Conservative	Dave Quest	9,695	50.71
	Wildrose	Paul Nemetchek	6,432	33.64
	New Democratic	Michael Scott	1,626	8.51
	Liberal	John C. Murray	1,365	7.14
Total valid votes			19,118
Rejected, spoiled, and declined			140
Reigstered electors / Turnout			32,159	59.88
	Progressive Conservative pickup new district.
Source(s) Elections Alberta. "Electoral Division Results: Strathcona-Sherwood Park". Retrieved July 10, 2018.

2015 Alberta general election: Strathcona-Sherwood Park
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	New Democratic	Estefania Cortes-Vargas	9,376	42.61	+34.10
	Progressive Conservative	Dave Quest	6,623	30.10	-20.61
	Wildrose	Rob Johnson	5,286	24.02	-9.62
	Alberta Party	Lynne Kaiser	721	3.28
Total valid votes			22,006
Rejected, spoiled, and declined			110
Registered electors / Turnout			34,346	64.39	+4.51
	New Democratic gain from Progressive Conservative		Swing		+27.36
Source(s) Elections Alberta. "Electoral Division Results: Strathcona-Sherwood Park". Retrieved July 10, 2018.

2019 Alberta general election: Strathcona-Sherwood Park
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	United Conservative	Nate Glubish	14,151	52.51	-1.61
	New Democratic	Moira Váně	8,695	32.27	-10.34
	Alberta Party	Dave Quest	3,605	13.38	+10.10
	Alberta Advantage	Donald Melanson	147	0.55	New
	Green	Albert Aris	142	0.53	New
	Independence	Richard Scinta	141	0.52	New
	Independent	Larry Maclise	67	0.25	New
Total valid votes			26,948
Rejected, spoiled and declined
Registered electors
Turnout			73.4

References

1. Now known as Rebel News
2. Proulx, Ben (July 21, 2016). "'Gender-queer immigrant'; Rebel on the attack | Sherwood Park News". Sherwood Park News. Archived from the original on 10 February 2017. Retrieved 2018-09-12.
3. Cournoyer, Dave (September 11, 2018). "Calgary-Fish Creek bozo-eruption raises questions about "rigorous" UCP candidate screening process | daveberta.ca – Alberta Politics". daveberta.ca. Retrieved 2018-09-12.

External links

• Voting results from Elections Alberta