Stettler (provincial electoral district)

Stettler was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada, mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1909 to 1993.

History
The Stettler electoral district was formed in 1909 from the eastern portions of the Gleichen, Rosebud, Innisfail, Red Deer and Lacombe electoral districts. The district is named after the Town of Stettler.

The Stettler electoral district was abolished in 1993 and combined with portions of the Lacombe electoral district to form Lacombe-Stettler electoral district.

1957 liquor plebiscite
On October 30, 1957 a stand-alone plebiscite was held province wide in all 50 of the then current provincial electoral districts in Alberta. The government decided to consult Alberta voters to decide on liquor sales and mixed drinking after a divisive debate in the legislature. The plebiscite was intended to deal with the growing demand for reforming antiquated liquor control laws.

The plebiscite was conducted in two parts. Question A, asked in all districts, asked the voters if the sale of liquor should be expanded in Alberta, while Question B, asked in a handful of districts within the corporate limits of Calgary and Edmonton, asked if men and women should be allowed to drink together in establishments.

Province wide, Question A of the plebiscite passed in 33 of the 50 districts, while Question B passed in all five districts. Stettler barely voted against the proposal; the results were almost a tie. The voter turnout in the district was well above the province wide average of 46%.

Official district returns were released to the public on December 31, 1957. The Social Credit government in power at the time did not consider the results binding. However the results of the vote led the government to repeal all existing liquor legislation and introduce an entirely new Liquor Act.

Municipal districts lying inside electoral districts that voted against the plebiscite, such as Stettler, were designated Local Option Zones by the Alberta Liquor Control Board and considered effective dry zones. Business owners who wanted a license had to petition for a binding municipal plebiscite in order for a license to be granted.