Former UNA local president appointed to Alberta cabinet

Former United Nurses of Alberta local president Danielle Larivee was appointed Thursday to the Municipal Affairs portfolio by Alberta Premier Rachel Notley.

 Larivee, who served as president of Local 315 and a Registered Nurse in public health in the town of Slave Lake, was elected as New Democrat MLA for the Lesser Slave Lake riding in the May 5, 2015, general election.

She is Alberta’s first new cabinet minister since Premier Notley named her original 12-member NDP cabinet on May 24. An Alberta Health Services Registered Nurse for 17 years before her election, Larivee’s responsibilities also include the operation of Service Alberta, which runs registries, provincial land titles, consumer protection and government printing services.

Larivee’s appointment was part of a small cabinet shuffle Thursday that also saw the creation of a new Economic Development and Trade Ministry, including the innovation portfolio that was formerly part of the Advanced Education Ministry, with Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview MLA Deron Bilous as minister.

As one of the four NDP MLAs elected before the NDP Government came to power on May 5, Bilous’s appointment signals the importance of the promised economic diversification process to the Notley Government. He previously held the Municipal Affairs and Service Alberta portfolio.

Edmonton-Riverview MLA Lori Sigurdson, the minister of jobs, skills, training and labour and minister of advanced education, saw her duties change a little with the move of innovation to Bilous’s new ministry.

Before election to public office, Bilous worked as a school teacher and Sigurdson was a social worker.