Ed Stelmach
A soft-spoken farmer from Alberta who rose to become premier, steering the province's oil-fuelled economy through a global financial crisis.
Born 1951 (age 75)·Premier of Alberta from 2006 to 2011·Birthday: May 11·Baby Boomers
Biography
Ed Stelmach's political persona was forged not in backroom party meetings but in the soil of Lamont County, Alberta. The grandson of Ukrainian immigrants, he spent his early adulthood farming, a background that lent him an air of steadfast, unpretentious practicality. He entered politics through local government, becoming a county reeve before moving to the provincial legislature. Often underestimated, his steady, consensus-building style saw him emerge as a compromise candidate to lead the Progressive Conservative party after Ralph Klein's tumultuous tenure. As premier from 2006 to 2011, he governed during the 2008 financial crash, managing a volatile resource-based economy and introducing a new royalty framework for the oil sands that drew fierce industry criticism. His time in office was a bridge between Alberta's old political guard and the modern, more fractured landscape that followed.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Ed was born in 1951, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ed Was Born
The biggest hits of 1951
#1 Movie
Quo Vadis
Best Picture
An American in Paris
#1 TV Show
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
Ed's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1951Born
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1956Started school
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1964Became a teenager
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Could drive
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1969Could vote
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Turned 21
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1981Turned 30
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1991Turned 40
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 50
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 60
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 70
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 75 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the 13th Premier of Alberta from 2006 to 2011, leading the province through the global financial crisis.
- Introduced the Alberta Royalty Review in 2007, a significant overhaul of how the province taxed oil and gas development.
- Oversaw the creation of Alberta's first-ever climate change strategy, 'Alberta's 2008 Climate Change Strategy'.
- Was elected as the reeve of Lamont County for a decade before entering provincial politics.
Did You Know?
He is fluent in the Canadian Ukrainian dialect, learned from his grandparents and community.
Stelmach and his wife Marie have been married since 1973 and have four children.
Before politics, he studied for a year at the University of Alberta's Faculty of Agriculture.
His political nickname, 'Steady Eddie', reflected his calm and deliberate public demeanour.
“My approach is to listen, to learn, and then to act.”
