A former MLA who died in a car crash this past weekend is being remembered as a tireless advocate for seniors and rural Alberta.
“Honest, sincere, determined and once again when he spoke you listened,” is how Ken Kowalski, MLA for Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock described Dave Broda, who represented the Redwater constituency from 1997 to 2004.
Broda died Sunday night in a car accident after leaving an event in Mundare, but few details have emerged about the crash.
Kowalski, also the legislature’s speaker, said Broda was an MLA who didn’t seek the spotlight or yell on the floor, but earned the respect of his colleagues.
“Sometimes people talk and nobody listens and you know that, but in Dave’s case when he talked people listened, he made an impact.”
He added that Broda was rooted in the community and worked hard for it.
“He took the concerns of his constituents to heart and worked on them very determinedly.”
Kowalski also pointed to Broda’s work on long-term care and seniors’ housing. Broda led a committee studying the issue in the late 1990s, which helped develop the province’s aging in place strategy.
Current Redwater-Athabasca MLA Jeff Johnson said Broda has served as a model for his legislature career.
“He was one of the first guys I called when I was thinking about running, for his direction and advice and he was a real great mentor to me.”
Johnson said Broda’s work ethic is still remembered in the community.
“As I travelled the constituency we would hear constantly about Dave Broda, the former MLA who used to work so hard,” he said. “His abilities were kind of the bar that I tried to match.”
Broda was elected twice to the Redwater constituency, which then included Morinville and Legal.
When boundaries were shifted in 2004 he retired from the legislature, working for the Alberta Surface Rights board.
Morinville Mayor Lloyd Bertschi dealt with him during his first term as mayor and said Broda did many things for the community.
He said he played a key role in widening the road between Morinville and Highway 28 and getting funding for the town’s trails and parks.
He said even when he couldn’t help, he was upfront about it.
“He always lent a sympathetic ear and even when the answer was no, he would explain why.”
Broda served as chairman of the local hospital in Redwater and three terms on town council.
He is survived by his three grown daughters and his wife Eileen.
