What was that blowing through Calgary the last few months? The winds of change? Or simply a gust of wishful thinking on the part of people who never vote Conservative?

The election results are crystal clear. The 37-year-old PC dynasty has pulled it out of the hat again and Ed Stelmach has a strong mandate. It will be interesting to see what he actually does with it, not only in Alberta, but on the national and international stage.

I began to get a sense of what might happen in this city and the rest of the province when I went door-to-door with Alison Redford as she campaigned to win Calgary-Elbow back from the Liberals. People welcomed her to the doorstep as if she were a long-lost friend. I didn’t see that when I went out with Liberal and ND candidates.

The Liberals took Calgary’s core, and one seat in the northeast. However, their hold is tenuous, and their ranks have been decimated. They will be a small, tinny band in the legislature compared to the huge Tory orchestra that will surround them.

To my mind, the Liberals ran a sound campaign. Though given the final results, that’s akin to saying the operation was a success but the patient died. Alberta as a one-party state is more entrenched than ever. There is no reason for the government to listen to anyone except its own loyal soldiers.

All opposition forces — political parties, environmental groups, anti-poverty activists — have had the stuffing knocked out of them by the Tory landslide. It will be very difficult for the Liberals, the NDs or the Wildrose Alliance to successfully regroup. That may not be such a bad thing, because perhaps it’s time to create a new Alberta party that represents people who have a different vision for this province than the PCs. A party that would have no ties to federal parties; that would be distinctly Albertan.

That will take time, of course. And right now, most Albertans don’t seem to care one way or another about politics and elections. The 41 per cent voter turnout is abysmal. And let’s not forget that last year only about 25 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot in Calgary’s municipal election.

Welcome to wealthy, post-democratic Alberta.