Calgary & Southern Alberta

A United Farmers Rally ca.1923
Courtesy of the Glenbow Collection

Born on 11 February 1894 in Tottenham, Ontario, Turner moved with her mother and father to Fernie, British Columbia, where her father ran a hotel. The family later moved to southern Alberta where they homesteaded. Well-educated, Turner earned a job in Fort Macleod with the newspaper Macleod Advertiser in 1911. Turner proudly defined herself as an agnostic, suffragist, and socialist. She moved to Calgary in 1913 where she worked odd office jobs and became acquainted with members of Calgary’s "labour group." In particular, she developed close ties with William Irvine who encouraged her to join the Labour Representation League. When the United Farmers decided to enter politics, Turner joined the staff of their newspaper in 1922. She later served for twelve years on the Calgary school board and, in 1933, she ran unsuccessfully as the first CCF candidate in Canada.