Background
Van de Walle was born to Belgian immigrants in the hamlet of Villeneuve on the shores of Big Lake, Alberta.
Van de Walle was born to Belgian immigrants in the hamlet of Villeneuve on the shores of Big Lake, Alberta.
In 1945, he moved to Legal in order to farm. Van de Walle"s political career began in 1958 when he was elected to the Sturgeon school division board of trustees, on which he served until 1965. In 1959, he was elected to the Sturgeon County council.
He was re-elected in 1962, 1965, 1968, 1971 and 1974.
He left municipal politics in 1977. In 1985, Van de Walle was inducted into the Alberta Agriculture Hall of Fame for his advocacy of canola products and for starting a provincial program that urged farmers to use herbicides more responsibly.
He did not seek re-election in the 1993 election. Following his retirement from politics, Van de Walle continued to live near Legal and continued to be active in the community.
On April 21, 2011, Van de Walle died in Saint Albert at the age of 88.
In 1986, Peter Elzinga resigned his position as Member of Parliament for Pembina to run for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. He served as a trustee of the Sturgeon Hospital Foundation and was an active member of the Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians.