Progressive Conservative Leader Ed Stelmach cruised to an election victory in Alberta Monday, securing his party's 11th consecutive majority government.

"We will never, ever forget the support you have given us," Stelmach told cheering supporters.

"In this election Albertans had a real choice, and as Progressive Conservatives we laid out a very positive vision for securing their future and making sure the next generation has the same opportunities we've had."

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Ninety minutes after the polls closed, the Progressive Conservatives had won or were leading in 72 of 83 ridings, the Liberals looked to secure nine seats, and the New Democrats two.

Liberal Leader Kevin Taft had hoped to solidify gains made in Edmonton in 2004 and take more seats in the traditional Tory stronghold of Calgary. But he appeared to be on his way to losing almost half of the 16 seats he had at dissolution.

"The Alberta Liberals will continue to fight," Taft vowed to his supporters in Edmonton. "We'll stand proud in the legislature, ready to hold this government to account."

He said he believed his party had "fought the best campaign we could have fought."

NDP Leader Brian Mason -- whose party had held four seats at dissolution, all in Edmonton -- mainly wanted to carve out a larger slice of the legislature pie for his party.

Stelmach's real battle was expected to be in dealing with Albertans' political apathy, and it appeared late Monday that 60 per cent of voters had chosen to stay home.

In Edmonton, volunteers from all four major political parties called supporters and even driving them to polling stations to maximize their votes.

During the 28-day campaign, TV ads from Elections Alberta ran trying to guilt Albertans into voting booths. The ads chided lazy voters with fake testimonials from those who decided not to vote because they were stuck in a staring contest or unable to escape a living-room recliner.

Turnout in Alberta provincial elections going back to 1989 has been in the 53 per cent range, but it dipped to 45 per cent in 2004.

In 2004, two million Albertans were eligible to vote. But the number has since increased by half a million -- primarily out-of-province workers who have moved to take advantage of Alberta's booming energy-based economy.

Stelmach continues PC dominance

Stelmach won the Progressive Conservative's leadership in December 2006, emerging as a compromise candidate in the fight to replace Ralph Klein, who led the party and province for 14 years.

His party held 60 of the province's 83 seats heading into today's vote. The Tories have governed Alberta continuously since 1971, often winning massive majorities in the process.

Economically, the province has been enjoying a time of great prosperity. But the hyper-growth resulting from Alberta's energy resources boom has brought its own set of problems. The surge of newcomers in the past five years has put huge pressure on every major service -- health, education, housing and infrastructure.

Equipment operator Harrison Green moved to Alberta five years ago, has a well-paying job -- and lives in a homeless shelter because he can't afford his own place.

"The cost of living here is crazy," he said.

Alberta is Canada's carbon energy capital. Its oilsands deposits are seen as key to the province's economic future, but many feel their development in northeastern Alberta has spiralled out of control.

There are worries about labour shortages, the surging cost of construction -- and the environmental price of development. The oilsands are a very dirty fuel in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, and are largely extracted through strip mining.

Stelmach has refused to apply the brakes to oilsands development, even though some companies have suggested slowing the pace. His greenhouse gas plan won't even begin until 2020.