At least three parties will run for candidates in Calgary’s upcoming municipal elections, officially certified for the third time this week.
A Better Calgary (ABC) announced that it has passed the election Calgary as a municipal party certification, with candidates confirmed in seven of Calgary’s 14 wards in October.
So far, these candidates are Gordon Elliott in Ward 1, John Garden, John Grant Barron in Ward 2, Anthony Ascue in Ward 4, Tony Dinh in Ward 9, Mike Jamieson in Ward 12 and Ward Hachey in Ward 14.
According to Roy Beyer, the party is member-driven and will include ward associations that operate similarly to provincial parties.
“In fact, we were directly from the blanket rezoning fiasco and saying we needed a party and the people and their voices were important,” Beyer said. “It really made us capable.”
The party considers itself to be center-right and its policies are formulated by candidates selected by its members.
However, ABC said its goal is to ensure that conservative candidates in the next election “don’t split the vote.”
Byer told Global News that the party will allow members to conduct “bypass votes” instead of competing with incumbents in other wards that are consistent with the party’s members.
“We hope there are about two or three candidates who are our members who will say, ‘No, we like that person, in this case we won’t be against one person,” Beyer said. “If you are incumbent and have the job done, we won’t be against you.”
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The community is first of all another Conservative party in the vote consisting of four current council members.
So far, its candidates include Ward 7 Coun. Terry Wong, Ward No. 13. Dan McLean, ward 10. Andre Chabot, Ward 1 Coun. Sonya Sharp and former MP John Mar are in Cornelia Wiebe in District 6 and Rob Ward 11 in Ward 11.
According to Chabot, the party constitutes a common list of priorities, including going back to basics, infrastructure, being responsible to citizens and running an efficient city. He said party members will select candidates based on the questionnaire and how they agree with these principles.
“It’s all about making sure people know the type of individual they are electing,” Chabot said. “All candidates who will run in the community first banners will adhere to the same policies and principles we have shown in the last three and a half years.”
When asked about the voting publicity, Chabert said there was a difference between the community and the better Calgary.
“I think the ABC group will be seen as the far right compared to us. We are trying to keep the right center, but closer to the center than the party,” he said.
Beyer said better Calgary has no candidate for mayor, and the focus is on getting at least eight simple majority elected.
The community has not announced a candidate in the mayor’s competition first, but said it was announced at a fundraiser Monday night in downtown Calgary.
The Calgary Party is the third group in the vote, led by mayoral candidate Brian Thiessen, and is seen as a budding game.
So far, its council candidates include DJ Kelly of District 4, Inam Teja of District 6, Heather McRae of Ward 7, Alex Williams of District 11 and Elliot Weinstein of Ward 13.
According to McCray, the party’s goal is to establish a “positive” vision for the growing city.
The principles it lists online include building effective cities, transit, housing and public safety.
“We think we have a vision for Calgary, Calgary moving forward, and we’re happy to talk about the growth of our city in a positive way, rather than being so focused on some of the negatives that dominate the conversation on the council,” McCray told Global News.
Changes to provincial legislation allow municipal parties in Calgary and Edmonton to participate only in upcoming competitions.
Duane Bratt, a political scientist at Royal University, said it is important for Calgarians to understand how each aspect is performed.
“They will lean in one way or another, but it’s hard for voters to dissect that,” Blatt said.
“We know what a Conservative party is, we know what a Liberal party is, we know what a New Democratic party is, but we don’t know what a better Calgary means.”
Many candidates announced plans to run for a non-party affiliation, including Mayor Jeotti Gondek and other mayors with hope, including Jeromy Farkas and Jeff Davision.
& Copy 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
