The next civic election in Alberta is in October 18, 2021. Photo: The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh
Meet the Calgarians running for mayor and council
Find out who’s running in your ward.
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The next civic election is on October 18, 2021. So we’re keeping a master list of all the candidates who have declared they’re running for Calgary city council, along with Calgary Board of Education and Calgary Catholic School District trustees.
Official nominations closed on September 20, 2021, at noon.
City Council | Public School (CBE) | Catholic School (CCSD) |
Calgary City Council
Mayor
Damery is a vice-president at the YWCA. Before that she worked at United Way, and in the oil and gas industry. She wants to encourage business activity, use a life-cycle cost analysis for city planning to reduce costs, expand the city's parks system and start construction on the Green Line.
Damery is disclosing her donors throughout the campaign.
After a single term on council, Davison is running for mayor and billing himself as a "pro-business" candidate who has worked with organized labour to freeze their wages, shifted the tax burden away from small businesses, and voted to constrain the city's budget. He says his major accomplishment is passing the arena deal with an expanded event centre.
Davison is disclosing his donors throughout the campaign.
James Desautels
Desautels is a Calgary musician who received his master's degree of music from the University of Arizona. He wants to partner with the federal government to build a vaccine manufacturing facility in Calgary, abolish the mayoral title of “Your Worship” and generally enhance the tone of debate at city hall.
The rookie councillor for Ward 11, who was elected on a campaign of low taxes and fiscal restraint, declared his candidacy in September 2020. Prior to serving on council, Farkas was a senior fellow at the Canada Strong and Free Network (the conservative think-thank formerly known as the Manning Centre), and executive assistant for the Israel studies program at the University of Calgary.
Farkas is disclosing his donors throughout the campaign, but the list only includes donors' first initial and last name.
Field is the president of BRC Group, a commercial vehicle repair and refurbishment company, as well as a volunteer with Rotary International. He wants to look at the possibility of a train from the Calgary airport to Banff that stops downtown, use priority-based budgeting to lower the tax burden on small and medium-sized businesses while maintaining core services, look to other cities on how to best revitalize downtown, and pledges to serve only two terms if elected.
Field is disclosing his donors throughout the campaign.
Gabriel, who previously ran for mayor in 2017, says he’s running against the “career politicians” at city hall. He says his first act as mayor would be to establish a two-term limit on the office. Gabriel’s website is still under construction. His Facebook page lists him as a civil engineer with a PhD in management, however he isn't registered with APEGA, the province's official engineering professional body.
The Ward 3 councillor was first elected to city hall in 2017. Prior to her political career, Gondek was director of the Westman Centre for Real Estate Studies at the University of Calgary and sat on various community boards. She says Calgarians should be seen as “investors” in the city and has described herself politically as “completely a centrist.”
Gondek is disclosing the names of her donors throughout the campaign. However, there are no dollar amounts posted.
The primary plank of Hallelujah's platform is to use fMRI technology to screen for a predisposition to pedophilia among people in positions of power. A bitcoin mining equipment salesman, Hallelujah claims eating meat causes cancer and wants to build a signal for detecting alien life in space based on geometric shapes on Jupiter and Saturn.
Billing himself as a fiscal and social conservative, Heather is involved in efforts to issue an injunction against the city’s mask bylaw. He ran for mayor in 2017 and notoriously sued to have the election results overturned, relying on an 1877 Supreme Court decision to accuse Mayor Nenshi of exercising “undue influence,” which was rejected.
Hopkins is a British veteran who received the General Commanding Land Forces Bosnia Commendation for his service in the former Yuglosavia. He settled in Calgary about a decade ago. Besides supporting term limits for councillors and mayors, Hopkins wants to ban single-use plastics and ensure recycled materials get sorted and diverted from landfills.
A businessman and one-time Dragon's Den contestant, Hartley promises to donate half his mayoral salary to local charities and cut costs at city hall if elected. He also wants to scrap the Green Line, end funding for "terrible art installations" and establish a municipal tax on corporations.
Johnston, who served jail time and pled guilty on charges of causing a disturbance at the Core Centre in relation to his anti-mask agitation, also faces an assault charge in B.C. and hate crime charges in Ontario. He previously ran in the 2018 Mississauga municipal election and placed a distant second with 13.5% of the vote. Calgary city council opted against releasing a voters' list for candidates this year after Johnston threatened to reveal the private information of healthcare workers.
Former president of the Kerby Centre for seniors and current president of ZKO Oilfield Industries, Novak is calling to upgrade the city to "Calgary 2.0." He wants the city to work more closely with developers to create a growth plan and is concerned about the costs of the Green Line’s northern portion.
A Nigerian immigrant, Ogbonna is the founder of Youth for Transparency International, an organization aiming to get young people civically engaged. Ogbonna's LinkedIn page identifies him as a former board member of the Calgary-McCall UCP constituency association. On Facebook, he accused the Calgary Police Service of adopting a “Marxist world view” after Chief Mark Neufeld acknowledged systemic racism.
Rahman ran for the Alberta NDP in Calgary-West in 2015, placing a distant second, but currently sits on the board of directors of the UCP constituency association in Calgary-Currie. Rahman, who speaks Bengali, English, French, Italian, Hindi and Urdu, immigrated to Canada from Bangladesh in 1988. He supports the Green Line and arena deal, but opposes the downtown revitalization plan.
A geologist by trade, Wang ran as an independent in last year's federal election in the Calgary Rocky Ridge riding. He wants to bring property taxes down to 2015 levels by 2025, and to "tie the police budget to the crime rate reversely."
A commercial real estate agent by trade, Yan wants the city to attract investment through tax breaks and other incentives for big and small businesses, and turn vacant downtown buildings into housing as part of a broader revitalization effort. She expresses skepticism about the Green Line and bike lines, while supporting increased police funding.
On his website, Khan boasts of being a "life time (sic) blood recipient." He says he wants to spend $25,000 to create a Calgary-based internet service provider, which he claims will "create children's benefits for all of the city," and wants to plant fruit trees in the city's parks, "so children can be nourished while playing."
The founder and CEO of an eponymous skin care company, Stone is an ambassador for Big Blue Ocean Cleanup, and active member of the Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society and Calgary Chamber of Commerce. She describes her politics as "neither left nor right, or central for that matter," and proposes a Social Impact Strategy to revitalize the city and downtown core, as well as support for renewable energy and the Calgary Police Service.
Vizor, who was born in Nigeria and raised in Winnipeg, studied politics, history and criminology at the University of Manitoba, and has been self-employed for the past 15 years. Vizor wants to "prosecute corrupt politicians who defraud the City of Calgary" of tax dollars, revoke licences for "shady businesses" and seize assets of politicians and return funds to Calgarians, but does not say how he will do so. He also wants quicker snow removal in the winter.
Chiang, who previously worked in the oil and gas industry and was born in Brunei, has offered free tai chi lessons to the public since 2017. Chiang says he has three major plans to revitalize Calgary's economy, but he won't reveal them until the final televised mayoral debate. He pledges to reduce the mayor's salary by 25%, improve the safety of patios by having recent university graduates volunteer as inspectors, and bridge eastern and western cultures through working with community associations.
Roberts bills himself as a "courageous lover of freedom." His platform consists of opposition to public health measures, attracting investment in the city's tech, engineering and manufacturing sectors, and assisting small business.
Candidate(s) without a campaign page:
Randall Kaiser
Sunny Singh
Cory Lanterman
Geoff Rainey
Stan the Man Waciak
Ward 1
Incumbent: Ward Sutherland (says he's not running in 2021)
Disability advocate Jacob McGregor is putting his hat in the ring to replace Coun. Ward Sutherland. McGregor wants to impose term limits on councillors and the mayor, bring a sign language interpreter to council chambers, maintain the police budget and allow developers to put their names on affordable housing as an incentive for building. McGregor, who has cerebral palsy, is a volunteer with the Calgary Ability Network and has volunteered with Conservative MP Pat Kelly.
The owner of Royal Daycare Centres, Qamar is a member of Rocky Ridge Royal Oak Community Association (RRROCA) and has volunteered with various community churches and child care centres. She says city council needs more people with private sector experience to cut spending.
Sharp has spent the last 20 years working for the City of Calgary and the past four years as the city's small business coordinator. Before that working in planning and development. Sharp says she wants to collaborate with the province to change the city's property tax-reliant revenue base and find efficiencies to run city hall more like a business by cutting spending while maintaining core services.
The owner of a construction company for the past 20 years, Webb co-founded the “Neighbours Helping Neighbours” COVID aid initiative with his son. He wants to limit tax increases and provide economic support to local businesses. Webb is critical of what he calls council’s “lack of common sense” on the Bowfort Towers sculpture, police funding and the Green Line.
Antonick has worked in finance for the last 30 years, where he says he's worked with multiple levels of government on issues such as regulation and compliance. He wants to budget so snowplows will be ready to go once the first snowfall hits, expand the sound barrier around the Valley Hill community (where he resides) and find alternative solutions to the berm in Bowness that can provide the same protection against floods without devaluing properties.
A former Canadian Armed Forces officer, Blatch started a consulting business before becoming a librarian. He wants to see council spend less time meeting privately, focus on "fiscal restraint" and funding core services, support "community based policing," and ensure the city has more mixed-income neighbourhoods.
Tweedale, a Calgary Transit operator, has worked for the city for 31 years. He wants to facilitate low-cost childcare options in the city, invest in affordable housing, fund "science-based" mental health initiatives, fight climate change and oppose the redevelopment of park land.
Candidate(s) without a campaign page:
John Filp
Shauna Sears
Ward 2
Incumbent: Joe Magliocca
Francis Aranha
The three planks of Aranha's candidacy are fiscal responsibility, youth empowerment and effective communication. Originally from India, he studied hospitality management at the University of Mumbai before moving to Calgary, where he now works for a large catering company.
Besouw is an engineering consultant who immigrated to Alberta from the Netherlands in 1977. He says he wants to cancel any expensive projects that won’t be completed until after council’s term (i.e. the Green Line), scrap free services that are not for low-income Calgarians, and collaborate with the non-profit sector.
Tyers is running to replace scandal-plagued Coun. Joe Magliocca, whom she has called on to resign. She most recently worked as a constituency assistant for Calgary-Nose Hill MP Michelle Rempel. Tyers wants to cut taxes and says the city should focus more on delivering essential services and less on beautification projects.
Wyness, an offshore sailing captain who has more than 15 years experience working and managing public recreation facilities, ran in Ward 2 in 2017, placing second with 36% of the vote. She says she wants to create a budget incentive program, which allows departments to carry over a percentage of savings from one year to the next, and advocates getting the Green Line built as soon as possible to avoid increasing costs.
20-year-old Singh is a commerce student at the University of Calgary's Haskayne School of Business, and has worked at the Calgary Social Value Fund since April. He wants to cut taxes for small businesses, impose a two-year tax hike on transnational corporations, provide tax incentives for social impact organizations and renovate the bus shelters at Dalhousie, Crowfoot, and Tuscany LRT stations.
The most recent incumbent to announce they're running for re-election, Magliocca was investigated by the RCMP for thousands of dollars in improper expense claims dating back to 2017, including flight upgrades and meal expenses for meetings that never occurred. Earlier this year, he had paid back nearly $10,000 and the city says the matter is now closed. Magliocca wants to cut taxes, expand Shaganappi Trail to six lanes and widen Deerfoot Trail, build a new Sage Hill Library and opposes any cuts to the police budget.
Ward 3
Incumbent: Jyoti Gondek (running for mayor)
Lin ran for Ward 3 in 2017 and finished third with about a quarter of the vote. An employee of the Alberta Petroleum Marketing Commission, Lin wants to cut taxes and maintain green spaces in the city. He's particularly critical of how the city handled the Harvest Hill Golf Course redevelopment in Ward 3, which he says was done without consulting residents about increased traffic.
Mian is an Olympic wrestler who has master's degrees in public policy and psychology. Her academic focus is on pedestrian safety, as well as how cities can leverage tech investment. She wants to expand the BRT in the north while residents wait for the Green Line expansion, balance the residential and business tax burdens and partner with the public, private and non-profit sectors to revitalize downtown.
Mian is disclosing her donors throughout the campaign.
McAnerin, a past president of the Northern Hill Community Association who volunteered for the Street Legal Project while studying law at the University of Alberta, ran in the previous election in Ward 3, placing second. He supports public-private partnerships for community projects, wants to fully fund the Vivo community centre expansion and also wants to see a review of all the city's bylaws.
After getting laid off from his oil sands engineering job in 2013, Nijjar launched a career in local governance, serving as the manager of planning and development services for neighbouring Rocky View County. Nijjar wants to confine public funding to core services and “stretch every dollar to the maximum.”
Pike is a paramedic, who also hosts the Alberta politics show The Breakdown. He wants to stabilize residential and commercial tax rates, address the city's infrastructure deficit that has been created by urban sprawl, hold monthly town halls to hear from Ward 3 residents, and continue the city's work on anti-racism and Truth and Reconciliation.
Pike is disclosing his donors throughout the campaign.
Sharma was a teacher in India before moving to Canada in the early 1990s, and has worked as an insurance broker for the past decade. He is also an occasional entertainment columnist for the Calgary Herald. Sharma says he wants to keep property and commercial taxes from increasing, and implement "strategic" spending cuts and freezes. He also supports enhanced transit infrastructure, including the north leg of the Green Line.
Trenholm is billing himself as "Your Conservative Choice for Ward 3". He wants to impose term limits on councillors and the mayor, opposes returning fluoride to the water, and calls the reduction of residential speed limits to 40 km/h an "unenforceable law" and a waste of money. Trenholm also wants to conduct a compensation review for council and admin, which was already done earlier this year, in addition to a forensic audit and organizational review of all city departments.
Akbar has a master of business administration degree in information technology as well as a master of science degree in international business management, both from the University of West London in the U.K., where he was involved with the student union. He wants the city to invest in affordable housing, to be more transparent about where tax dollars are spent, and to "rid itself of criminal elements and violence through strong bylaws, enforcement and police funding."
Ward 4
Incumbent: Sean Chu
Chu is first councillor to announce they are running for re-election—the former Calgary cop is seeking a third term on council. Chu ran for the PCs in 2008 in Calgary-Buffalo, placing second to Liberal Kent Hehr, and is one of council’s most reliably conservative voices. Chu immigrated to Calgary in 1985 from Taiwan.
Kelly is the chair of PechaKucha Night Calgary and past president of the Winston Heights - Mountview Community Association, as well as a former presenter on CBC's Alberta at Noon and past columnist at Star Metro Calgary. He supports the Greater Downtown Plan, Green Line, a property tax freeze and economic diversification. He likens council's role to the board of directors of a corporation.
McIntyre was the first candidate to challenge incumbent Sean Chu in the 2021 race for Ward 4. She is the marketing manager for the Confederation Park 55+ Activity Centre and owns a contracting business with her partner. McIntyre wants to halt urban sprawl, advocate for affordable housing with green building infrastructure policies, and collaborate with BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities to develop policy.
Roberts has worked as an English teacher, blues musician, songwriter and Skip the Dishes courier, in addition to owning a small business and serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force. On his social media accounts, Roberts has called Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a "globalist" and has shared anti-vaccine content.
Ward 5
Incumbent: George Chahal (running for federal Liberals)
Chetty, who worked on Leslyn Lewis's failed Conservative Party leadership campaign, accuses Calgary's "Liberal mayor and councillors" of being complicit in a co-ordinated attack on the oil and gas industry from the federal government. A Black South African, Chetty immigrated to Canada in 1974, and settled in Calgary in 1991, where he entered the transportation and tourism industry.
For the past decade, Dhaliwal has worked at an oil and gas company, while working with seniors and recent immigrants to teach them computer skills. Dhaliwal immigrated to northeast Calgary from India as a child. The four pillars of his platform are creating "strong and healthy communities," adopting a "smart approach" to development and infrastructure, getting a "fair deal" for Ward 5, and combating systemic inequity and racism.
Sadat, a local lawyer, is preparing for a rematch against incumbent George Chahal, who beat him in the 2017 civic election. Previously, Sadat worked on former premier Jim Prentice's 2014 PC leadership campaign. He says he wants to pressure the provincial government for more natural disaster aid so there is less delay in responding to events like last year's hail storm, and enhance accessibility for recreational areas and public transit.
Sandhu left his corporate career in 2017 to work as a strategic policy advisor to Ward 5 Coun. George Chahal, who has opted to run for the federal Liberals instead of seeking another term on council. Sandhu's campaign webpage describes his vision as ensuring the people of northeast Calgary have equitable access to jobs, amenities and "growth-oriented programs" by bringing members of the community together.
Dinca, who originally hails from Romania, has worked various public, private and non-profit sector jobs in Canada and Europe. He wants to increase police funding while supporting alternative response models, curb urban sprawl and bring enhanced public services to newer communities in Ward 5.
Merali is a professional engineer who has worked across Canada with major companies in the oil and gas, aerospace, automotive and business consulting industries. He wants to collaborate with various levels of government to rework school planning, make city services more accessible through language, mobility, sports, arts and settlement, and enhance community prevention programs for addressing crime.
A realtor by trade, Khan says he wants to enhance the city's core services, including social programs, youth programs and affordable housing, among others. Khan, who immigrated from Azad Kashmir 23 years ago, also wants to work with other levels of government to expand Calgary-based listings on job boards and ensure these ads reach more diverse communities.
Ward 6
Incumbent: Jeff Davison (running for mayor)
A registered social worker and instructor at Mount Royal University, Bentley ran for the Alberta Party in Calgary-Acadia in the 2019 provincial election, and placed third in the riding won by Health Minister Tyler Shandro. She says she wants to build on the work of incumbent Coun. Jeff Davison—expanding public spaces while advocating for the business community.
Kad is explicitly running as “Your Conservative Choice”, using the party’s blue colour scheme on his website. Originally from India, with some time spent studying business in Finland, Kad owns three Boston Pizza franchises and has sat on the Strathcona Community Association’s board. He's also a professional cricket umpire.
Richard Pootmans
Pootmans was the councillor for Ward 6 from 2010-17, when he chaired the audit committee and sat on the community and protective services committee. He takes credit for the West LRT entering its construction phase while resolving landscaping issues, increasing the police budget for crime prevention programs, establishing new city parks and involving the school boards in traffic management discussions.
Hall worked for General Motors for a decade, has operated an insurance brokerage and served as a landlord, but has since sold all of his companies. Hall says he wants to track the city's expenses to ensure employees have received "a fair day's pay for a fair day's work" and address safety issues on public transit.
Ward 7
Incumbent: Druh Farrell (says she's not running in 2021)
Bogdanov is an executive council member of the Progressive Group for Independent Business, the right-wing advocacy group that created Take Back City Hall. She is the Take Back City Hall candidate for Ward 7. Originally from Russia, Bogdanov touts her extensive business background—including marketing for Samsung and sales for a medical equipment company.
McRae is running a campaign calling for more civility at city hall. Having previously done communications work for Cenovus and Encana, she currently works at Decide Campaigns, which is run by her husband, Stephen Carter. In 2013, McRae worked as the campaign manager for incumbent Druh Farrell.
Peigan, a member of the Piikani Nation who was appointed to the Calgary Police Commission in 2017, announced her candidacy on the day of the Women’s Memorial March honouring missing and murdered Indigenous women. She says she wants to enhance diversity at the city and help establish a "sustainable approach" to municipal governance.
Waite has worked the past decade as the director of Connections, a counselling and consulting organization for those with disabilities, and prior to that worked in corporate communications and investment relations at Principal. She wants to find new uses for empty downtown office buildings and partner with various stakeholders on downtown revitalization.
Williams supports downtown revitalization, the Green Line and the new arena, and wants to expand the city's cost-cutting programs, such as SAVE, as well as affordable housing. He's also the founder of a business that sells designer medical scrubs, and the sales manager for a janitorial services contractor.
Wong has served as the executive director of the Chinatown Business Improvement Area and is currently the president of the Hounsfield Heights Briar Hill Community Association. He has also been critical of the Guidebook for Great Communities. Wong says council needs to do a better job balancing its municipal infrastructure projects and broader planning goals.
Lalonde has a master's degree in city planning from the University of Calgary, which he says gives him the ability to provide hands-on policy and design solutions for the city. Lalonde seeks to strike a balance between inner-city redevelopment and preserving community character, provide incentives to encourage small businesses, and promote "freedom of choice" in transportation.
Shepherd wants to cut taxes and councillors' wages, end the "lockdowns" (which Alberta has technically never had) and is seeking citizen input for how to address the homelessness and opioid crises.
A business owner and long-time resident of Tuxedo Park, Amoruso is refusing to accept donations for his campaign, which he says would prejudice him in favour of certain interests. He proposes a 5% wage cut for councillors in 2022 and wants to put a pause on revitalization projects to save money, encourage the conversion of empty office buildings downtown to luxury housing, and privatize certain city work, but doesn't specify what.
Ward 8
Incumbent: Evan Woolley (says he's not running in 2021)
Auffrey is the former CEO of the Discovery House women's shelter. A French Acadian who hails from the Maritimes, Auffrey earned her master's in international social work from Dalhousie University, where she worked as a sessional instructor. She says she wants to address the economic downturn, downtown vacancy, mental health, the opioid crisis, reconciliation, anti-racism, and infrastructure maintenance among other issues, but has not yet released specific policies.
Bergmann, a businessman for 20 years who's a member of the Chamber of Commerce, says he wants there to be less closed-door council meetings, a council meeting held outside council chambers twice a year, two-term limits on the mayor and council, and an affordable housing plan for surplus city land.
Bobrovitz, who covered city hall for 40 years with Global News, helped organize the Lilac Festival and the 2013 Calgary Flood Concert at McMahon Stadium. He wants to combat climate change locally by expanding public transit and growing the city's tree canopy, end homelessness, enhance public safety by working with the police and communities, and stop Calgary's brain drain.
Mitchell wants to cut taxes and spending, impose a two-term limit on councillors and the mayor, and lobby the province to allow cities to impose a $100,000 spending limit on each campaign.
A teacher and basketball coach at Western Canada High School, Walcott petitioned the Calgary Board of Education last year to start an anti-racism task force. He wants to keep more tax dollars in the ward, stand up to other orders of government and advocate for climate action on a municipal level.
Walcott is disclosing his donors throughout the campaign.
A lawyer by trade, Winkler briefly worked in Manitoba assisting residential school survivors with their claims as a University of Calgary law student. She wants to advocate for limited tax increase through fiscal restraint and ensure new development is based on community interests done with communities' consent.
In the 2015 federal election, Henderson ran as an independent in Calgary Centre, receiving 248 votes. His platform includes a pledge to "push back on woke and politically-correct policies that encumber."
Candidate(s) without a campaign page:
Madina Kanayeva
Ward 9
Incumbent: Gian-Carlo Carra
Carra is running for his fourth term on council. He sat on the Inglewood Neighbourhood Association starting in 2000, serving as president from 2003 until he was first elected to council in 2010. Carra sits on the police commission and chaired last summer's hearings on systemic racism.
Carra is disclosing his donors throughout the campaign.
Feser, who appears to be affiliated with the Take Back City Hall slate, officially announced her candidacy January 15, with a Facebook video in which she names all of the ward's neighbourhoods. Her Twitter feed indicates she is a staunch critic of the mayor, referring to him as "Spendshi," and a supporter of the provincial and federal conservative parties.
Khan, who has a master's degree in public policy from the University of Calgary, has spent the past few years working as a policy analyst for the Calgary Homeless Foundation. His website lists his three main priorities as safety, prosperity and bringing communities together.
Masse has worked in various communications roles for homebuilders and suburban developers. She's also worked as a marketing and communications director of TELUS Spark and vice president of the Calgary International Children's Festival. She says urban and suburban communities need to prioritized equally, and wants to ensure the funds for the city's mental health and addictions strategy are spent on projects with tangible results.
Wade is a Vancouver-born realtor who lived in Japan for eight years in his 20s. He says he wants to protect the city's diversity, add new incentives for businesses by building on existing ones, beautify commercial spaces and "clean up crime."
Running in the ward currently represented by Coun. Gian-Carlo Carra, Wise is critical of council for its spending cuts, but he pledges to reduce city spending and “bring residential and corporate taxes under control.” He touts his experience working in a wide array of fields, including a five-year stint teaching in China.
Withers wants to establish a "Ward 9 Community Coalition" to bring together community associations, as well as other business and community leaders for advocacy purposes. A member of the Métis Nation, Withers has worked in the oil and gas industry, and has volunteered with the Inglewood Community Association, #SaveYYCPools campaign, Calgary Aboriginal Urban Affairs Committee, the Belcourt Brosseau Métis Awards and Calgary Public Library, among others.
Candidate(s) without a campaign page:
Derek Reimer
Abdirizak Hadi
Syed Hasnain
Omar M'Keyo
Ward 10
Vacant
Chabot represented Ward 10 from 2005-2017 before running for mayor in the last municipal election, placing third. In 2018, he sought the UCP nomination in Calgary East. He wants to cut taxes and supports delaying some projects like the Arts Commons Transformation to do so.
Chumber has worked as a realtor for the past 19 years. He says he wants the city to focus on enhancing core services such as transit, police and fire services. His priorities include maintaining infrastructure and improving snow clearance while using technology to reduce associated costs. Chumber also wants to build an LRT expansion to the airport and reopen a downtown police station.
Evers, who is trained as a nurse, bookkeeper and database programmer, says she wants to attract business, and cut both spending and taxes. She calls for "more freedom" and "more grassroots," but specific policies are scant on her webpage.
Harb is taking leave from his role as a senior advisor to federal Minister of Agriculture Marie-Claude Bibeau to run for council. He wants to reduce barriers to building affordable housing for first-time homeowners, implement the recommendations of the Calgary Anti-Racism Action Committee, and push for investment in stable transit funding.
The first candidate to announce they’re running in the sole ward without an incumbent, Joseph supports enhancing access to seniors programs, revitalizing ageing community centres, expanding and upgrading affordable housing, and offering more services for the BIPOC community while also increasing access and funding for existing social services.
A geologist for 30 years, Kayani was active in student politics in his native Pakistan before moving to Calgary, where he is now the director of the Whitehorn Community Association. Kayani wants to cut taxes and "unnecessary city expenses," and expedite the construction of the existing LRT projects. He also supports police reform.
Thurlow, a journeyman millwright by trade who owns several businesses, says he wants to bring fiscal restraint to city council without making major service cuts. He wants to delay the BMO Centre expansion, new hockey arena and Arts Commons until the city is in better economic shape, but cautiously supports the Green Line.
Dinh studied civil engineering and real estate development at the University of Calgary. Since 2007, he has worked as the managing director of Mount Royal Capital. The son of Vietnamese refugees, Dinh says he wants to stand up for free expression while combatting misinformation, promote cultural integration in residential planning, re-evaluate the arena deal and the Green Line, and cut funding for "meaningless art projects," such as the "big blue ring."
A former nurse, Sutherland is a SAIT graduate who has also worked at Talisman Energy as a technician. She says she wants to support and create programs to deal with homelessness, particularly for veterans, and pursue lower taxes and economic diversification. Sutherland says she wants to create free healthcare programs for Canadians under the age of 65, but is unclear about how that is different from the present healthcare system or how she can do so as a municipal official.
Candidate(s) without a campaign page:
Jesse Minhas
Issa Mossa
Ward 11
Incumbent: Jeromy Farkas (running for mayor)
An electrician by trade, Bertram bills himself as a "principled conservative." As of writing, his website is scant on specific policies but he broadly supports "family and family values," fiscal conservatism and cutting both taxes and regulations. Bertram opposes the "non-stop bickering" of council.
Running to replace Coun. Jeromy Farkas after he announced his mayoral run, Branagan is the past president of the Haysboro Community Association, where she worked with city council and developers to get upgrades and repairs in the neighbourhood. She is currently a community manager at Rainforest Alberta, a group dedicated to fostering tech innovation in Calgary and Edmonton.
Branagan is disclosing her donors throughout the campaign.
The second candidate to enter the Ward 11 race, DeFraine was a member of the Wildrose Party’s Calgary Glenmore riding association until the party’s 2017 dissolution. He describes himself as being on the “Warpath [sic] against unreasonable taxation,” and wants the city to reinstate the $20-million it cut from the police budget.
Herschel supports "balanced, scalable and sustainable growth" for the city and wants to spend on programs that offer a return on investment, specifically citing the Green Line. Herschel has worked various jobs in commercial real estate, banking, residential home building, hospitality and non-profit sectors, including a stint with the Calgary Public Library.
Herschel is disclosing her donors throughout the campaign.
Jamieson previously worked in the oil and gas industry for 12 years on various projects in Fort McMurray and northern B.C. He is opposed to reducing police funding, and wants to impose term limits on councillors and the mayor. He also wants to reduce spending, and bring an end to closed-door meetings.
The owner of an IT and marketing company, Ward works with local small businesses to use technology to increase their revenue and streamline operations. He says he wants to take this approach to city council, outlining four priorities — community, safety, gaining trust and supporting local business.
Vanderburg is the managing director of Iradesso Communications Corp.—an investor relations firm—and a public relations instructor at Mount Royal University. He's also a former journalist, having worked at the Calgary Herald and Edmonton Journal. Vanderburg favours "balancing budgets, spending responsibly and cutting prudently," wants to maintain the police budget while supporting community policing and addressing the root causes of crime, and supports the Greater Downtown Plan.
Candidate(s) without a campaign page:
David Pawlowski
Ward 12
Incumbent: Shane Keating (says he's not running in 2021)
Chandler describes himself as a “front line worker in the conservative movement" as he ran federally for the Reform Party in 1993 in Hamilton, Ontario. In 2007, he helped found the Wildrose Party after then-premier Ed Stelmach denied his candidacy. He wants to cut taxes, impose term limits on councillors and the mayor, end sole source contracting and reduce the amount of closed-door meetings of council.
The CEO of a consulting firm, Hargreaves previously ran for council in 2017, placing a distant second to incumbent Shane Keating. She wants to collaborate with the province's regulatory bodies to clean up orphaned wells, pipelines and facilities in and around Ward 12, develop more open space to provide alternative access routes to the ward's neighbourhoods, and collaborate with the province to align city taxes with provincial taxes.
The owner of an internet consulting business, LaValley wants to cut taxes and calls for the city to choose between the “nice-to-haves” and “must-haves” with regards to spending. He also wants to reduce the amount of in-camera council meetings and foster “the decorum Calgarians deserve from their representatives.”
The son of a Vietnamese refugee, Phan is a former reservist in the Canadian Armed Forces. He is a business owner and has worked as a campaign volunteer for Conservative MP Tom Kmiec and UCP MLA Ric McIver. He wants to cut taxes, invest in infrastructure, and ensure “responsible spending” and “safe communities” in Calgary.
A former staffer for outgoing Coun. Shane Keating, Spencer served as a pastor for the first decade of his professional life and has worked as a volunteer coordinator, in addition to sitting on the board of the LRT on the Green Foundation. He wants the city to create a case manager position to expedite business permits, and for construction on the Green Line to start ASAP. Spencer is disclosing his donors throughout the campaign.
After losing his job in the 2014 oil crash, Duta started a consulting company as well as a home maintenance company. He received his engineering degree from Transylvania University in Romania in 2002 before moving to Canada in 2007. Duta wants to complete the 130 Ave. S.E. link with Stoney Trail, get the Green Line done and (if elected) says he will give one-third of his councillor salary to Ward 12's seven community associations.
A small business owner since 2016, Streilein says he wants to look to municipalities across the world to see how they tackle problems. He supports continued investment in infrastructure as suburbs expand, collaborating with the province and local businesses to revitalize downtown, and advocating for the province to to add foxtail to its noxious weeds list.
Fontaine, who is a member of the Métis Nation of Alberta, wants to do a "deep dive" into the tax burden on businesses in the city, provide enhanced support for bars and restaurants whose bottom lines were impacted by the pandemic, increase service levels for snow removal and green space maintenance, and consult with other municipalities on how to best achieve a "speedy recovery" for downtown.
The Ward 13 incumbent, who has been a councillor for 20 years, kicked off the first full week of the new year by announcing her re-election bid. Colley-Urquhart supports keeping EMS dispatch local, was a staunch proponent of the city's mandatory mask bylaw, and wants an independent analysis on the Green Line's ridership, cost and risk before proceeding with it.
McLean wants to cut taxes and spending, and has expressed support for conservative PACs, including Take Back City Hall and Common Sense Calgary. He owns a golf cart company and has been involved with the provincial and federal Conservative parties.
The three planks of Unsworth's platform are accessibility, accountability and affordability. He's worked as the director of business services at Mount Royal University since 2019 and received an MBA from Victoria's Royal Roads University in 2014.
Ward 14
Incumbent: Peter Demong
Demong is seeking his fourth term on council in October. Last time, he won 90% of the vote. Demong sits on the city’s planning and urban development, and intergovernmental affairs committees, in addition to serving as vice chair of the utilities and corporate services committee.
Hinton, who rode in the 2012 Stampede cutting horse competition, worked as a lab analyst in the oil sands before getting laid off due to COVID. Hinton supports the Green Line, and says she wants to cap salary increases for councillors, streamline business approvals and see more plebiscites on matters of concern to the entire city.
Ovtchinnikov began his career in the restaurant as a dishwasher at Boston Pizza, working his way up to management before taking a position with a company that sells commercial kitchen equipment. He wants to cut spending, regulations (or "red tape") and taxes, protect green spaces, and is ambivalent about the Green Line.
Candidate(s) without a campaign page:
Stephen Dabbagh
Not running
Mayor
Naheed Nenshi announced in April that he will not run for re-election after three terms as mayor. When he first ran for mayor in 2010, Nenshi was a dark horse candidate who built a social media campaign that powered him past frontrunners Ric McIver and CTV broadcaster Barb Higgins in the election's closing weeks.
Ward 1
Ward Sutherland had filed his papers to run for a third term on council, but dropped out of the race to work on his council colleague Jeff Davison's mayoral campaign full-time. Sutherland chairs council's Business Advisory Committee, as well as the Standing Policy Committee on Utilities and Corporate Services.
Ward 5
While he had originally registered to run for a second term representing the northeast ward, George Chahal announced he will instead run for the Liberals in Calgary Skyview in the upcoming federal election. He made the announcement the day after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau came to Calgary to announce the Green Line is getting built this fall.
Ward 7
After two decades on council, Druh Farrell has opted not to run for re-election. In a letter announcing her decision, Farrell cited the revitalization of the East Village, the Peace Bridge across the Bow River, curbside recycling and transit expansion as her major accomplishments.
Ward 8
Evan Woolley, who spent two terms on council as one of its more progressive member, has announced he won't seek re-election because he wants to spend more time with his family after the deaths of his brother and mother.
Ward 12
Longtime Green Line proponent Coun. Shane Keating announced back in June that he won’t be seeking re-election after a decade on council citing his wife’s cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Calgary Board of Education
Wards 1 & 2
Incumbent: Trina Hurdman
Dossa's Facebook page indicates support for Wexit. He also has one profile photo with a "Stop COVID-19 #stayathome" frame and another that says "End the lockdowns".
Downey has a decade of teaching experience with seven years at CBE schools. She also and three children in the public education system.
An immigration consultant with two kids in the public school system, Wen has published a children's book and cookbook. She volunteers for the ECSSEN Career School bread project that provides bread to low-income families, and also volunteers for the Chinese Emotional Hotline, which has given emotional support to members of the Chinese community throughout the pandemic.
Candidate(s) without a campaign page:
Allan To
Wards 3 & 4
Incumbent: Althea Adams
Adams, who has served as CBE vice-chair for two years, is running for a second term on the board. She cites her advocacy for building North Hill High School, participation in the Student Transportation Task Force, and meetings with the wards' MLAs to discuss budget constraints and shortfalls as her major achievements. Adams has two sons who attend CBE schools in Ward 4.
The first candidate to declare an intention to run for the Calgary Board of Education in Wards 3 and 4, Hack has served as key communicator for the school council at Coventry Elementary, where she has two daughters enrolled. She wants to ensure the curriculum is taught through a lens free of racial, gender and other biases. Hack previously ran for Wards 3 & 4 in 2017.
Fuentes is a candidate with the right-wing "Take Back the CBE" slate, which posits that the CBE spends too much money and advocates for "parental rights" in education.
Butt, who has a master's degree in history, says he wants to ensure children of varying ethnicities, faiths, sexual orientations, physical and mental abilities, and language fluency have a welcoming environment. He says he will work with parents, teachers and the broader community to achieve this outcome.
Candidate(s) without a campaign page:
Oun Saegh
Wards 5 & 10
Incumbent: Marilyn Dennis
Malik Ashraf
Ashraf, who sits on the board of directors of the Calgary Interfaith Council, as well as the Muslim Cemetery of Calgary, has worked in computer science, real estate, oil and gas, and banking. He also founded the Clean and Green Calgary Campaign, and pushed for the establishment of a Community Youth Hub in northwest Calgary.
Falak is co-chair of the Ethnocultural Diverse Working Group of the Calgary Domestic Violence Collective. She has two master's degrees — one in interdisciplinary studies from Athabasca University and another in English literature from Kinnaird College in Lahore, Pakistan. Falak says she wants to stand up against provincial budget cuts, advocate for a curriculum that is informed by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls to action, and ensure appropriate supports are available for students with complex needs and mental health issues, as well as socioeconomic and language barriers.
John says he wants to advance equity, anti-racism and the TRC's calls to action at the CBE, creating a school system that is inclusive of everyone, regardless of ability, race, gender identity, sexual orientation and income level. He also wants to enhance the range of programs available to ensure students can attend their closest CBE school and collaborate with community groups.
Tamber finished her business administration degree in Calgary after immigrating from India, where she was a lecturer, in 2009. The major issues she is campaigning on are transportation, curriculum, equal opportunity for students, and building relationships of trust and accountability. Tamber says she wants to cultivate a culture of sharing, communication and dealing with challenges through consensus.
For the past three years, Harris has run her own cleaning business. Prior to that she worked with children with complex needs as a behavioral therapist, developmental specialist and private caregiver. Harris says parents must be involved in all discussions about their children, "except in rare and unique circumstances" that require outside intervention. She also supports standardized testing and wants to reduce administrative costs at the CBE.
CBE chair Dennis is running for her second term on the board. Prior to her tenure as trustee, she worked at a non-profit that assists students in northeast Calgary from disadvantaged backgrounds. She cites her priorities as ensuring administration directs resources towards classrooms, advancing equity and engaging with all levels of government.
Harseerat Dhami
Jay Chowdhury
Michael Siapno Juarez
Wards 6 & 7
Vacant
A healthcare worker of 18 years, Munson says she wants to be an advocate for all kids while also keeping their parents in the loop and listening to feedback from them.
Thomson worked for 32 years at a local dairy company. He's critical of the "shaky foundation" of the new K-12 curriculum and wants to be a "strong advocate" for removing excessive school fees. He also takes aim at people "being cancelled" for dissenting from "group thinking."
An education professor at the University of Calgary, Bolger ran for Wards 6 & 7 in the 2017 civic election, placing second to Lisa Davis, who resigned less than a year later. Bolger says she wants to create environments at CBE schools that foster excellence by building on established programs, calls the province's proposed draft curriculum "unacceptable", and use thoughtful assessments to measure student progress.
An art educator and conflict resolution coach, La Pointe, who is Metis and bilingual, says she wants to have more resources directed towards classrooms. She also wants to build financial literacy into each grade's math curriculum, provide leadership opportunities for Indigenous youth and encourage critical thinking rather than simple memorization.
Candidate(s) without a campaign page:
Olga Barcelo
Wards 8 & 9
Incumbent: Richard Hehr
Vukadinovic is a project consultant, writer and qualitative analyst by trade. She says she wants to “push back” against increased class sizes due to UCP cuts, partner with AHS to enhance mental health supports in schools, restore early intervention supports and enhance equity, diversity and inclusion efforts.
The owner of Bamboo Ballroom Boutique in Edmonton and Calgary, and the chair of Sunalta School Council, Selley wants to pressure the province to adopt a "more balanced curriculum," focus on students' mental health and encourage literacy.
An environmental scientist at the University of Calgary, Barrett wants the board to make parents and the government aware of the concrete impacts of the province's cuts to education, engage in local area planning matters to ensure inner-city schools don't sit underused, abolish the school resource officer program that brings Calgary police officers into schools and replace it with preventative measures, and engage in ongoing two-way discussions with BIPOC communities.
Truong, who has homeschooled her children for the past four years, says she now supports public education, but only if it is significantly reformed. She calls the new K-12 curriculum a "relic of the past" and wants each student to have an individualized education plan tailored to their own needs. Truong supports "parental choice" and to use schools that have low enrollment to create a hybrid learning experience for homeschooled children.
Candidate(s) without a campaign page:
Slobodab Mladenov
Wards 11 & 13
Incumbent: Julie Hrdlicka
Sellen is the "Take Back the CBE" candidate for Wards 11 & 13.
Close previously served as a CBE trustee from 1999-2007. Since 2010, she's been employed in the mayor's office as a community relations co-ordinator, where she worked on issues such as education, civic engagement, mental health and addiction, and poverty reduction. Close, who has a granddaughter in the CBE system, suggests turning schools slated for closure into community spaces.
Born and raised in Calgary, Anderson worked in the auto and pharmaceutical industries in Ontario after earning her bachelor's degree in applied chemistry and biology at the university formerly known as Ryerson, returning to Calgary in 2008. Anderson wants to audit the allocation and spending of funds at the CBE, in addition to advocating for the varied needs of parents and their children in the public school system.
Wards 12 & 14
Incumbent: Mike Bradshaw
May, who works in oilfield reclamation and hazardous waste disposal, serves as the secretary and playground co-ordinator for her local community association. She has also served for three years on a parent council at her children's school. May expresses concern about the province's draft curriculum and says capital funding needs to prioritize south Calgary schools, which are coping with urban sprawl.
The executive director of the Western Business and Taxpayers Association, Zuch says he thinks the CBE needs to stop blaming the province for its budgetary issues. He also supports standardized testing, says parents must consent to every policy passed by the CBE and supports public funding for private schools under the umbrella of "school choice".
A former teacher at a CBE school, Lapthorne has a master's of education, focusing on curriculum and pedagogy. She says she will advocate for enhanced healthcare protocols in CBE schools, call on the provincial government to scrap its recent draft curriculum, rely on the "expertise and vision" of CBE educators and maintain "progressive, powerful evidence-based practices" across the board's schools.
Candidate(s) without a campaign page:
Jim Govenlock
Shawn Hubbard
Not running
Wards 1 & 2
Two-term trustee Trina Hurdman announced on Twitter that she won’t be running for re-election.
Wards 11 & 13
Julie Hrdlicka, who was first elected in a 2015 byelection, announced on Facebook that she won't seek re-election.
Calgary Catholic School District
Wards 1, 2 & Cochrane
Incumbent: Myra D’Souza
A former business owner with 15 years experience in business coaching and mentorship, Daniels has spent the past two years as board president of a non-profit preschool.
Tse, who's served as school council chair for two CCSD schools, says he wants students to learn 21st century skills that won't be replaced by artificial intelligence. He also wants to actively promote diversity and reconciliation in the CCSD, and address criticisms of publicly-funded Catholic education.
Saldanha says Catholic schools must serve as instruments that promote the church's values. He says CCSD school activities, policies, rules and disciplinary measures should be based on the teachings of Christ.
D'Souza has served as the CCSD vice chair and represented the CCSD on the Alberta School Boards Association and Alberta School Councils' Association. She also previously sat on the Calgary Police Commission. She says her commitments are to Catholic values, implementing faith formation, students and staff success and wellness, and Indigenous education.
Candidate(s) without a campaign page:
Brian O'Neill
Wards 3, 5 & Airdrie
Incumbent: Linda Wellman
The Alberta director of Dyslexia Canada and a Catholic school teacher, Lamb has volunteered with the Owen Hart Foundation and served as the vice chair of St. Joseph elementary junior high school council. She says if elected she will champion the rights of students with complex needs, advocate for quality education and wellness for students and staff, and work to preserve publicly-funded faith-based education in Alberta.
Wellman has sat on the CCSD for 32 years, working with seven provincial governments. The key issues she wants to address are the new provincial funding model, the curriculum that has been widely rejected by school boards, Indigenous education, the work of the board's social justice committee and the recovery from COVID-19.
An education instructor at the University of Calgary and former principal at a CCSD school, Corah says she wants to ensure each student's education is as individualized as possible. She says schools need to work closely with their local parishes to ensure teachers have an appropriate conception of faith-based teaching while at the same time promoting an inclusive environment for students.
Candidate(s) without a campaign page:
Oscar "Jun" Buera
Wards 4 & 7
Incumbent: Pamela Rath
Incumbent Rath, who served as CCSD vice-chair in 2017 and 2018, touts her "tenacity to fight for the underdog." She serves as an Alberta School Boards Association board director and sits on the Edwin Parr Committee, which gives awards to outstanding first-year teachers across the province.
DeGagne is a teacher of more than 30 years, more than half of which has been spent at CCSD schools. He also volunteers with St. Mary's Feed the Hungry. He supports the CCSD's mandatory masking policy for the 2021/22 school year, as well as making vaccinations mandatory for staff, but not visitors, due to the difficulty of enforcement.
Penna, who is running under the slogan "a safe space to be Catholic," has been a teacher for 20 years, specializing in special education, working with children with complex needs, young offenders and other at-risk youth. He says he wants to "ban secular ideologies," enforce Catholicity contracts for staff, "respect parental COVID choices" and pilot the new K-12 curriculum.
Wards 6 & 8
Incumbent: Lory Iovinelli
A former CCSD teacher, Iovinelli is running for a second term as CCSD trustee. In her first term, she served as the director of the Alberta Catholic School Trustees' Association and has volunteered in the district since 2003, including stints as school council chair and vice-chair.
Shevchenko, who immigrated from Ukraine seven years ago, has a PhD in linguistic and cross-cultural studies. She wants to address dwindling enrollment numbers by looking for the root cause, supports "maximum parental choice in education," and will seek ways "to operate on a tight budget" that don't compromise the level of education CCSD offers.
A certified chartered professional accountant who most recently worked as the CFO for a publicly-traded land development company, Cook is the chair of the Calgary Catholic Education Foundation. She says she'll advocate to government for smaller class sizes and funding to maintain CCSD programming. Cook also wants to ensure there are adequate mental health supports available for students and staff.
Candidate(s) without a campaign page:
John D. Ramsay
Candidate(s) without a campaign page:
Cathie Williams
Wards 13 & 14
Incumbent: Mary Martin
Candidate(s) without a campaign page:
Mary Martin
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