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At least three political parties will run candidates in Calgary’s upcoming municipal election, with the third officially certified this week.
A Better Calgary (ABC) announced it has been certified by Elections Calgary as a municipal political party, with candidates confirmed in seven of Calgary’s 14 wards in October’s election.So far those candidates are Gordon Elliott in Ward 1, John Garden in Ward 2, John Grant Barron in Ward 4, Anthony Ascue in Ward 7, Tony Dinh in Ward 9, Mike Jamieson in Ward 12 and Keener Hachey in Ward 14.According to the party’s executive director, Roy Beyer, the party is membership-driven and will include ward associations similar to how provincial parties operate.“We actually came straight out of the blanket rezoning fiasco and said we need a political party where the people and their voice matters,” Beyer said. “That’s something that really empowers us.” The party considers itself centre-right, with policy to be developed by its candidates who are selected by its membership.However, ABC said its goal is to ensure conservative candidates “do not split the vote” in the next election.Beyer told Global News the party will allow members to hold a “bypass vote” and not contest incumbents in other wards that align with the party’s membership.
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“We expect maybe two or three candidates who are incumbents that our members will say, ‘No, we like that person,’ in which case we will not run a person against,” Beyer said. “If you’re an incumbent and you’ve done your job, we will not run somebody against you.”
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Communities First is the other conservative-leaning party on the ballot, formed by four incumbent city councillors.So far its candidates include Ward 7 Coun. Terry Wong, Ward 13 Coun. Dan McLean, Ward 10 Coun. Andre Chabot, Ward 1 Coun. Sonya Sharp, as well as former councillor John Mar in Ward 6, Cornelia Wiebe in Ward 8, and Rob Ward in Ward 11.According to Chabot, the party formed a list of shared priorities, including getting back to basics, infrastructure, being accountable to citizens and running an efficient city. Candidates will be selected by the party executive based on a questionnaire and how they align with those principles, he said. “It’s all about making sure that people know the type of individual that they’re electing,” Chabot said. “All of the candidates that will be running under the Communities First banner will adhere to those same policies and principles that we have demonstrated over the last three and half years.”When asked about vote-splitting, Chabot said there are differences between Communities First and A Better Calgary.“I think the ABC group will be seen as far-right as compared to us. We try to stay right of centre but a lot closer to centre than that party,” he said.A Better Calgary does not yet have a mayoral candidate, Beyer said, with a focus on getting a simple majority of at least eight elected.
Communities First also hasn’t announced a candidate in the mayor’s race, but said an announcement is coming at a downtown Calgary fundraiser on Monday night.The Calgary Party, the third group on the ballot, is led by mayoral candidate Brian Thiessen and is seen as the progressive leaning slate in the budding race.So far, its council candidates include DJ Kelly in Ward 4, Inam Teja in Ward 6, Heather McRae in Ward 7, Alex Williams in Ward 11, and Elliot Weinstein in Ward 13.According to McRae, the party’s goal is to create a “positive” vision for a growing city. Its principles listed online include building an effective city, transit, housing, and public safety.“We feel that we have a vision for Calgary, moving Calgary forward, and we’re excited to talk about our city’s growth in a positive way and not be so focused on some of the negative elements that have been dominating conversation on council,” McRae told Global News.Changes to provincial legislation allow for municipal political parties in Calgary and Edmonton only for the upcoming race.Duane Bratt, a political scientist at Mount-Royal University, said it’s important for Calgarians to understand what each party is presenting.“They’re going to have leanings one way or the other, but it’s going to be tough for voters to dissect that,” Bratt said.“We know what a Conservative Party is, we know what a Liberal Party is, we know what an NDP party is, but we don’t know what A Better Calgary means.”Many candidates have announced their intention to run without party affiliation, including Mayor Jyoti Gondek and other mayoral hopefuls, including Jeromy Farkas and Jeff Davision.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
