Calgary-Foothills riding profile
Advance polls will be open Oct. 22-25 ahead of election day on Oct. 27
The race is on for Calgary candidates vying to win one of three seats in the Alberta Legislature.
Calgary-Foothills is one of those three seats up for grabs, having been vacated by former Alberta MLA Len Webber, who won the federal Conservative Party nomination for Calgary Confederation.
With Premier Jim Prentice among the candidates running in this riding, voters are looking carefully at the options on offer and some say they want to send a message to the government when they cast their ballot.
CBC Calgary hit the streets to speak with voters in Calgary-Foothills about what matters most to them and compile a comprehensive riding profile to give voters all the information they need to cast an informed ballot.
Who are the candidates in Calgary-Foothills?
Progressive Conservative Party
Prentice is currently the Premier of Alberta, having won the Progressive Conservative Party's leadership race on Sept. 6. Prior to entering the race, he was Enbridge's point man working with First Nations to get them on board with pipeline development and was a vice-chair at CIBC. He also held three cabinet portfolios in Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government — Indian and Northern Affairs, Industry and Environment. During his time in Parliament, he voted to support a controversial Liberal bill endorsing same-sex marriage despite backlash from his Calgary Centre-North riding.
Wildrose Party
Macdonald recently retired after 25 years with the Calgary Police Service, during which time she worked to increase awareness of cyber safety. She helped develop cybercrime legislation for developing countries and was invited to attend a NATO Science for Peace and Security Program. She was honoured by the Governor General in 2009 when she was granted the Member of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces in recognition of her commitment to the police service and her community. She is also a certified protection professional and holds a master's degree in science.
Liberal Party
Prcic is a businessman and a graduate of the University of Calgary. In 2012, he ran in the riding of Calgary-Northwest for the Alberta Liberals but failed to win a seat.
He owns GTR Auto and coaches basketball, having played a starring role on the University of Calgary team during his time there.
NDP
Burgess is currently one of the youngest managers on staff at the Fortune 100 consulting firm where she works and is an active member of the technical communication community. She volunteers with a number of causes in the community, including the Beltline Communities Association, the Women's Centre, the Calgary Take Back the Night Committee and in the past also volunteered with the Society for Technical Communication. She is also an active member of the Alberta NDP Women's Caucus and has worked on several previous political campaigns in Calgary.
Alberta Party
Glavine has worked for 17 years as a public school teacher, working with children from kindergarten through Grade 8. She is the local president of the Alberta Teachers' Association and has also been elected in the past as district representative on the provincial executive council of the union. She is currently working on her masters degree in educational leadership and is an active community volunteer.
Green Party of Alberta
Cockett is a sessional instructor at the University of Calgary's Wekrlund School of Education. She has previously worked as a teacher with the Calgary Board of Education and has volunteered in the community for more than 20 years. Her work earned her a 2014 Alberta Emerald Award for environmental excellence. She also co-founded the environmental action club at a local junior high school and took students to environmental conferences.
What are the issues?
- Infrastructure: With continued growth expected for the city, residents here say they want to see their elected representative push for infrastructure spending on roads to help reduce traffic and ease the flow of commuters heading back and forth from the downtown core each day.
- Making their voice heard: With the Alberta premier in the running for a seat, some residents say they have a unique opportunity to send a message to the government if they do not approve of how the Progressive Conservative Party has handled things in recent years.
What are people on the street saying?
Calgary-Foothills includes the neighbourhoods of Nolan Hill, Sage Hill, Sherwood, Kincora, the western part of Hidden Valley, Hamptons and Edgemont. It also encompasses the northeastern-most boundaries of the City of Calgary near its border with Chestermere-Rocky View.
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How have residents voted in the past?
In 2012, there were 29,806 eligible voters and 15,378 cast ballots for a turnout of 52 per cent.
In the 2008 election, there were 33,083 eligible voters and 12,631 cast ballots for a turnout of 38.3 per cent.