Calgary-West 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-West is one of those three seats up for grabs, having been vacated by former Alberta MLA Ken Hughes, who resigned on Sept. 29.
The riding is one of the many areas in Calgary experiencing growth, with a large number of commuters heading across the city for work each day.
CBC Calgary hit the streets to speak with voters in Calgary-West 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-West?
Progressive Conservative Party
Ellis has been a member of the Calgary Police Service for the past 12 years and during that time, has worked in community policing as well as working with some of the city's most vulnerable people through the Alberta Secretariat on Homelessness. He also trains other officers in how to help victims of crime. Ellis has lived in the community for years and says he understands the challenges facing Calgary-West, particularly the need for more schools. He says getting Alberta's exports to market will be a critical priority for him if elected.
Wildrose Party
Taylor has been a public school trustee with the Calgary Board of Education since 2010 and recently completed a term there as chair of the board. After graduating from the University of Alberta with a bachelor of commerce degree, Taylor spent eight years with Imperial Oil and worked in marketing, sales, accounting and management. Her work in the oil industry took her from Edmonton to Vancouver and Toronto before returning to Calgary. She has served multiple terms on the board of her local community association and also coaches youth community basketball.
Liberal Party
Khan practices aboriginal law across western Canada and has represented or assisted in the representation of clients at all levels of court across the country, including the Supreme Court of Canada.He says he has a passion for advancing progressive social issues and wants to champion health care and education if elected. Khan says strong relationships and partnerships with First Nations are key to responsibly developing oil and gas assets and he wants to work with the City of Calgary to build infrastructure.
NDP
Malkinson is a technician at a Calgary diesel heavy equipment supplier. He changed careers during the recession after spending several years working as a designer and analyst for internet start-ups, which he says gives him an understanding of the challenges workers and businesses face in trying economic times. In 2012, Malkinson ran in Calgary-Northwest for the Alberta NDP but did not win.
Alberta Party
Millington is a self-employed computer consultant and recently finished terms serving on the boards of the Alberta Party and the Valley Ridge Community Association. He is also a founding member of Capoeira Ache Brasil Calgary, a small fitness school school focusing on the Brazilian martial arts form.
What are the issues?
- Traffic: The ring road is just one of the proposed solutions to easing heavy congestion in Calgary-West and residents say it's time to get moving on the project. As well, they say a growing concern is motorists cutting through residential areas in an attempt to escape traffic and want to see the province commit to infrastructure spending for the cities so projects like the ring road and other road developments can go ahead.
- Crime: According to the Calgary Police Service's 2014 Monthly Community Crime Statistics, some areas of Calgary-West, such as Signal Hill, have seen an increase in incidents of social disorder and residential break and enter over the past three years and residents say they would like to see their representative prioritize community safety during their work in the Alberta Legislature.
- Fair government: Several residents flagged ethics and the need for fair government during their comments to CBC Calgary, stressing they want to see a candidate with integrity.
What are people saying on the streets?
Calgary-West includes the neighbourhoods of Strathcona Park, Aspen Woods, Christie Park, Springbank Hill and Signal Hill.
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How have residents voted in the past?
There were 27,975 eligible voters in the 2012 election and 17,693 cast ballots for a turnout of 58.8 per cent.
In 2008, there were 40,146 eligible voters but only 17,568 voted for a turnout of 43.8 per cent.