Meet a candidate for mayor: Jeff Davison

Calgary will soon see a new face in the mayor's chair.

In advance of the Oct. 18 municipal election, CBC Calgary is profiling five leading candidates in the mayoral race; the other profiles can be found here.

Candidate Jeff Davison spoke with CBC's Sarah Rieger about his story, his vision for Calgary and why he feels he is the right person to lead this city into its next chapter. 

Here's what he had to say.

(Editor's note: His comments have been edited for length and clarity.)

On growing up in Calgary

[I was] born and raised in the ward I now represent. It's a phenomenal Calgary story. You don't hear that very often from people. 

[I grew] up in Glamorgan, where my parents still live. My dad was a firefighter for 33 years, and my mom worked for the school board. It was a tough upbringing in the '80s, a lot of high-interest rates. My folks always managed to keep food on the table and keep us moving forward. And I think that's what has kind of led me in everything I do at the city — it's about moving forward.

A lot of the pubs I remember frequenting when I was in my 20s are still [there in southwest Calgary], and that's the great thing about that community. 

I met my wife through a mutual friend. She was the volunteer co-ordinator for Loose Moose Theatre. You used to get all these starving artists living together … I think she paid the bills. 

[I was] walking through the kitchen of my buddy's place, he said, "oh, hey, have you met my roommate?" And I said, "No, I haven't."

Lo and behold, [we're still together almost] 20 years later. We're now at the opposite end of the ward, but still close enough to grandma and grandpa.

I loved growing up on the west side, and so for me, it's always been home, and I always fight each and every day to make that community better for my kids.

(Ed.: The Davisons share their home with an Australian shepherd, Libby.)

Usually, my campaign dog is here. 

We don't even take her doorknocking because … she's really cute. She's got two-colour eyes … if I take the dog, it's a four-hour conversation at each door.

The path to politics

(Ed.: Davison worked in the energy industry, before later studying broadcasting and communications. After that, he started a tech company, and a graphic novel company, before returning to consulting with digital media and energy companies.)

I [wanted to study journalism because I] like storytelling. 

I applied at Mount Royal right out of high school [but the school] wouldn't accept me into journalism. So, my parents made me go get a job, which led me to Canadian Natural Resources. 

[A few years later] I started at SAIT [studying] broadcasting … and finished my degree at [the University of Calgary] in Italy and Greece because I had some electives.

I thought I would take that degree and [start] making documentaries, and I thought that would be kind of the path I went down — which led me much more into a Hollywood-type career. 

So … I started into the process of unlocking moviemaking. I had done my first graphic novel with some of my partners called Death Valley.

(Ed.: Davison and partners started a graphic novel publishing company.)

It's one of those stories that things just kind of fell together. 

Me and my partners … we formed the company [Paper Movies]. [Before that] I had started a tech company. Part of what we had… was [an app for finding movie theatres, buying tickets]. 

That led me … where technology and Hollywood came together. So we started throwing some of the big parties down at Comic-Con in San Diego, and everything just kind of took off. 

I own the rights to [one of] the very first graphic novels ever created called His Name Is Savage. We updated it and did a version called Her Name is Savage and that is now moving forward with one of the studios. One of my partners is Steven Grant, who created The Punisher for Marvel. We just kept making project after project.

In 2011, we made a very conscious decision not to move [our tech] company to Silicon Valley. It is probably today one of the biggest regrets I have because we would have been successful … [but] it would have meant leaving Calgary. I continue to believe in Calgary. It's just the market wasn't there for us.

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When we exited the company [I] went back into energy and … did a lot of consulting. I've always been able to sort of merge my passion for industry and storytelling together. 

[By] 2017, my wife and I, we had three kids by then, and I was already starting to get concerned about watching young people leave Calgary. I was concerned about how [the city would] end up diversifying … [I] just started thinking, there's an opportunity to run, and maybe this is my chance to go and do something about it. 

And, for four years, city councillor, I've been trying to do something about it. I've been trying to push on diversification of industry.

(Ed.: In 2017, Davison was elected councillor for Ward 6, which includes the communities of Coach-Hill Patterson Heights, Signal Hill and West Springs-Cougar Ridge.)

On the issues: property taxes

We have got to become the place to do business in Western Canada. And so dropping corporate taxes to start attracting more businesses and more jobs here is a benefit to everyone, right? 

The more people we can employ, the more taxpayers you create. 

On the residential side, though, I think we've got to really come to terms with balancing what a freeze means for residential. But where I bring those two things together is through accelerating investment here, and opportunity.

I think we have the potential to increase in population by half a million people in the next 10 to 15 years. You have to think about how do you set the right environment.

• Read Jeff Davison's platform

How do all of the assets we're building attract people here? 

How does innovation play into this? Not just thinking about energy innovation, right? Agriculture, fintech, aerospace, logistics … even pharmaceuticals.

It's accelerating those pieces of growth, but it all comes back to talent. People are absolutely the key to unlocking economic success. 

On the issues: revitalizing downtown

It's investing in place, right? I firmly believe in the event centre and building the entertainment district … that's how we're going to encourage more people to live down there, if we can give people more things to do after 5 p.m. and shake off this corporate sort of downtown environment we've created.

At the end of the day, none of that will be successful if we can't create a safe environment where people want to be. 

Proactive measures in policing are so important. Listening to what the police commission is saying, it's not about a downtown police station, it's about actually having more officers doing more effective work, which means partnering with more organizations like … the DOAP Team, to handle some of the offset of the calls. 

On the issues: the new arena

(Ed.: Davison led city negotiations on the arena deal.)

I always like to set the record right on our partnership with the event centre and the Flames. 

It's not just about a hockey deal. The flames will cover 100 per cent of cost overruns.

Some of my colleagues are running around saying, "oh, we don't even know how much this is going to cost." Well, we know how much it's going to cost, and we know they're covering the overruns. It's a building we own. It sits on the land we own. 

But the most important thing about it is the programming and the ability to unlock $3 billion with private sector development.

Victoria Park, for 100 years now, has been home to the least impressive parking lots in the world. It's about time to … build a community where people want to spend their time. I really envision it like the next 17th Avenue.

On the issues: the Green Line

I am pro-Green Line. I firmly believe that when we think about transit in our city, it's not just access to transit, it's access to opportunity.

There's an environmental reason to want to do it. Moving more people as we grow in population on trains is critical, but it also allows us that arterial line that we can now run BRT to. 

We can provide a much more enhanced service to Calgarians through transit … Green Line is people moving to go to the doctor's office. It's taking people home from downtown faster to have dinner with the kids. It's about moving grandma who needs to go to the grocery store.

You have to think through all the people that utilize transit and think, how do we provide a better service so that we encourage them to use it more in their daily lives? 

On the issues: the environment

I think we've got to figure out how we continue to adapt our physical plan to reduce the impact of extreme weather. 

If you think about flood mitigation, if you think about … the [2020] hailstorm — that was [one of the] largest insurance claims in Canadian history. Thinking about how we provide opportunities to future proof.

People say, "I don't want to spend more cutting the grass" — naturalize them so that there's an environmental impact but it looks good.

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We think a lot about what electrification of [the city's] fleet [could] look like … how could we move forward to electrify our bus system.

But also thinking about new opportunities like hydrogen, how does that fit into the occasion.

It's not a sexy thing to talk about, but you think about the Shepard power plant through Enmax. It's a co-gen facility. So one of the generators in there is run out of all of the grey water that comes in through the Bonnybrook Waste Facility.

Being much more efficient with our resources is top of mind as well as we move forward. 

Calgary's path

For four years, as city councillor, I've been trying … to push on diversification of industry, whether it be film, whether it be technology, whether it be supporting our energy industry. 

Because as much as people want to say on council, well, we support the energy industry, I'm the only one who spent 20 years in energy.

They can talk a big game, but they've never walked the walk. I have. 

WATCH | Jeff Davison on why he's an advocate for Calgary's film industry: 

Jeff Davison on why he's an advocate for Calgary's film industry

3 years ago

Duration 0:45

Calgary mayoral candidate Jeff Davison on why he's an advocate for the city's film industry.

And so that's where I see all of the potential in technology and where we're moving and all of these things. And, really, the path is so much more clear because I think of the history that brought me here. 

When we think about COVID, it has taught us that capital and talent are extremely mobile. People don't need to be anywhere, anymore. Money doesn't need to be anywhere anymore. 

And so you have to provide an environment where people want to spend their time in your jurisdiction. Or you'll just be another mid-size city in North America that is relatively affordable and has a good quality of life.

Personal growth

(Ed.: What's something about yourself that you know you have to work on?)

I do find that I'm a listener and a collaborator … the worst thing about an election is everyone around you wants to hear what you've done. Tell me about you. And I always say it's "we."

And so anytime I say "I," I feel bad about saying it, and then somebody says, "well, it wasn't just you doing that, Jeff." And [they're] absolutely right.

I think giving credit where credit is due is incredibly important. The best thing about Calgary is our people and the experience that we have here in the city. And so, you know, trying to give those folks more credit in an election is sometimes hard because you're there to try and sell yourself. 

At the same time, [I] feel like there are thousands of people standing behind me that I need to thank for everything I've gotten to do as a councillor. And I wish I could do that better. 

(Ed.: Davison has faced allegations about his campaign's use of signs paid for by a third-party advertiser. Here's how he addresses those concerns.) 

[Look at my] track record.

Go back and look at my career over the past 20 years, I'm a by-the-books individual, I'm somebody who does what I say I'm going to do. 

I think that's why I've always had an outstanding career in publicly traded companies. You're always out there, visible, and having to be transparent about what you're doing.

The rules are very confusing, right? I think the first thing I want to do is champion going back to the system we had and/or finding a new process because it should never be a grey area as to whether or not you should or shouldn't do something. 

I think a lot of people want to allege various things during election time just because it creates a talking point. And it's about trying to create a narrative.

These days, we've turned the system into a … political play. And you just have to navigate your way forward.

On working with a new group of councillors

I think the mayor's job is to really provide the high-level strategy about where the city's going. 

Then it's about working with your council colleagues to [ask] what were you elected on? What is your vision? You know, what are the things you need to get done and how does that [tie] back to the overall story of Calgary and the strategy that we have in place? 

It's also about sharing the win. [With] the event centre, a good example is it wasn't just me that got to run up there. I needed to convince 10 of my colleagues that this is a good idea. And so you've got to get people involved in the projects. If you want them to say yes to it, they have to feel like there's a piece of it that they can own.

Even when we talk about the province right now, like I don't love where we're at with respect to health right now.

But the challenge is it doesn't matter who the provincial government is, it doesn't matter who the federal government is. It matters that you're able to work with them to unlock benefit for Calgarians.

Lightning round

What's one of your favourite made-in-Calgary meals or foods? 

Hanni's pizza in Glamorgan is still one of my favourite places. They make a bruschetta pizza, and if you add chicken to it, it's one of the best. 

Name a Calgary musician, artist, writer or filmmaker you're proud to share this city with.

I don't know him well, but I think a guy like Gary Burns, who's made a number of films here in Calgary, he was really that pioneering voice in changing the attraction to Calgary. Even guys like John Scott, who have just spent so much time working in Westerns. I think they really set the foundation for what we're capitalizing on today in film. 

(Ed.: Davison jokes, however, he auditioned for Waydowntown and he's still mad Burns didn't give him a role.)

What's a personal achievement you're proud of?

I'm proud of getting my pilot's licence when I was 18. I grew up around planes — my uncle always had a plane — and I had learned to fly at a very early age.

Ginger beef. Stampede mini donuts. A Caesar. You can only pick one: 

Mini donuts. Ginger beef, it depends where. But mini donuts are pretty consistent. 

You've got a week's vacation to spend in Canada, with an unlimited budget, but you can't stay here. Where are you headed?

I've never been to the East Coast, so I'd want to go there.