Calgary

Who's your best match as mayor? Read about the candidates and their visions for the city

Ten candidates are vying to be elected mayor in Calgary's municipal election on Oct. 16. We invited each of them to share their vision for the city — and you might be surprised to hear what they had to say.

10 candidates are in the running for city's top political job

Calgary's old city hall is seen in the foreground, with new city hall in the background.
Meet the candidates vying for the city's top job in the 2017 mayoral race. (CBC)

Ten candidates are vying to be elected mayor in Calgary's municipal election on Oct. 16: here's the full list of contenders.

CBC Calgary has invited all the mayoral candidates to submit an article on their views about the challenges facing the city — and you might be surprised to read what some of them have to say.

Links to those articles can be found in each candidates' section. 

Jason Achtymichuk (Jason GoGo)

Jason Achtymichuk has put in his hat into the ring for the mayor's chair. (jason_gogo/Instagram)

Jason Achtymichuk is a Calgary-based artist who says in social media that he wants to have a serious debate about a new arena and public art. He says he will officially kick off his campaign on Sept. 22. 

Andre Chabot

Coun. Andre Chabot has been a councillor since 2005. (CBC)

​The longtime Ward 10 councillor is making the jump from council to mayoral candidate. Andre Chabot has represented Ward 10 on the city's eastern edge since 2005. 

He's known as a fiscal hawk and has supported transit development as well as the downtown cycle tracks. He's opposed to the Olympic bid and says an arena can be built without costing taxpayers. 

Brent Chisholm

Brent Chisholm is running for mayor of Calgary. (City of Calgary)

​Brent Chisholm said he's focused on accountability to citizens and that if they're being ignored by their councillor, he'd look into their issues personally. 

"I would talk to some lawyer friends of mine, ask them to look through the city books because then alderpersons that are not doing their job, you're fired. Save the city a lot of money."

Emile Gabriel

Emile Gabriel announced he would run for mayor on June 9, 2017. (Emile Gabriel)

A project manager and consultant, Emile Gabriel, or Dr. EGJ, says he's done extensive work studying flooding impacts and solutions and has worked on projects with Alberta Transportation. 

His platform includes tweaks to the tax system, streamlining decisions at city council and eliminating red tape. He is concerned about the state of the economy and urban planning, and he wants to bring the Olympics back to Calgary. 

According to his website, he has recently been working on two inventions: one for preventing deaths caused by LRT accidents and another to "stop vehicles from a distance" during a police chase. 

Larry Heather

Larry Heather, 63, is making his second run for mayor. (Submitted by Larry Heather)

Self proclaimed "council gadfly" Larry Heather is making his second bid for the mayor's chair, having also run in the 2013 election. 

Heather, 63, says he wants to reduce the size of the city's workforce by one-third along and dissolve the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation. He'd also like to put off plans to use the provincial carbon tax to finance construction of the Green Line LRT.

Heather wants to reverse what he calls the neglect of essential maintenance of city roads and trees and says he will remove public art installations like Bowfort Towers.

David Lapp

David Lapp declared his candidacy for Calgary mayor on Feb. 27. (CBC)

Born in Calgary in 1984, David Lapp promises to remember that he's dealing with taxpayer money, not his money, if elected mayor. 

Lapp, who ran unsuccessfully for councillor in Ward 8 in the 2010 election is running under the motto, "Genuinely interested in everyone."

Naheed Nenshi

Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi, who was first elected in 2010, is running for a third term. (Evelyne Asselin/CBC)

The current Calgary mayor is seeking a third stint in office.

Nenshi said he wants to tackle the challenges facing the city, including high unemployment and uncertainty, and to build a more "resilient and diverse economy."

Nenshi was first elected in 2010. 

Curtis Olson

Starting as a patrol officer and rising through the ranks to become an inspector with the Calgary Police Service, Curtis Olson is now seeking the mayor's chair. (Curtis Olson)

Curtis Olson started as a patrol officer with the Calgary Police Service in 1999.

Active in community initiatives and youth sports, Olson's focus is on making Calgary a great place to live. One of his goals is to trim the city budget by five per cent with no reduction in services. 

He'll be rolling out his so-called CPlan over the coming weeks.

Bill Smith

Bill Smith announces his run for mayor in Calgary on June 12, 2017. (Shannon Scott/CBC)

The president of the PC Party for three years while Ed Stelmach led the province, Bill Smith currently works as a lawyer in Calgary. 

Smith says he's focused on balancing the economy and ensuring a "positive quality of life" despite the price of oil. He's also concerned about crime, small business, taxes and fees. 

Stan (the Man) Waciak

Stan Waciak is running for mayor of Calgary. (CBC)

Stan Waciak, who works in construction, has many concerns he wants to address, including traffic, transit, the zoo and a new arena.

He thinks transit should be more efficient, and he'd like to see the fare price drop to reflect the economy.

He says the Saddledome has to be replaced sooner or later, so council should move "towards a positive future for our city as a whole."