Meet the MLAs: Shifting political panorama sees greater than a dozen new representatives in Calgary space

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The political panorama in Calgary shifted Monday with a minimum of 13 first-term MLAs elected within the metropolis and its surrounding areas, and presumably two extra pending recounts of some extremely tight races.

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With all polls reporting on Tuesday, Danielle Smith’s UCP is forward in 12 of Calgary’s 26 ridings, whereas Rachel Notley’s NDP leads the opposite 14. Regardless of the NDP’s important good points within the metropolis, bolstering its native illustration from the three elected in 2019, it wasn’t sufficient to quash the UCP’s path to a majority, at present projected to be 49 seats to the NDP’s 38.

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If present tallies maintain up amid some anticipated recounts as a consequence of slim NDP edges in Calgary-Acadia and Calgary-Glenmore, 15 Calgary-area ridings may characteristic faces recent to provincial politics. Calgary-proper would see two new UCP and 11 new NDP MLAs, in addition to one for every social gathering simply exterior town in Chestermere-Strathmore and Banff-Kananaskis.

Here’s a temporary overview of every of these new representatives:

Calgary-Beddington

The NDP’s Amanda Chapman, a contract communications guide, unseated UCP candidate Josephine Pon — who additionally served as seniors and housing minister beneath former premier Jason Kenney — in a rematch of the 2019 contest for the using. Chapman additionally does administrative work in native theatre and non-profit teams and volunteers for the college board.

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Calgary-Currie

NDP candidate Janet Eremenko ousted Smith’s psychological well being and dependancy minister Nicholas Milliken. Eremenko, who’s labored with social growth and poverty-tackling not-for-profits for the final decade, beforehand ran within the neighbouring using Calgary-Elbow within the 2019 marketing campaign, coming third behind Milliken and the Alberta Celebration’s Greg Clark. She at present works for a nationwide charity that helps newcomers.

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Calgary-Edgemont

The NDP’s Julia Hayter bumped Prasad Panda, Kenney’s former transportation minister, from his seat within the legislature after dropping to him within the 2019 contest. Hayter is an schooling assistant and is elevating a household in northwest Calgary. She’s labored with a number of disability-oriented not-for-profits and previously labored as a constituency assistant in the course of the NDP’s final time period in authorities.

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Calgary-Elbow

Within the using vacant because the August 2022 resignation of former Kenney minister Doug Schweitzer, NDP candidate Samir Kayande took the win over the UCP’s Chris Davis. Kayande is a software program engineer and power transition analyst with years of expertise within the oil and fuel and expertise sectors. UCP critics pointed to his work and feedback he made throughout his time in these roles as “excessive” and “anti-energy.”

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Calgary-Falconridge

The NDP’s Parmeet Singh Boparai unseated UCP’s Devinder Toor in one other 2019 rematch. Boparai is the previous head of the Dashmesh Cultural Centre, chairman of Khalsa College Calgary and a neighborhood realtor. Toor garnered controversy all through his time period in authorities, being fined $15,000 by Elections Alberta for infractions associated to the 2019 marketing campaign and the compelled closure of a resort he owned as a consequence of well being considerations, amongst different points.

Calgary-Fish Creek

UCP candidate Myles McDougall retained the social gathering’s seat in Richard Gotfried’s outdated using, after the two-term MLA introduced he wouldn’t be looking for re-election. McDougall labored for the provincial authorities within the Nineteen Eighties, has had jobs in monetary evaluation and based oil and fuel tech firm PetroJet Canada. He’s additionally served because the CFO of the Calgary-Fish Creek UCP Constituency Affiliation and president of Lake Bonavista Neighborhood Affiliation.

Calgary-Foothills

The NDP’s Courtroom Ellingson bested Smith’s tradition minister Jason Luan in Calgary-Foothills. Courtroom is the previous vice-president technique of Calgary Financial Growth, at present works as a guide with Calgary Innovation Coalition and serves on the boards of Native Investing YYC and Sustainable Calgary.

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Calgary-Klein

NDP candidate Lizette Tejada unseated UCP minister of seniors, neighborhood and social companies Jeremy Nixon. Tejada labored as NDP MLA Kathleen Ganley’s constituency supervisor main as much as the election and has volunteered with the Calgary Ladies’s Centre and the YWCA’s ESL program.

Calgary-Lougheed

The UCP’s Eric Bouchard took Kenney’s outdated using over NDP challenger Venkat Ravulaparthi. Bouchard is a small enterprise proprietor who has alleged COVID-19 restrictions compelled the closure of his restaurant, the Sonoma Market Cafe, in the course of the pandemic.

Calgary-North East

The NDP’s Gurinder Brar received Calgary-North East, defeating UCP challenger Inder Grewal after former MLA Rajan Sawhney moved to run in close by Calgary-North West, a using she received. Brar based his personal logistics enterprise which employs greater than 40 folks and has taught enterprise at a number of Calgary-area post-secondary establishments.

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Calgary-Varsity

NDP candidate Luanne Metz, a College of Calgary medical professor for greater than three a long time, bested Smith’s well being minister, Jason Copping. Metz teaches within the neurology division on the faculty and is acknowledged as a number one medical researcher on a number of sclerosis.

Chestermere-Strathmore

The UCP’s Chantelle De Jonge retained Leela Aheer’s outdated using for the UCP over NDP challenger Raj Jessel after Aheer, the previous deputy premier, introduced she wouldn’t be looking for re-election. De Jonge is a dental assistant and volunteers with a number of organizations supporting non secular and social causes regionally and overseas.

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Banff-Kananaskis

NDP candidate Sarah Elmeligi unseated the UCP’s Miranda Rosin in Banff-Kananaskis by a margin of 199 votes, one of many two seats exterior Calgary and Edmonton the social gathering picked up on Monday. Elmeligi is a conservationist who’s spent years working with environmental non-profit organizations and Alberta Parks. She at present works as a guide within the business.

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Calgary-Acadia, Calgary-Glenmore nonetheless to be decided

Because of margins inside 100 votes, each Calgary-Acadia and Calgary-Glenmore needs to be topic to judicial recounts. Because it stands, the Calgary-Acadia race is separated by simply seven votes, with the NDP’s Diana Batten holding a skinny lead over UCP justice minister Tyler Shandro.

In Calgary-Glenmore, NDP challenger Nagwan Al-Guneid holds a 30-vote edge on the UCP’s Whitney Issik. Recounts are additionally doable, however much less possible, in different contests with slim margins — similar to Banff-Kananaskis — topic to the request of the dropping candidate.

Postmedia reached out to each the UCP and NDP to talk with new Calgary-area representatives however didn’t obtain a response from both social gathering.

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Twitter: @michaelrdrguez