Calgary Centre

Calgary Centre is a federal electoral district covering the urban core of Calgary, Alberta, including the downtown business district and surrounding inner-city neighbourhoods. The by-election was called after Conservative MP Lee Richardson resigned his seat on May 30, 2012, to accept a position as principal secretary to Alberta Premier Alison Redford. Richardson had represented the riding since 2004 and had previously served as chief of staff to Premier Peter Lougheed in the early 1980s.

Candidates

Joan Crockatt (Conservative) — Crockatt was a business journalist who had spent much of her career at the Calgary Herald, where she rose to the position of managing editor. She later worked as a communications consultant and appeared as a political commentator on CBC News Network and Sun News Network. Raised in Lloydminster, she held a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Saskatchewan and had completed a Southam Fellowship in Journalism at the University of Toronto.

Harvey Locke (Liberal) — Locke was a prominent conservationist and lawyer who had served as volunteer president of both the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society and the Alberta Liberal Party. He is a founder of the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, dedicated to creating a continuous wildlife corridor from Yellowstone National Park to the Yukon. In 1999, he left legal practice to become a full-time conservationist focused on national parks, wilderness protection, and climate change.

Chris Turner (Green Party) — Turner was an award-winning journalist and author whose books include the bestselling Planet Simpson and The Geography of Hope, the latter nominated for the Governor General's Literary Award. His feature writing had appeared in publications including The Walrus, The New Yorker, and The Guardian, earning him ten National Magazine Awards. His candidacy attracted significant attention and he received the highest vote total for any Green candidate in Alberta's history to that point.

Dan Meades (NDP) — Meades was the director of a public policy advocacy organization who ran a campaign focused on anti-poverty and social issues.

About the Riding

Calgary Centre encompasses downtown Calgary and many of the city's oldest and most established inner-city neighbourhoods, including Mission, Mount Royal, Elbow Park, Beltline, Bankview, Altadore, Killarney, Scarboro, and Inglewood. The riding also includes Chinatown, Eau Claire, and East Village, as well as the grounds of the former CFB Currie.

The riding is characterized by a younger, highly educated population with relatively high household incomes. Unlike much of Calgary and Alberta, which is dominated by single-family suburban housing, Calgary Centre has a high proportion of apartment and condominium dwellers, particularly in the Beltline and downtown core. This gives it a lower home ownership rate compared to other Alberta ridings and a more urban, cosmopolitan character.

The riding is home to major corporate headquarters in the energy sector clustered in the downtown office towers, as well as significant cultural institutions including the Glenbow Museum, Arts Commons, and the Stampede grounds. The neighbourhood of Mount Royal is one of Calgary's wealthiest areas, while other parts of the riding include more modest mixed-income communities.