Edmonton West

Edmonton West covers the western portion of the city, stretching from Whitemud Drive northward to the CN Rail line and from Anthony Henday Drive east toward 156 Street. Re-created in the 2012 redistribution from parts of the former Edmonton—Spruce Grove and Edmonton Centre, the riding includes West Edmonton Mall — one of the largest shopping centres in North America — along with established residential neighbourhoods such as Meadowlark, Jasper Place, Callingwood, and the Misericordia community around the Misericordia Hospital.

Candidates

Kelly McCauley (Conservative) — Born and raised in North Vancouver, McCauley graduated from the British Columbia Institute of Technology and built a career spanning more than thirty years as a hospitality executive, managing hotels and convention centres. In Edmonton, he served on the executive committee of the Northlands board, the board of the Alberta Aviation Museum, and as chair of the Employment Insurance Board of Referees for Edmonton and Northern Alberta.

Karen Leibovici (Liberal) — Originally from Montreal, Leibovici held a Bachelor and Master of Social Work from McGill University. She served as an Alberta Liberal MLA for Edmonton-Meadowlark from 1993 to 2001, then was elected to Edmonton City Council four consecutive times from 2001 to 2013, representing Wards 1 and later 5. She was acclaimed as President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities in 2013 and also ran for Edmonton mayor that year.

Heather MacKenzie (NDP) — A former Edmonton Public School Board trustee, MacKenzie ran as the NDP candidate in Edmonton West. She had been active in community advocacy and previously sought a seat on Edmonton City Council in the downtown Ward 6 in 2013.

Pamela Leslie Bryan (Green Party) — Bryan represented the Green Party in Edmonton West, running on the party's platform of environmental and economic sustainability.

Alexander Dussault (Libertarian) and Peggy Morton (Marxist-Leninist) also appeared on the ballot.

About the Riding

Edmonton West is shaped by its commercial anchor, West Edmonton Mall, which at roughly 5.3 million square feet is among the largest shopping and entertainment complexes in the world and a major employer in the area. The surrounding neighbourhoods are predominantly middle-class residential communities developed from the 1950s through the 1980s, with a mix of single-family homes, townhouses, and apartment buildings. The Misericordia Community Hospital provides health care to the riding and surrounding area. Local issues in 2015 included the economic impact of the oil-price downturn on household incomes, federal infrastructure funding for aging community facilities, and support for small businesses affected by the recession. The riding's population includes a significant proportion of families and seniors, and concerns about pensions, health care transfers, and veterans' services featured in the campaign.