Calgary-Fort

Calgary-Fort was a provincial riding covering a distinctive patch of central-southeast Calgary, taking in the older working-class neighbourhoods of Forest Lawn, Dover, Inglewood, Ogden, Erin Woods, and Lynnwood Ridge, along with the Foothills Industrial Park. Following boundary changes, it also included the revitalizing communities of Ramsay and East Village. The riding's geography was unusual, with three distinct residential sections separated by industrial land. Long-serving Progressive Conservative MLA Wayne Cao, who had held the seat since 1997, announced his retirement in February 2015, leaving the riding without an incumbent heading into the election.

Candidates

Joe Ceci (NDP) — Ceci was a former Calgary city alderman who had represented Ward 9 for fifteen years, from 1995 to 2010. He held a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Western Ontario and a Master of Social Work from the University of Calgary. During his time on city council, he was vice-chair of the Finance Committee and helped establish community safety councils in Inglewood-Ramsay and Forest Lawn. After retiring from council, he worked as a public policy manager with Momentum Community Economic Development. He entered the provincial NDP race hoping to break the party's long drought in Calgary.

Andy Bao Nguyen (Progressive Conservative) — Nguyen was the PC candidate seeking to hold the seat vacated by Wayne Cao. He was a police officer running on the Progressive Conservative ticket in one of the party's more vulnerable Calgary ridings.

Local Issues

Calgary-Fort's communities faced a set of challenges distinct from Calgary's wealthier suburban ridings. Forest Lawn had long struggled with higher crime rates, poverty, and a negative reputation tied to drug activity, though revitalization efforts along International Avenue and new community centres were beginning to change the area's trajectory. The nearby Lynnview Ridge subdivision, built atop a former Imperial Oil refinery site, had been largely demolished after soil contamination was discovered in 2001, and the lingering remediation process remained a concern for the surrounding area.

The oil price crash compounded existing economic pressures in a riding where many residents worked in trades and industrial jobs tied to the energy sector. With layoffs mounting across Calgary by early 2015, concerns about unemployment and the cost of living were particularly acute in these lower-income communities. Education and health-care access were also major concerns; residents wanted investment in local schools and better access to mental health and addiction services. The broader question of economic diversification resonated strongly here, as the riding's industrial character made the vulnerability of a resource-dependent economy especially visible.