Calgary-Greenway

Calgary-Greenway is located in Calgary's northeast, a riding created in the 2010 boundary redistribution from parts of Calgary-Cross, Calgary-McCall, and the abolished riding of Calgary-Montrose. It takes in the communities of Taradale, Coral Springs, Monterey Park, Abbeydale, and Applewood Park. The northeast quadrant of Calgary is one of the most ethnically diverse parts of the city, with large South Asian, Filipino, and Middle Eastern communities. Incumbent PC MLA Manmeet Bhullar, who had first been elected in the predecessor riding of Calgary-Montrose in 2008, was seeking re-election after holding several cabinet portfolios.

Candidates

Manmeet Bhullar (Progressive Conservative) — Bhullar was first elected in 2008 at the age of twenty-eight, making him the youngest member of Alberta's 27th legislature. He earned his Bachelor of Arts with a sociology concentration from Athabasca University and his Bachelor of Laws from the University of Windsor. He served in a series of progressively senior roles, including parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Advanced Education and Technology, Minister of Service Alberta, Minister of Human Services, and most recently Minister of Infrastructure under Premier Prentice. He was widely regarded as one of the most promising young politicians in the province.

Don Monroe (NDP) — Monroe was the NDP candidate in the riding, running as the New Democrats sought to expand their reach into northeast Calgary.

Devinder Toor (Wildrose) — Toor held a Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacy and had lived in Calgary for over twenty years. He ran as the Wildrose candidate, competing for the conservative vote in a riding that had historically supported PC candidates.

Local Issues

Calgary's northeast was one of the fastest-growing parts of the city heading into 2015, and residents of Calgary-Greenway faced the infrastructure pressures that came with rapid suburban expansion. New communities like Taradale and Coral Springs needed schools, recreation facilities, and better transit connections to downtown and the rest of the city. Many residents relied on long commutes, and the absence of LRT service to the northeast was a source of ongoing frustration.

The riding's diverse population brought particular concerns about settlement services for newcomers, language training, and credential recognition for immigrants with professional qualifications earned abroad. Education was a top priority in a riding with a young and growing population, and parents pressed for commitments on new school construction and classroom resources. The oil price downturn affected northeast Calgary as well, though the area's economic base was somewhat more diversified, with many residents working in the trades, retail, and service industries. The Prentice budget's new health-care levy and tax increases added to financial pressures on families in a part of the city where household incomes were more modest than in Calgary's wealthier quadrants.