Calgary-Mountain View

Calgary-Mountain View is one of Alberta's most storied inner-city ridings, stretching across established neighbourhoods north and east of downtown Calgary including Crescent Heights, Rosedale, Bridgeland, Renfrew, Hillhurst, Sunnyside, and Hounsfield Heights-Briar Hill. Many of these communities date to the early twentieth century and sit along the ridges and banks of the Bow River, giving the riding its name. Heading into the 2015 election, the riding was held by Liberal incumbent David Swann, who had represented it since 2004. As interim leader of the Alberta Liberals following Raj Sherman's resignation, Swann was one of the few non-PC incumbents in the province. The broader political landscape was volatile: the December 2014 Wildrose floor-crossing to the PCs had infuriated many Albertans, oil prices had collapsed, and the NDP under Rachel Notley was surging in the polls.

Candidates

David Swann (Liberal) — A physician and public health specialist, Swann earned his medical degree from the University of Alberta in 1973 and practised family medicine before moving into public health work. He served as Medical Officer of Health for the Palliser Health and Headwaters Health regions and became president of the Alberta Association of Medical Health Officers. In 2002, he was dismissed from his public health role after speaking out on the health impacts of climate change. First elected in 2004, Swann served as leader of the Alberta Liberal Party from 2008 to 2011 and returned as interim leader in February 2015.

Marc Andrew Chikinda (NDP) — Chikinda was a broadcast journalism instructor and former dean of communication studies at Mount Royal University. He carried the NDP banner in a riding that was traditionally Liberal territory.

Mark Hlady (Progressive Conservative) — A former PC MLA who had represented Calgary-Mountain View from 1993 to 2004, when he was defeated by Swann. A businessman, Hlady won the PC nomination for the 2015 contest to set up a rematch with Swann.

Terry Wong (Wildrose) — Wong ran as the Wildrose candidate in the riding.

Local Issues

The communities of Calgary-Mountain View were still recovering from the devastating June 2013 floods that had struck Calgary's river-adjacent neighbourhoods with particular force. Sunnyside was one of the hardest-hit areas, with the entire community evacuated during the disaster. By 2014 and into 2015, residents were pressing for permanent flood mitigation infrastructure, including a proposed Sunnyside flood barrier and improvements to the neighbourhood's stormwater separation system. The pace and funding of these protective measures were a significant local concern, with the provincial government's role in flood resilience spending under scrutiny.

As an inner-city riding with a mix of established single-family homes and growing density, Calgary-Mountain View's residents were also engaged in debates over transit-oriented development around LRT stations and the changing character of older neighbourhoods. The proposed intensification near Sunnyside's CTrain station generated community discussion about preserving neighbourhood livability while accommodating growth.

The collapse in oil prices beginning in late 2014 reverberated through every Calgary riding. Even in this inner-city constituency, residents faced layoffs in the energy sector and related industries. Premier Jim Prentice's March 2015 budget, which introduced new personal levies and fee increases while leaving corporate taxes unchanged, was deeply unpopular. His comment that Albertans needed to look in the mirror to understand the province's fiscal problems sparked widespread public backlash.