Airdrie

Airdrie is a provincial riding centred on the fast-growing city of Airdrie, located about 30 kilometres north of Calgary along the Queen Elizabeth II Highway. Created in the 2010 boundary redistribution primarily from the former Airdrie-Chestermere district, the riding encompassed the city of Airdrie and surrounding portions of Rocky View County. By 2015, Airdrie was one of the fastest-growing cities in Alberta, with a population approaching 60,000. The seat had been held by Rob Anderson, who had originally been elected as a PC in 2008 before crossing the floor to the Wildrose in January 2010. Anderson then re-crossed to the PCs in December 2014 as part of the mass Wildrose floor crossing, and subsequently chose not to seek re-election in 2015, leaving the seat open in a community where conservative politics dominated but the PC-Wildrose rivalry ran deep.

Candidates

Angela Pitt (Wildrose) — Pitt was a small business owner in Airdrie, operating a special events company called Airdrie Events. She held a business administration diploma from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology and served as past president of the Wildrose Airdrie constituency association. She was active in the local business and community scene before seeking elected office.

Chris Noble (NDP) — Noble ran as the NDP candidate, seeking to translate the provincial NDP wave into a traditionally conservative riding.

Peter Brown (Progressive Conservative) — Brown was the sitting Mayor of Airdrie, first elected to that office in 2010. He was acclaimed as the PC candidate for the provincial election, bringing his profile as a civic leader to the race.

Jeremy Klug (Alberta Party) — Klug ran as the Alberta Party candidate in the riding.

Jeff Willerton (Independent) — Willerton ran as an independent candidate in the riding.

Local Issues

Rapid population growth and its strain on infrastructure were the defining issues in Airdrie. The city's population had surged in the decade before 2015, and residents felt that roads, schools, and emergency services were not keeping pace. Traffic congestion on the QE2 Highway corridor between Airdrie and Calgary, used by thousands of daily commuters, was a chronic frustration. Provincial investment in highway interchange upgrades and transit connections to Calgary were top demands from candidates and residents alike.

The oil price crash hit Airdrie's economy through its connections to Calgary's energy sector. Many Airdrie residents commuted to Calgary for work in oil and gas companies, and the wave of layoffs that swept through the industry in late 2014 and early 2015 brought economic anxiety to the bedroom community. Housing construction, which had been booming, began to slow as confidence ebbed.

Health care access was another concern, as Airdrie's rapid growth had outpaced the capacity of local medical services. Residents relied heavily on Calgary-area hospitals for emergency and specialist care, and there were calls for expanded urgent care facilities and physician recruitment in the city. School construction was similarly pressing, with parents in new developments waiting for promised school builds while children were bused to overcrowded facilities.