Calgary-Shaw

Calgary-Shaw is a provincial electoral district in the southern quadrant of Calgary, covering a cluster of residential suburbs that expanded rapidly from the early 2000s onward. The riding includes the communities of Shawnessy, Somerset, Millrise, Silverado, Chaparral, Walden, and Legacy. Bounded roughly by Anderson Trail to the north and Spruce Meadows Trail to the south, and running between Macleod Trail and Deerfoot Trail, it is a riding defined by newer suburban development, young families, and commuter lifestyles. In 2015, NDP candidate Graham Sucha won the seat with 31 per cent of the vote, narrowly edging out the PC and Wildrose candidates in a riding that had historically voted conservative.

Candidates

Rebecca Schulz (United Conservative) --- Originally from Saskatchewan, Schulz holds a Master's degree in Communication from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in English from the University of Saskatchewan. She worked as a senior communications officer for SaskEnergy before joining the Saskatchewan government as a media relations officer and later a director of communications. She first became involved in politics in 2009, working in the premier's office in Saskatchewan under Brad Wall.

Graham Dean Sucha (NDP) --- Sucha is a second-generation Calgarian who studied television broadcasting at Algonquin College and political science at Carleton University in Ottawa. He returned to Calgary and spent nearly a decade in restaurant management before his election in 2015. As MLA, he served on several legislative committees.

Bronson Ha (Alberta Party) --- Ha ran as the Alberta Party candidate in Calgary-Shaw.

Vesna Samardzija (Liberal) --- Samardzija ran as the Alberta Liberal Party candidate in Calgary-Shaw.

John Daly (Green Party) --- Daly ran as the Green Party of Alberta candidate in this riding.

Jarek Bucholc (Alberta Independence) --- Bucholc ran as the Alberta Independence Party candidate in Calgary-Shaw.

Local Issues

The rapidly growing suburbs of Calgary-Shaw presented a familiar set of pressures for south Calgary communities during the NDP government's term. School capacity was a persistent concern, as families in newer developments like Silverado, Walden, and Legacy competed for spots in schools that had not kept pace with residential construction. Parents in these communities advocated for new school builds, and the NDP government's capital plan included commitments to school construction in south Calgary, though timelines remained a point of contention.

The proposed Green Line LRT was a major infrastructure issue for the riding. Calgary City Council approved the Green Line alignment in June 2017, with the line planned to extend from the north into the deep southeast. The provincial government announced a $1.53-billion funding commitment for the project in July 2017. For residents of Shawnessy and Somerset, the Green Line represented a potential transit connection to downtown, though its phased construction approach meant that service to the far south was years away.

The riding's suburban character meant that many residents felt the effects of the oil price downturn that began in 2014--2015. With a population skewing toward young professionals and dual-income families, job losses and economic uncertainty in the energy sector hit close to home. The NDP government's introduction of a carbon tax on January 1, 2017, was a particularly contentious issue in this fiscally conservative-leaning suburban area, where commuters faced higher fuel costs and homeowners saw increased heating bills.