Calgary-South East

Calgary-South East is a provincial electoral district covering some of the fastest-growing communities in Calgary's southeastern quadrant. The riding includes the neighbourhoods of Auburn Bay, Cranston, Mahogany, and Seton --- all master-planned communities that experienced significant population growth from the late 2000s onward. Mahogany alone grew from a population of 788 in 2011 to 11,784 by 2019. The riding was represented from 2012 by Rick Fraser, who was elected as a Progressive Conservative, but in September 2017 he left the UCP caucus to sit as an independent, citing disagreements over the party's direction. He subsequently joined the Alberta Party and launched a bid for its leadership in early 2018.

Candidates

Matt Jones (United Conservative) --- Jones was born in Sparwood, British Columbia, and moved to Alberta at age seven. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Calgary's Haskayne School of Business and is a CFA Charter holder. He spent nine years as an investment banker helping Alberta-based businesses with capital raises and acquisitions. Jones was a late addition to the race, replacing the UCP's original nominee, Eva Kiryakos, who stepped down on March 25, 2019.

Heather Eddy (NDP) --- Eddy ran as the NDP candidate in this suburban southeast riding.

Rick Fraser (Alberta Party) --- Fraser was the incumbent MLA, first elected as a PC in 2012 and re-elected in 2015. Before entering politics, he was drafted eighth overall in the 1994 ECHL free agent draft by the Columbus Chill. He later became an advanced care paramedic, earning his diploma from the University of Alberta's Augustana paramedic program, and served as president of Calgary paramedics from 2008 to 2010. He was appointed Associate Minister of Public Safety under Premier Alison Redford in 2013. Fraser left the UCP caucus on September 21, 2017, and joined the Alberta Party.

Leila Keith (Liberal) --- Keith ran as the Alberta Liberal Party candidate in Calgary-South East.

Richard Fontaine (Alberta Independence) --- Fontaine ran as the Alberta Independence Party candidate in this riding.

Local Issues

Calgary-South East was defined by the challenges of rapid suburban growth. Auburn Bay, Cranston, Mahogany, and Seton were among the youngest communities in Calgary, and residents faced the growing pains that accompany new development --- insufficient school capacity, limited transit options, and emerging commercial infrastructure. The South Health Campus hospital, located in the Seton Urban District, provided a major healthcare anchor for the southeast, but families in the outer suburbs still faced long commutes for many services.

School construction was a pressing concern. The NDP government approved new school projects in the southeast during its term. Joane Cardinal-Schubert High School, a Calgary Board of Education school, opened in September 2018 in the Seton community to help absorb the student population from these rapidly growing communities. However, enrolment pressures continued to outpace new construction.

Transit connectivity remained a significant issue for residents who depended on automobile travel to reach employment centres. The proposed Green Line LRT included plans for stations in the deep southeast, with the Seton area identified as a potential terminus. The provincial funding commitment of $1.53 billion for the Green Line was welcome news, but the phased approach meant that full service to communities like Auburn Bay and Mahogany remained a long-term proposition. The economic downturn also weighed on the riding, where many residents were young professionals with mortgages in new communities and careers in Alberta's battered energy sector.