Calgary-Glenmore

Centred on the Glenmore Reservoir in Calgary's mid-southwest, this riding wraps around one of the city's most recognizable natural features, taking in well-established neighbourhoods such as Lakeview, Eagle Ridge, Kelvin Grove, Chinook Park, Bayview, Braeside, Cedarbrae, Oakridge, Palliser, Pump Hill, Woodbine, and Woodlands. These are predominantly mature, higher-income communities where household earnings and housing values both sit well above the city average. First-term UCP MLA Whitney Issik, who was appointed Minister of Environment and Protected Areas in June 2022 under Premier Kenney, sought re-election carrying a cabinet-level profile in a race that proved to be one of the tightest in the province.

Candidates

Nagwan Al-Guneid (NDP) — A sustainable energy professional with 15 years of experience spanning the oil sands, renewables, and climate policy, Al-Guneid held two degrees from the University of Calgary, including a Master of Science in Sustainable Energy Development. She served as Director of the Business Renewables Centre Canada, helping businesses procure wind and solar energy. Trilingual in English, French, and Arabic, she was named to Avenue Magazine's Top 40 Under 40 in 2022 and the Globe and Mail's list of 50 Changemakers in 2023. She previously served as president of Ask Her YYC, an organization supporting women running for municipal office.

Whitney Issik (United Conservative)* — Issik studied economics and political science at the University of Calgary and spent a decade in government and politics before working for ten years in the energy and telecom sectors. After winning the riding in 2019, she served first as Associate Minister for Status of Women, then was elevated to Minister of Environment and Protected Areas in June 2022. Her tenure saw the government announce a $200 million investment in Alberta's parks infrastructure over three years.

Steven Maffioli (Green Party) — Maffioli represented the Green Party in Calgary-Glenmore, offering an environmentally focused alternative in a riding where the reservoir and surrounding parkland shaped community identity.

Local Issues

Flood resilience and water management took on renewed urgency during the inter-election period. The Glenmore Dam's upgraded gates, completed in September 2020, doubled the reservoir's storage capacity and improved the city's ability to manage moderate-level floods comparable to the 2005 event. However, experts continued to warn that without upstream storage on the Elbow River, a repeat of the catastrophic 2013 flood would still pose a serious threat. For homeowners in Lakeview, Eagle Ridge, and other communities bordering the reservoir and its tributaries, the question of long-term flood protection remained deeply personal.

The riding's environmental politics made it a natural battleground for debates over the UCP government's resource development agenda. Issik's dual role as the local MLA and environment minister meant that provincial decisions on energy regulation, emissions policy, and parks management were scrutinized through a local lens. The government's controversial decision to rescind the 1976 coal policy in 2020, opening the eastern slopes of the Rockies to potential coal exploration, had generated significant public backlash across southern Alberta before being partially walked back. In a riding where outdoor recreation and environmental stewardship were woven into daily life, these provincial policy choices resonated strongly.

The cost of living and healthcare access rounded out the local issue landscape. Many of Glenmore's residents were dual-income professionals who had weathered the post-2014 downturn, the pandemic's economic shocks, and the subsequent inflationary surge. Grocery costs, utility bills, and insurance premiums all rose sharply between 2021 and 2023. Meanwhile, finding a family doctor became increasingly difficult even in affluent areas, and the strain on Alberta's healthcare system was a consistent concern on the doorstep.