Calgary-Lougheed

Nestled along Calgary's southern suburban edge, Calgary-Lougheed encompasses the communities of Bridlewood, Millrise, Shawnee Slopes, Evergreen, and Shawnessy, neighbourhoods built primarily between the 1980s and early 2000s that house a mix of established families and retirees. Named for former Premier Peter Lougheed, the riding carries a symbolism that extends beyond its boundaries. It gained national prominence as the seat of UCP leader Jason Kenney, who won a 2017 by-election here and governed as Premier until his leadership review loss in May 2022. Kenney resigned his legislature seat in November 2022, leaving Calgary-Lougheed without an MLA heading into the 2023 campaign.

Candidates

Eric Bouchard (United Conservative) — Originally from Montreal, Quebec, Bouchard moved to south Calgary in 1999 and spent over 30 years in the hospitality industry, owning and operating two downtown Calgary restaurants, Sonoma on 9th and Sonoma Market Cafe, for 15 years. He also worked as food and beverage manager for Sirocco Golf Club in Foothills County. He and his wife Roxane raised four children in the riding. A former college basketball player at Champlain College, Bouchard won the UCP nomination as a political newcomer.

Venkat Ravulaparthi (NDP) — One of the youngest NDP candidates in the 2023 campaign, Ravulaparthi held a degree in information technology and was pursuing legal studies. He had worked in both large and small businesses, with experience in computer program design.

John Roggeveen (Liberal) — Roggeveen carried the Alberta Liberal banner in Calgary-Lougheed, providing a centrist alternative in one of the province's most reliably conservative ridings.

Local Issues

The departure of Jason Kenney from provincial politics cast a long shadow over Calgary-Lougheed. His leadership review loss in May 2022, driven in large part by UCP members angry over pandemic lockdowns and restrictions, and his subsequent resignation from the legislature in November 2022, left the riding in an unusual position: a former premier's seat, vacant and in need of a new voice. The turbulent UCP leadership race that followed, culminating in Danielle Smith's victory in October 2022, forced local voters to reckon with a party that had undergone a significant ideological shift in a short period of time.

The riding's suburban communities, many of them now 25 to 40 years old, faced the infrastructure challenges of aging suburbs. Households that were among the first in Shawnessy and Bridlewood when those communities were built in the 1980s and 1990s were now dealing with aging water and sewer lines, deteriorating roads, and community facilities in need of renovation or replacement. The average household size in these areas had dropped from well over four persons in the late 1960s to around 2.3, reflecting an aging and emptying-out dynamic common to first-ring suburbs across North America.

Transportation remained a daily concern for commuters dependent on Macleod Trail and Deerfoot Trail. The Fish Creek-Lacombe LRT station served as a lifeline for transit users heading downtown, but park-and-ride capacity was limited and bus connections to the station from the riding's outer communities were infrequent. Meanwhile, the cost-of-living pressures that defined the 2023 campaign provincially were felt keenly in Calgary-Lougheed, where many retirees and young families alike struggled with rising grocery bills, utility costs, and insurance premiums.