Calgary-North East

Calgary-North East stretches from the communities east of Deerfoot Trail past the Calgary International Airport to the city's northernmost boundary, taking in Coral Springs, Taradale, Saddle Ridge, Skyview Ranch, Redstone, and other rapidly growing neighbourhoods. The riding is among the most culturally diverse in Alberta, home to large South Asian, Middle Eastern, Filipino, and East African communities alongside many other immigrant groups. For the 2019 election, Rajan Sawhney had won the seat for the UCP and served in cabinet as Minister of Community and Social Services and later Minister of Trade, Immigration and Multiculturalism. In early 2023, she announced she would not seek re-election in the riding, ultimately running in Calgary-North West instead, leaving Calgary-North East as an open seat.

Candidates

Gurinder Brar (NDP) — A Calgary business owner and college instructor, Brar built a logistics company employing more than 40 people after working his way through school in retail and security jobs. He held a bachelor's degree in accounting from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology and a master's degree in public policy and management from the University of London. He taught at Olds College, Bow Valley College, and SAIT.

Inder Grewal (United Conservative) — An entrepreneur who came to Calgary in 2003, Grewal ran a transportation company with a fleet of commercial trucks and trailers. He was an active community volunteer at the Dashmesh Culture Centre and organized food drives for local food banks. He won the UCP nomination in a vote with over 1,800 participating members after Sawhney's departure.

Local Issues

The explosive population growth that had defined northeast Calgary for over a decade showed no signs of slowing by 2023. Communities like Redstone and Cornerstone were among the fastest-developing in the city, and the riding's total population continued to climb as both international immigrants and interprovincial migrants were drawn to the area's relatively affordable housing. This growth placed enormous pressure on municipal services: fire station coverage was stretched thin, new school construction struggled to keep pace with enrolment surges, and community recreation facilities were scarce relative to the population.

Transit service remained a source of deep frustration. Many residents in the riding's newer communities sat far from any rapid transit connection, and while the MAX Orange BRT along Country Hills Boulevard provided some improvement, the northeast's sprawling layout made comprehensive bus coverage difficult. Vehicle ownership rates in some of the riding's immigrant-heavy communities were lower than the city average, making transit access an equity issue as much as a convenience one. The Green Line LRT, which would eventually serve parts of the northeast, remained years away from construction in this area.

The cost of living weighed heavily on a riding where many households included multiple wage earners in construction, transportation, warehousing, and food services. Grocery prices, rent, and utility costs all rose sharply through 2022 and 2023, and the federal carbon tax remained a flashpoint in communities where household budgets were already tight. Healthcare access was equally pressing: the family doctor shortage was severe in northeast Calgary, where the combination of rapid population growth and limited medical infrastructure left many newcomers without primary care. Sawhney's decision not to defend her seat added an element of political uncertainty, and the race between Brar and Grewal tested whether the UCP could hold a diverse, fast-growing riding that had been won on the strength of Sawhney's personal profile four years earlier.