Calgary-South East

Calgary-South East encompasses the lake communities and master-planned suburbs of Auburn Bay, Cranston, Mahogany, and Seton, all of which continued their rapid buildout through the 2019--2023 period. The Seton Urban District, anchored by the South Health Campus hospital, the Brookfield Residential YMCA, and Joane Cardinal-Schubert High School, matured into a genuine suburban town centre during the inter-election years, adding retail, dining, and professional services. These communities together represent one of the youngest demographic profiles in the city, with high concentrations of young families drawn by lake amenities, new housing stock, and proximity to employment along the Deerfoot Trail corridor. Matt Jones had represented the riding since 2019 and served as a government backbencher during his first term.

Candidates

Matt Jones (United Conservative)* --- Born in Sparwood, British Columbia, Jones moved to Alberta as a child. 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 in investment banking before his election in 2019, helping Alberta-based companies with capital raises and acquisitions. During the 2019--2023 term, he served as a government backbencher.

Justin Huseby (NDP) --- Huseby has called southeast Calgary home with his family since 2014. He works as a manager overseeing major capital construction projects and serves as a representative on the Public Service Pension Plan sponsorship board, where he has advocated for keeping Alberta within the Canada Pension Plan.

Catriona Wright (Green Party) --- Wright ran as the Green Party candidate in Calgary-South East.

Heinrich Friesen (Social Movement) --- Friesen ran as the Social Movement candidate in Calgary-South East.

Local Issues

School capacity remained the most persistent local issue in Calgary-South East between 2019 and 2023. While several new schools opened in the riding during the inter-election period, enrolment demand continued to outstrip available classroom space as the communities' populations grew. Parents in newer phases of Mahogany and Cranston organized advocacy campaigns for additional school construction, and the pace of provincial capital funding approvals was a frequent source of frustration.

The riding's rapid growth also created pressure on municipal services and infrastructure. While the Seton Urban District provided a growing commercial hub, residents in the outer reaches of Auburn Bay and Mahogany described a gap between the communities' residential buildout and the arrival of everyday amenities like grocery stores, medical clinics, and recreation facilities. Transit connectivity to downtown Calgary remained limited, with bus routes serving as the primary public transit option in the absence of the Green Line LRT, whose southeastern stations faced ongoing uncertainty.

The pandemic's effects on young families --- including the challenge of remote schooling, childcare disruptions, and the mental health impacts of isolation --- were particularly acute in a riding where many households had two working parents and children in elementary or middle school. By 2023, the conversation had shifted toward affordability, as rising interest rates and inflation hit residents who had purchased homes during the construction boom of 2018--2021. The question of whether Alberta should withdraw from the Canada Pension Plan, raised by the UCP government's Alberta Pension Plan proposal, also generated debate among the riding's younger workforce.