Calgary-East

Calgary-East spans a cluster of communities in the city's eastern reaches that have long served as a gateway for newcomers to Alberta. Forest Lawn, the riding's commercial and cultural hub, is home to one of the most ethnically diverse main streets in Western Canada, with restaurants, grocers, and shops representing South Asian, Vietnamese, Ethiopian, Somali, and Filipino communities. Dover, Erin Woods, and Marlborough Park surround Forest Lawn with modest post-war housing stock, while Abbeydale and Penbrooke Meadows extend the riding's footprint to the east. Industrial lands and major transportation corridors border several of these communities, creating environmental and traffic concerns. Median household incomes rank among the lowest in Calgary, and the proportion of renters exceeds the city average. The riding has a high concentration of social services, settlement agencies, and faith-based community organizations. Incumbent UCP MLA Peter Singh sought re-election in 2023 after a first term that included continued scrutiny of his 2019 campaign.

Candidates

Peter Singh (United Conservative)* — Originally from Fiji, Singh operated an automotive repair business in Calgary for more than two decades before entering politics. He speaks Hindi fluently and has been active in the Fiji-Canadian community, serving as president of the Fiji Canada Association. Elected in 2019, his first campaign was shadowed by an RCMP search of his business premises in connection with the investigation into the UCP's 2017 leadership race, though an internal party review cleared him.

Rosman Valencia (NDP) — A public school teacher who started his career in Forest Lawn, Valencia teaches a split elementary class and lives in the community. Originally from the Philippines, he came to Canada in 2015 and co-founded Bahaghari FilipinX, a Filipino-Canadian 2SLGBTQ+ organization based in Calgary. His campaign highlighted public education funding, settlement services, and the daily affordability challenges facing immigrant families.

Local Issues

Affordability and poverty were the overriding concerns in Calgary-East. The riding's lower-income households were hit hardest by post-pandemic inflation, with grocery prices, fuel costs, and utility bills consuming a larger share of tight budgets. Many families relied on food banks and community organizations for support, and the waitlist for affordable housing units in the southeast grew. Candidates faced questions about what provincial policy could do to ease the cost-of-living squeeze for working families and those on fixed incomes.

Public safety and community investment shaped the conversation in Forest Lawn and surrounding communities. Residents wanted more visible policing, better lighting, and investment in recreation facilities and public spaces. The area's proximity to industrial zones and the concentration of social services drew both people seeking help and the challenges that accompany those services. Community leaders pushed for a narrative of investment and revitalization rather than stigma.

School funding and newcomer supports remained critical. Many schools in the riding served large populations of English-language learners, and teachers described classrooms stretched thin by growing enrolment without proportional increases in educational assistants and specialized staff. Settlement agencies that provided language training, employment assistance, and credential recognition operated on tight budgets and uncertain year-to-year funding commitments from the province.