Calgary
Will Nenshi Seek a Fourth Term in the 2021 Calgary General Election?
After a tumultuous 2020, characterized by public outcries and wavering political leadership, the Calgary General Election is scheduled to take place on October 18, 2021. Nominations opened on January 4, and will close on September 20, one month before the election.
The Calgary race currently features 9 prospective candidates who have announced their intentions to run for the position of mayor in October. The majority of these announcements were expressed on social media, however, the City of Calgary website currently lists only 2 official mayoral candidates who have submitted their forms.
James Desautels announced his candidacy early, in August 2020.
Ward 11 Councilor Jeromy Farkas announced his candidacy in September 2020, along with Emile Gabriel and previous candidate Larry Heather.
Brad Field announced his intent to run on November 18th, 2020.
Chibunna Theodore Ogbonna, who goes by Teddy, also announced his intent to run in November 2020.
Shaoli Wang shared his intent to run in December 2020.
Most recently, Ward 3 Councilor Jyoti Gondek announced her intent to run on Wednesday, January 13th, along with former president of the Kerby Centre for seniors, Zane Novak, who announced his intent to run on Wednesday morning.
Naheed Nenshi, who has held the position of Mayor in Calgary since his election in 2010, has yet to announce his intentions for this year’s race. He has expressed uncertainty regarding running for a fourth term in the city, and was reported by Global News in December simply stating, “It’s bad procrastination on my part, but we are dealing with a pandemic and nobody’s got time for politics right now. We have to be focused on public health.” Officials are expecting Nenshi to announce his plans soon.
Similar to the Canadian Federal model, Calgary’s current political structure does not impose a term limit on government officials, meaning the mayor can hold office as long as he maintains the popular vote. Councilor Joe Magliocca proposed introducing term limits in 2018, which would restrict mayors and city councilors to serving a maximum of 3 terms. However, following a controversial debate, the motion was defeated by council.
Following the havoc of 2020, this year’s race promises to be an interesting one. The candidates advocate for disparate approaches to economic recovery in the wake of COVID-19’s detrimental effects on the local business landscape and Calgary communities. It is unclear whether Calgarians desire for strong political leadership in the midst of deeply uncertain times will manifest in the re-election of our current mayor should he choose to run once again, or in the election of a new candidate to lead Calgary into a prosperous future. Only time will tell.
For more stories, visit Todayville Calgary.
Alberta
Calgary Ring Road opens 10 months early
Christmas comes early for Calgary drivers
The Calgary Ring Road is now ready to be opened to public traffic, several months ahead of schedule.
Calgary’s ring road is one of the largest infrastructure undertakings in Calgary’s history and includes 197 new bridges and 48 interchanges. The 101-kilometre free-flowing Calgary Ring Road will open to traffic Dec. 19, completing a project decades in the making.
“Calgary’s ring road is a project that has been decades in the making and its completion is a real cause for celebration. This has been an important project and our government got it done. With this final section completed, travelling just got a little easier for families and for workers. This will not only benefit Calgarians and residents in the metro region, it will provide a boost to our economy, as goods can be transported more easily across our province.”
Although construction of the entire ring road project began in 1999 under former premier Ralph Klein, discussions on a ring road around the City of Calgary began as early as the 1950s. In the late 1970s, under former premier Peter Lougheed, high-level planning and land acquisition started and a transportation utility corridor was established to make the Calgary Ring Road a reality.
“The final section of the Calgary Ring Road is now complete, and I’d like to acknowledge the work done by former premiers and transportation ministers and their vision to build Alberta. I’m proud to announce that the final section was completed on budget and months ahead of schedule.”
“I’m thrilled to see the Calgary Ring Road project completed. It was something I have helped shepherd through the process since 2014. Finally, all the hard work put in by everyone has become a reality. The Calgary Ring Road will provide travellers with over 100 kilometres of free-flow travel, create new travel options for the City of Calgary and surrounding area and provide improved market access across the region.”
Opening the ring road means new travel options for Calgarians, which will draw traffic away from heavily travelled and congested roads such as the Deerfoot Trail, 16th Avenue, Glenmore Trail and Sarcee Trail. For commercial carriers, the ring road provides an efficient bypass route, saving time and money for the delivery and shipment of goods and services.
“The ring road investment generated thousands of local jobs and will now play an integral role in keeping Calgarians and the economy moving. This important transportation link will ease congestion on city routes and greatly improve connectivity and access for businesses transporting goods.”
The ring road is a critical component to growing economic corridors in Alberta and Western Canada, as it connects the Trans-Canada Highway to the east and west, and the Queen Elizabeth II Highway and Highway 2 to the north and south. It is also part of the CANAMEX corridor, which connects Alberta to the highway network in the United States and Mexico.
The completion of the ring road is a major boost for Calgary, opening new business opportunities and supporting key components of the Calgary economy. It sends a signal to businesses and investors that Calgary has a strong highway infrastructure, providing economic corridor connections through the entire region.
“With one of the smoothest commutes in Canada and the capacity to reach 16 million customers by road within a single day, Calgary offers unmatched quality of life and economic opportunities. The triumphant completion of the Calgary Ring Road further improves our capacity to attract even more companies, capital and talent to our city.”
“This is an exciting step forward for the Calgary Metropolitan Region. This key artery will not only improve the quality of life for the residents of the region, it is also a key economic enabler and we are thrilled to see its completion.”
Quick facts
- Stretched into a single lane, the highway is 1,304 kilometres long, the distance from Calgary to Winnipeg.
- Other sections opened in 2009, 2013, 2020 and 2023.
- The West Calgary Ring Road is the final piece of the ring road project.
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