New Calgary municipal party forms with 4 city councillors as founding members

A group of Calgary city councillors have formed a new municipal political party, the second in the city.

Communities First says it is seeking to restore confidence in Calgary City Hall.

The group is made up of current councillors, Andre Chabot, Dan McLean, Sonya Sharp, Terry Wong, and former Coun. John Mar.

In an announcement made Tuesday, the party says it expects to have a full roster of candidates for all elected city positions — 14 councillors and a mayor.

“Calgarians are fed up with this council. They’re tired of all the drama. They’re tired of not being listened to and being lectured. They’re tired of a council that seems to want to focus on anything but what matters to Calgarians,” Sharp said in a statement. “We want to offer Calgarians the chance to vote for people who are interested in representing them rather than an ideology.”

Coun. Wong says there’s been decreased functionality of council due to leadership.

“There should be collaboration, communication, cooperation,” he said. “In the last three years, we haven’t had that. We’ve had polarization more than anything else.”

Coun. McLean says there’s already a political party that is working together at City Hall.

“They were masterminded by a far-left political operative who is now forming another far-left party,” he said. “Let’s be more up front with who we are, what we stand for, and actually represent our constituents.”

Communities First says it will register as a municipal party in the next election, but it will run differently from other traditional provincial or federal parties, focusing on “genuine community representation over strict party discipline.”

Despite joining the group, Wong says he doesn’t believe in municipal political parties.

“I believe the individually, we represent our constituents,” he said. “However, with Bill 20, running as an independent doesn’t necessarily serve Calgarians.

“So, gravitating to Communities First is our way of getting there, it allows us to represent our constituents in the way that we need and want, and allows us to collaborate with each other and find common ground.”

Sharp agrees, saying she doesn’t believe Calgarians will be well-served by a party on the left or the right.

“There’s no progressive way to fill a pothole or a conservative way to fill a pothole,” she said. “Calgarians just want you to fill that pothole.”

Former Coun. Mar says he doesn’t like the idea and feels as though they’re being forced into it.

The next municipal election in Alberta is Oct. 2025. It will be the first election in the province that allows the formation of municipal political parties, thanks to the provisions of Bill 20.

Mayor Jyoti Gondek has already said she will run for mayor again but, as an independent.

Communities First joins A Better Calgary (ABC), which describes itself as right-of-centre.

When it comes to other mayoral candidates, former councillor and 2021 mayoral candidate Jeff Davison has also announced his intent to run for the city’s top job. He came third behind Gondek and current Glenbow Ranch Park Foundation CEO, Jeromy Farkas, in the 2021 race.

Farkas hasn’t ruled out making another bid for mayor. He served one term as councillor from 2017 to 2021 at the same time as Gondek and Davison.

Former Calgary Police Commission Chair Brian Thiessen has also said he will run for mayor in 2025.