Naheed Nenshi’s NDP on Monday declared victory in the Calgary-Shaw byelection after unofficial results showed the Opposition party snatched up the longtime Conservative stronghold in south Calgary.
As of late Monday, NDP candidate Kyle Campbell received 7,461 votes, and Mike Derry of Premier Danielle Smith’s governing United Conservative Party got 6,879.
Campbell’s win drew cheers, applause and shouts of “NDP, NDP” from supporters at a constituency watch party, who also sang “We Are The Champions” by the rock band Queen.
“This opportunity is a chance to live what I believe in my heart, which is that leadership is about service,” Campbell told supporters. “So thank you. Thank you.
“Let’s do it for Alberta. We’re in Canada forever.”
The byelection comes as the province prepares to vote Oct. 19 on whether to stay in Canada or hold a second, binding referendum on quitting the country.
During the campaign, Nenshi said voters should choose his party and send a message to the premier that they don’t want a government that caters to separatists.
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In a social media post Monday, Smith congratulated Campbell and said her government would work with him to meet the needs of his constituency.
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Her post also thanked Derry for his work during the campaign.
“Our UCP government will continue to work every day to grow our province’s economy, strengthen our core social services and build a stronger Alberta,” Smith’s post said.
The riding, created in 1986, has long voted Conservative. The NDP won the seat only once in 2015 as part of the “orange wave” that brought former premier Rachel Notley into government.
The byelection was called after former United Conservative Party cabinet minister Rebecca Schulz — now an executive at a major oil and gas producer in Alberta — resigned in May.
Schulz was environment minister from 2023 to the end of 2025.
Meanwhile, Progressive Tory candidate Kyle Joseph came in third place in Monday’s byelection with 978 votes, while Liberal candidate John Roggeveen received 602.
Independent candidate Rolly Ashdown finished last with 82 votes.
Elections Alberta says an official count is scheduled for Sept. 24.
I am not for NDP .never will be. but nobody wants ai centers . And they should allow impact assessments . Maybe Smith should think about that
Hahahahaha yessssss. Alberta KKKonservatives are a bunch of inbred clowns 🤡🤣
The question that needs to be asked is why was the voter turnout out so low?
What is causing this?
The name calling and hateful speech in these comments shows just how bad our society is becoming by people hiding behind false names and screens. They comment on how stupid people are and how pathetic they are for voting this way or that but at least these people did get out a vote.
If you think you can be better then the politicians we have then get out there and get nominated and use the exact same speech you use in your comments while you are running your campaigns.
Easy to talk and have no repercussions for the hateful speech and telling everyone how stupid they are for how they voted.
Get better people if you want to see changes.
People tend to forget that the “long time Conservative riding of Calgary-Shaw” voted NDP in the dark years of Notley’s time in Government circa 2015 to 2019. It’s hard to fix Stoopid.
bwana4 is an east Indian no wonder
Yes, we don’t want a government that caters to separatists. *** FOREVER CANADA ***
Here’s a fact that doesn’t get discussed nearly enough: Danielle Smith wins either way:
If Alberta stays in Canada, she’s still Premier. If Alberta votes for independence, she’s the leader overseeing the biggest political transformation in Alberta’s history.
Where is the political risk for her personally?
It seems the only people taking a real gamble are Albertans.
Yet I don’t think many people have stopped to consider this. The referendum is often framed as a choice between staying in Canada or pursuing independence, but in both scenarios the same government remains in charge of the process and the outcome.
Whether you support or oppose the referendum, shouldn’t more people be talking about that?
Hermit O’manytalez go f*** your self Alberta belongs to Albertans your opinion is as important as a bug
Oh great – just what all albertans need – MORE skyrocketing debt: “During Rachel Notley’s tenure as Premier of Alberta from 2015 to 2019, the province’s total provincial debt increased from approximately $11.9 billion when the NDP took office to roughly $85.9 billion.” HOW SOON albertans forget what happened when we ACCIDENTLY – the split vote – voted the NDP party into power.
A series of clowns that’s what with Ralph Klein not even the biggest one!
Peter Lougheed must be rolling in his grave at what has become of his old party.
Smith has divided loyalties. Not good for a leader to have.
how quickly people forget how it was when Notley was in charge. why would you vote NDP. unless you like being really poor.
Could not agree more with Dee Ironside, vote NDP = see your province go to he11 in a handbasket. Sheep will be sheep…
WILL SMITH GET THE MESSAGE?
ALBERTA IS CANADIAN.
Conservatives need to get up & vote. We don’t need another 4 years of misery, debt and failure!
NDP, NDP, We Are The Losers.
Nenshi must be soiling his panties with joy.
Only total morons would vote for the destruction of their own riding.
Grimshaw just proudly announced that they were contracting their bylaw policing to a private company. UCP are fine with this. Why are they not enforcing the international law that laws are not to be enforced by private corporations or groups.
UCP are in the dumpster. This proves it. How long did it take to recover from NDP? More current… how long will it take to recover from Smith?
Amazed how the UCP people go to blaming others for the loss.
If the Smith government is so good then this should have been an easy win.
It was not the vote splitting from a new alternative party it was the failure of a government that is lead by a floor crossing politician Smith who has infected the conservatives with her Wildrose ideology and is handing over the providence to the narcissistic lead NDP as she did before when she crossed the floor to save her political career.
Not the outcome I wanted but was easy to predict when you support separatists and then flip flop saying you want to stay in Canada.
The UCP need to realize they work for Albertans and not for their ideology to be shoved onto the people of Alberta and that goes for all levels of government. Something that Alberta and Canada has seemed to have lost over the past few years.
So the UCP lost. It was expected given the vote splitting on the right. The Cons are still the majority. It’s also no wonder they lost votes given the misguided actions of the UCP. The needless referendum questions, increasing the Calgary property taxes by 20% on the provicial portion, reneging on their gas tax legislation, keeping US booze on the shelves, increasing co- pay on drugs, the fiasco with the electorate boundaries, all the Alberta health care reorg, the teachers strike and the use of the not withstanding clause in the strike and on and on
Please Alberta! Just look west to the absolute dumpster fire disaster in BC. Remember the Notley years?
Lol no actually the amount of imported votes to calgary Shaw is astounding…..but like everything else all of those additions come with crime crime and more crime. Legacy is already a debacle
a repudiation of danielle smith’s style of “governance”
calgary-shaw rejected smith’s understanding of governing which is ramming her own personal wonky ideology down our throats
thank you calgary shaw, you have started the march towards a renewed alberta in the next general election
You people are so misguided, especially the vote splitting conservative start up.
Yes, we need a government that does not cater to and punishes anyone that disagrees with them or believes in real democracy.
Go NDP, go fat Nenshi, show us (once again) what socialist leadership can do to wreck a provincial economy.