PC candidate Mike Ellis wins Calgary-West byelection

Mike Ellis, a police officer, has won the provincial byelection in Calgary-West in a squeaker of a race with the Wildrose.

Just over 300 votes separated Ellis from second place finisher Sheila Taylor, the Wildrose candidate and a former public school trustee.

Liberal candidate David Khan came in a distant third, followed by the NDP’s Brian Malkinson and the Alberta Party’s Troy Millington.

The Wildrose had high hopes for Taylor given her high-profile as a trustee.

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Schools were a hot election issue in the riding with many voters there saying there is a desperate need for new schools.

“My kids were negatively impacted by the lack of schools out there so for me, it’s about accountability,” said Ellis.

“And for the premier, he’s about accountability. That’s why he created that report card system so people can go on the infrastructure website and see where the schools are being and the progress of them being built.”

Calgary-West has been held by the Tories since 1967, when former premier Peter Lougheed won the riding.

Former energy minister Ken Hughes had held the riding since 2012. He stepped down in September after Jim Prentice was elected leader of the PC party.

READ MORE: Jim Prentice wins seat in Calgary-Foothills

The byelection in Calgary-West was one of four in the province on Monday, three of them in Calgary and one in Edmonton.

READ MORE: PC Stephen Madel wins seat in Edmonton-Whitemud

Follow our live coverage of the byelections below:

For more coverage of the Alberta byelections, visit Global News’ Alberta byelections website.