EDMONTON — When former Calgary-Shaw MLA Rebecca Schulz announced her intention to resign, Mike Derry may not have been the most politically experienced candidate seeking to replace her, but after winning over UCP party members, he is now looking to win over his constituents."I get it," said Derry in an interview with the Western Standard. "I've been out there listening, especially since January, as I started seeking this political career. There's very few people out there that have door-knocked as many doors as I have since January, and I'll continue to do it." He believes his community involvement and desire to listen to and connect with his constituents stem from his 25 years in human resources, and that this is a strong asset he can use as an elected official if Calgary-Shaw residents vote for him in the September 14 by-election. "Someone comes to me for an issue, and so not only is there their immediate concern, and you have to figure out what that is and help solve the issue, but you also get to be involved in some of that process development and making the processes better, making it easier for people," Derry said. "That's the type of stuff that I like to do, and because of that I've had a lot of casework similar to what I expect as an MLA. And so really hoping that I can take my passion for helping people to a larger audience." .Derry is among the five individuals running in the Calgary-Shaw by-election, including Alberta NDP candidate Kyle Campbell, a finance worker who lives in Somerset. "People want practical solutions," said Campbell during a press conference on August 19. "They want a government focused on lowering costs, fixing healthcare, strengthening education, and building a strong relationship and future of Alberta within Canada.”"They want leadership that is focused on them, and that is why I am running, not because I'm a politician; I assure you, I am not."The other by-election contestants are teacher Kyle Joseph representing the Progressive Tory Party of Alberta, Alberta Liberal Party leader John Roggeveen, and independent candidate Rolly Ashdown. .Calgary-Shaw is a riding with diverse demographics and geographies, ranging from elder communities like Shawnessy to somewhat established communities like Chaparal to recently built communities like Silverado, with others still under construction. Derry built his house in south Calgary in 2007, and he has seen the area grow while the infrastructure has lagged behind. "There is a lot of people moving into the area every day, and we need a strong advocate that can work with the local municipality, with the rest of the province and even federally, to ensure that things like schools, hospitals, healthcare, doctors, infrastructure, roads, all of that stuff that most communities kind of take for granted-well," Derry said. .Schools and road infrastructure are two of the issues Derry cares most about. "I think where the priority has been elementary and junior high, those are the ones that we absolutely need to keep local," Derry said. "But we also don't want to continue bussing students multiple communities over." A number of new homes and communities have been built in Calgary-Shaw since the 2021 Canadian census was collected, but at the time, over 55,000 individuals lived in Calgary-Shaw, including over 13,000 children under 17-years old. There are two Catholic high schools and no public high schools within the Calgary-Shaw boundaries. "We need to make sure that we're building those schools not only to where it's been and where the backlog is, but also to keep up with all the growth, and high schools is definitely there," Derry said. "We're gonna have an urgent need for high schools very, very soon." City of Calgary data lists 23 traffic incidents around the intersections of Macloed Trail and 210 Ave or 194 Ave, and both intersections are often backed up for multiple light cycles. Compounding the issue is that the communities connected to these intersections continue to expand. "Some of the traffic issues are causing injury, and we need to make sure that we have somebody who knows the issues, lives in the area, and is able to work with other levels of government to make sure these things are priorities," Derry said. .Calgary-Shaw's by-election is not like the typical race, though, as the political climate surrounding the Alberta independence movement hovers over the contest. Polls suggest that upwards of 61% of Albertans want to remain in Canada; however, the statistics flip when looking within the UCP party, where 60% of respondents to a recent Angus Reid Institute poll said they intend to vote in favour of having a binding Alberta independence vote. The Alberta NDP have used this split polling to try to sway voters away from the UCP by pushing the idea that their leaders support Alberta independence. Derry is no different, and he often faces accusations of either wanting Alberta to leave Canada, or at least being backed by supporters who do. "I have said multiple times, and will continue to say, I want Alberta to stay in Canada," Derry said. At the same time, Derry echoed a sentiment often made by Premier Danielle Smith, and said that there are legitimate concerns in Canada that need to be addressed. He pointed to issues such as immigration levels and policing. He wants more facts and data to be made available on the issues so that the conversation surrounding Alberta independence can become more factual rather than emotional. "As long as we're talking about facts, and they're reliable facts that can be replicated, I think it'll make it easier for all Albertans to decide what the best option moving forward is, and that's what I'll be fighting for," Derry said.
