Galpin, Rasheed challenge Liberal incumbent Kang
One of the city’s most ethnically-diverse constituencies, full of young families and seniors from all corners of the globe, Calgary Mccall was too close to call late Monday, with only a few votes separating the candidates in a tight threeway race.
Wildrose Party candidate Grant Galpin was holding on to an early lead, arguing the rapidly growing riding’s next MLA needs to push for key infrastructure including schools, future LRT expansion to the airport, and better community programs.
“We need to advocate for the diverse community here. For key infrastructure, for pro- grams for multicultural groups and for seniors,” he said.
Galpin was instrumental in fundraising to build the community’s new Genesis Wellness Centre which opened this past January, providing up to 225,000 square feet of recreational and meeting space.
As MLA he would like to create more programs within the centre for multicultural groups, including English as a second language education and child care.
“Clearly this community has unique needs. It’s strong, but we need to allow people from all language groups to have an opportunity to integrate into Canadian life.”
The Genesis Centre is already helping unite the com- munity, bringing youth from all ethnicities together to play soccer and other sports at the new rec facility.
Galpin, a former pastor who now runs his own consulting business, says the Wildrose will decentralize government bureaucracy and put more services onto the front lines.
“We need a grassroots approach that’s in touch with people’s needs.”
As part of an effort to reduce poverty in the province, Galpin wants to launch micro-business programs to mentor and support those in lowerincome brackets run their own small businesses.
He also wants to link the northeast LRT line to the airport terminal within this decade.
PC candidate Muhammad Rasheed was close behind in second, saying health care was one of the biggest issues in the riding. He argued the best way to tackle long waits for families is to create some 140 family care clinics across the province in the next three years.
“People are rushing to the hospital with minor things, we need family care clinics instead.”
Rasheed adds the riding is also in desperate need of a public high school and another junior high. Students in Grades 10 to 12 are travelling as long as an hour to the northwest, he said.
The Tories have pledged to build 50 new schools in Alberta over the next four years.
Liberal incumbent Darshan Kang,who took the riding away from the PCS in 2008 in a nailbiter, was a close third at press time. The realtor and businessman said for this campaign, he has knocked on every residents’ door at least twice in an effort to reconnect with voters in the far northeast riding.
Kang said health and education were the two biggest issues on voters minds.
“They tell me, they are waiting, many of them, for knee replacement surgeries, to see specialists, to see their family doctors for far too long.”
The Liberals promised a family doctor for every Albertan.