Calgary in the spotlight as Albertans head to the polls
All of the campaigning and political posturing has led to this.
Alberta electors who have yet to cast their ballots will head to the polls on Monday following a gruelling and contentious campaign trail from both the United Conservative Party and the Alberta NDP.
A record number of voters have already decided, with 758,550 advance votes cast in the week leading up to election day.
That surpassed the record set back in 2019 when 700,476 voters showed up to the polls early.
As has been the case since the first day of campaigning, there is a lot of attention on Calgary and its 26 electoral divisions.
Before the election was called, the UCP held 23 of those seats.
Rachel Notley and the Alberta NDP will likely need to flip that number around and win the majority of Calgary to form government.
RIDINGS TO WATCH
The Calgary-Elbow electoral division is one that political watchers are keeping a keen eye on.
The UCP won that seat in 2019, with Doug Schweitzer serving as the MLA before resigning last summer. Since then, the riding has remained vacant.
Calgary-Elbow candidates include Chris Davis with the UCP, Samir Kayande for the Alberta NDP, Kerry Cundal representing the Alberta Party and Solidarity Movement of Alberta Party leader Artur Pawlowski.
In 2015, the then-leader of the Alberta Party, Greg Clark, was elected as the MLA for Calgary-Elbow. That is the last time the party has won a seat, despite some strong support for Clark and the party in 2019.
This time around, it's Cundal who will be looking to play spoiler to the NDP and UCP to snatch up what is likely the only seat the Alberta Party has a chance of winning.
Calgary-Varsity is another electoral division that could go either way between the NDP and UCP.
Jason Copping won that seat in the last election, but only by a margin of 638 votes.
In 2015, the area voted in NDP candidate Stephanie McLean after the Progressive Conservatives and the Wildrose Party split the conservative vote, which was essentially the story of the 2015 election.
This time around, the candidates are Luanne Metz with the NDP and Jason Copping for the UCP.
Calgary-Acadia is another seat that flipped from NDP to UCP in the last election.
Tyler Shandro won the seat for the UCP in 2019 and will be looking to defend his position against four other candidates.
Diana Batten is representing the NDP, Paul Bechthold is the candidate for the Green Party of Alberta, Larry Heather is running as an independent, Linda McClelland is for the Solidarity Movement, and Donna Kathleen Scott is with the Wildrose Loyalty Coalition.
Unlike in advance voting, electors must vote at their designated voting location between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m.
More information on where to vote and which candidates are running in each electoral division can be found here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec man, 81, gets prison sentence after admitting to killing wife with Alzheimer's disease
An 81-year-old Quebec man has been sentenced to prison after admitting to killing his wife with Alzheimer's disease.
Canada Post quarterly loss tops $300M as strike hits second week -- and rivals step in
Canada Post saw hundreds of millions of dollars drain out of its coffers last quarter, due largely to its dwindling share of the parcels market, while an ongoing strike continues to batter its bottom line.
'Immoral depravity': Two men convicted in case of frozen migrant family in Manitoba
A jury has found two men guilty on human smuggling charges in a case where a family from India froze to death in Manitoba while trying to walk across the Canada-U.S. border.
Prime Minister Trudeau attends Taylor Swift's Eras Tour in Toronto with family
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is a Swiftie. His office confirmed to CTV News Toronto that he and members of his family are attending the penultimate show of Taylor Swift's 'The Eras Tour' in Toronto on Friday evening.
Trump supporters review-bomb B.C. floral shop by accident
A small business owner from B.C.'s Fraser Valley is speaking out after being review-bombed by confused supporters of U.S. president-elect Donald Trump this week.
Pat King found guilty of mischief for role in 'Freedom Convoy'
Pat King, one of the most prominent figures of the 2022 'Freedom Convoy' in Ottawa, has been found guilty on five counts including mischief and disobeying a court order.
Nearly 46,000 electric vehicles recalled in Canada over power loss risk
Nearly 46,000 electric vehicles from Kia, Hyundai and Genesis are being recalled in Canada over a potential power loss issue that can increase the risk of a crash.
Trump chooses Bessent to be Treasury secretary and Vought as top budget official
President-elect Donald Trump announced Friday that he'll nominate hedge fund manager Scott Bessent, an advocate for deficit reduction, to serve as his next treasury secretary. Trump also said he would nominate Russel Vought to lead the Office of Management and Budget.
Canada's tax relief plan: Who gets a cheque?
The Canadian government has unveiled its plans for a sweeping GST/HST pause on select items during the holiday period. The day after the announcement, questions remain on how the whole thing will work.