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
Court eases internet restrictions for Sask. man who had sex with a 15-year-old girl he met on Tinder
A Saskatchewan man who had a sexual encounter with a 15-year-old girl he met on Tinder successfully appealed to shorten release conditions barring him from online dating.
Stittsville residents seeking answers as bylaw cracks down on street basketball nets
Stittsville residents on Kearnsley Way are seeking answers after an unusual bylaw crackdown on Friday. Every home with a basketball net received a ticket instructing homeowners to remove their nets from the road.
'A horrible way to start the summer': 3 killed in serious boat crash on lake north of Kingston, Ont.
Three people were killed and five others were injured Saturday night following a boat crash on the Buck Bay area of Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont., the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said.
Iran President Ebrahim Raisi still missing after helicopter accident in mountains
A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country's foreign minister and other officials apparently crashed in the mountainous northwest reaches of Iran on Sunday, sparking a massive rescue operation in a fog-shrouded forest as the public was urged to pray.
What do we know so far about the mysterious crash of the helicopter carrying Iran's president?
The apparent crash of a helicopter carrying Iran's president and foreign minister on Sunday sent shock waves around the region.
Ex-partner charged with first-degree murder after 55-year-old woman killed in Montreal
Less than 24 hours after Montreal's 12th homicide investigation began, Montreal police confirmed that a 55-year-old woman's death in St. Michel is the island's 13th homicide. The woman's ex-spouse has been charged with first-degree murder.
Walmart, Costco refusing to sign grocery code of conduct 'untenable': industry minister
Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says it's 'untenable' for 'smaller players' like Walmart and Costco to delay signing on to the government- and industry-led grocery code of conduct, now that industry giant Loblaw has agreed to do so.
VIDEO Born without front legs, this dog has been inspiring the world for 3 years: Dresden farm owner
A sanctuary dedicated to animals with disabilities is celebrating the third birthday of one of its most popular residents.
Toxic drugs circulating in northeastern Ont., police say
Canada’s largest First Nations police service, the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service issued a community safety alert as extremely toxic drugs are likely circulating in many of the communities it serves.