Calgary West Candidates
It's that time again, where we all pretend we know what we want and go to the polls to mark an X to the left of the person to whom we think deserves the position of representing our riding as a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons. The election is on Oct 14th
It MIGHT be a good idea to do just a little bit research on who you are throwing down an "X" for, so I compiled the list of who's who for my riding "Calgary West".
Calgary West has five candidates.
Conservative - Rob Anders
Link to site
Rob Anders obtained a political science degree from the University of Calgary, where he distinguished himself as a strong voice in student politics.
Prior to entering politics, Rob pursued his passion for public policy by working for the National Citizens Coalition, a public interest group dedicated to government accountability. He was also on the Speaker's Bureau of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce.
Rob was first elected to the House of Commons in 1997 by the people of Calgary West, and has been re-elected three times.
As an MP, Rob has served as Critic for Senate and Patronage. He created and chaired the Elected Senate Action Team, a task force aimed at advancing the cause of senate reform in Canada.
Rob has also been a high-profile voice against the repression of 70 million Falun Gong practitioners, and organized a letter campaign directed at China's President on behalf of Canadian Members of Parliament. He has also lent his voice to international human rights causes such as Tibetan freedom, religious freedom and democracy in Vietnam and Taiwanese independence.
Rob is currently chair of the House Committee on Veteran Affairs where he played a critical role in the establishment of a Veteran's Ombudsman.
Liberal - Jennifer Pollock
Link to site
Jennifer Pollock is best known as a former Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Calgary Board of Education. She was elected Trustee for three terms, representing Wards 1 & 2 in Northwest Calgary.
Socially and politically, Calgary West is Jennifer's home. She has raised 4 children in the area, Robert, Stephen, Emily and Richard, all of whom are either at university or still playing Junior hockey. She is 49 years old and a spouse of lawyer Dennis Nerland for over 25 years.
As an active volunteer, Jennifer has a long active volunteer history of being responsive to concerns and knowledgeable of needs in the community. She is someone who will listen and act. In the past, she has taught in Africa with CUSO, officiated at the 1988 Olympics and organized a Reading Roundup for children at the Calgary Stampede. Through the Junior League, she developed school programs for AADAC. With 4 hockey players, she frequently volunteered for team responsibilities and also on the Board of the Trails West Hockey Assoc and Girls Hockey Calgary, Midget Committee. She is a founding director of the Power Play Institute for Hockey Prospects. She sat on School Councils, Home and School, Calgary Parks and Recreation Board and the Alberta School Boards Assoc. Currently she is a member of the Canadian Bar Association, the Association of Women Lawyers and a sustaining member of the Junior League of Calgary.
Jennifer Pollock is a former Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Calgary Board of Education. The Public Board educates 100,000 students in over 230 schools on a budget in excess of $500,000,000. In 1998, Jennifer was elected with a record 24,117 votes.
Jennifer is a lawyer. At age 44, she was accepted to U of C Law School, completing her L.L.B. in 2003. Last year she successfully completed her articles and was called to the Alberta Bar. Her first degree, obtained in 1977, is a B.Sc. in Zoology.
Trained as an interest based negotiator and facilitator for collaborative decision making, Jennifer uses a win-win approach in law and politics.
WHY SHE IS RUNNING FOR CALGARY WEST
Jennifer believes Calgary West deserves an effective leader and responsible spokesperson that will be visible in Calgary and Ottawa. She is frustrated to see the views of Calgarians and western Canadians marginalized by the national parties and the media as a result of the current representative.
Jennifer believes that the Canadian government does have an impact on the reputation, culture, economy, health, education, environment and security of Canada and its citizens. She is running because she is concerned that the nature and quality of life of Canadians is currently at risk. She believes that she has the skills and experience that will be required to work constructively with fellow MPs to address the challenging issues facing the country. She hopes her participation in the democratic process will encourage fellow citizens to get involved.
NDP - Teale Phelps Bondaroff
Link to site
Teale Phelps-Bondaroff, a native Calgarian, is a fourth year student at the University of Calgary, where he is pursuing a degree in political science honours and international relations. He was also the NDP Candidate for Calgary West in 2006 at the age of 19, when he received over 5000 votes, or 8.3% of the vote.
Teale has been active on the University of Calgary Student’s Union as an elected official for the past two years, and is active in student politics. He is president of the University of Calgary Debate Society and the University of Calgary Model United Nations team, and he competes in debate and model United Nations competitions at the local, national and, international level. His interest in world politics has taken him across North America. He was given the honour of representing his city at the Global Young Leaders Conference, in Washington and New York in 2003.
He has received numerous scholarships and awards, including the Chancellors Scholarship from the University of Calgary, and the millennium scholarship. Phelps-Bondaroff is dedicated to the environment and sustainability. His academic interest and thesis focus on the political strategy of environmental movements and organisations, and he is active in the local environmental community. Phelps-Bondaroff is trilingual. He earned a French diploma from William Aberhart High School, and has studied Spanish at university and abroad. He is a supporter and promoter of the arts, and has been a presenter at the Calgary Young Writers Conference. He is also an avid cartoonist, sculptor, and plays the flute and piccolo.
Green - Randall Weeks
Link to site
Biography:
Introduction:
• Born on 06 August 1961 in Edmonton Alberta. Third generation Albertan.
• Grew up in a working class family in Northeast Edmonton.
• Have lived in Calgary since 1987, 10 years in Calgary West.
Education:
• Graduated high school with a matriculation diploma in 1979.
• Studied Earth Sciences (petroleum exploration geology) at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology; graduated with a diploma in Petroleum Technology in 1981.
Career:
• Began career working for the Alberta Energy & Utilities Board; initially as a field inspector in Edmonton. Transferred to Calgary in 1987 to work in the EUB head office.
• Left the EUB in 1990 to work in corporate Calgary in various capacities including Auditor, and Marketing Analyst.
• In 1994 became Owner / Operator of a small business specializing in computer training for children. Terminated this enterprise in 1996 and returned to corporate employment.
• Currently working as an Audit Supervisor for a Large Oil and Gas Corporation.
General / Personal:
• Father of 4 children.
• Secular Humanist libertarian yoga enthusiast.
• Voracious researcher, reader and correspondent.
• Well traveled within Canada and internationally.
• Physically and mentally sound, fit and active.
• Direct experience in small business and large corporate environments.
• Vocal & enthusiastic promoter of personal and corporate stewardship of the environment, sustainability, peace and preventative health.
• Conservative, in that I believe in not being wasteful and conserving resources for future generations.
Missing from my bio and resume is mention of my involvement with any charitable organization, special interest group or volunteer work. In the past I have been occupied with family and career concerns. Only now am I prepared to commit myself to giving back to the community and the planet. In the past I have had a mostly materialist focus; over time this has evolved into a concern for matters much larger.
At this time I define my “contribution” not by what I give, but instead by what I do not consume. My personal philosophy is “first, do no harm”. My family and I strive to live a life where we minimize our impact on the environment and utilize the fewest resources. At this time I am deeply dissatisfied with my contribution to the corporate profit mindset and my involvement with the oil industry. I am ready to move on, deepen my commitment do no harm and heighten my efforts to encourage other to do the same.
I don’t see the environmental movement as a “feel good, do good” endeavor; rather I see it as an awakening to the harm we are doing and a commitment to stop.
Independent - Kirk Schmidt
Link to site
Kirk Schmidt has been actively involved in politics for a number of years. For the past two federal elections, he has worked on a non-partisan internet portal called Our Vote, an information resource developed to complement electoral information available through Elections Canada. Our Vote addresses issues concerning the difficulty of obtaining party and policy information, which has been cited as a reason for lack of voter turnout.
Kirk also acted as Campaign Manager and Official Agent for a candidate in the 2004 Alberta Provincial Election. Between elections he takes on the role of armchair political analyst, commentating on bills in the House of Commons as well as political jockeying in Parliament. Kirk's political knowledge comes from his voracious appetite for collecting and reading books on Canadian politics, as well as his observations of everyday political affairs across the country.
Born and raised in the City of Lethbridge, Kirk moved to Calgary shortly after receiving his university degree, along with his wife, Robyn. Currently, he works as an IT Analyst for a major charity, and holds a Bachelor of Mathematics degree from the University of Waterloo.
Kirk also enjoys spending his time as a volunteer. Recently, he has completed computer-related projects for the Calgary Youth Justice Society as well as the SHARP Foundation. In the past he has also worked with community theatre groups, held positions on a number of academic councils and Boards of Directors, and has worked with Chambers of Commerce.
