CALGARY — Former member of Parliament Kent Hehr is throwing his hat in the ring to become Calgary’s new mayor.
Hehr becomes the 28th candidate seeking to replace longtime Mayor Naheed Nenshi, who announced earlier this year he did not want to seek re-election.
Hehr left provincial politics in 2015 and successfully ran for the federal Liberals in the riding of Calgary Centre before he was defeated in 2019.
In 2018, he left Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet over allegations that he made sexually inappropriate comments to one woman and touched another inappropriately.
He said at the time that he had no memory of the events, and an investigation deemed any sexual contact incidental.
Hehr says he decided to run for mayor because he hasn’t seen any progressive candidate who would continue to move the city forward.
“Right now we have a race full of ideas we’ve heard before, people without much experience, people who were conservatives until about a minute ago, and people who just added to the infighting and dysfunction of city hall,” he said.
Hehr is to file his nomination papers Tuesday morning. Alberta’s municipal elections are on Oct. 18.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 7, 2021.
The Canadian Press