Mike Derry wins Calgary-Shaw UCP nomination, defeats city councillor Dan McLean
NDP expected to nominate Kyle Campbell on June 26
Talent management company owner Mike Derry defeated City Councillor Dan McLean to win the United Conservative Party nomination in Calgary-Shaw at a candidate selection vote on June 24.
The nomination vote was held to choose a UCP candidate in the upcoming by-election to replace former UCP MLA Rebecca Schulz, who stepped down on May 15, 2026.
Derry owns the LegenDERRY talent management company and was the talent management lead for Canadian Natural Resources Limited from 2013 to 2022 and is a coach with the Bow Valley Hockey Society. He was the Chief Financial Officer of Calgary-South East UCP association and has volunteered with Conservative MP Tom Kmiec‘s campaign in Calgary Shepard.
Derry had endorsements from Calgary-South East UCP President Peter Nestrovich, Calgary-Lougheed UCP President Darrell Komick, and former Progressive Conservative MLA Art Johnston.
McLean ran against Schulz for the party’s nomination in the riding in 2018 and has represented much of the area since his election to City Council in 2021. He has maintained close public ties with the UCP and was widely seen as the favorite in this race.
He also had the support of recent mayoral candidate Sonya Sharp, who had been spotted door knocking with him, and an endorsement from former Calgary-Fish Creek MLA Richard Gotfried.
McLean’s decision to jump into provincial politics so soon after being re-elected in the October 2025 municipal election made him a target of criticism from former councillor Jeff Davison. Davison wrote in a Calgary Herald op-ed that voters in the riding have “every right to view this move as a calculated decision that puts personal ambition ahead of the commitment made to voters.”
Derry also had the support of campaign manager Craig Chandler, a frequently controversial and seasoned right-wing political organizer who spearheaded an aggressive lawn sign campaign in the riding calling on McLean to remain on city council.
Chandler has a long history in Calgary politics and in this riding, including running Ric McIver’s campaign for the PC Party nomination in Calgary-Shaw in 2000. McIver was defeated by Cindy Ady in that race but served on Calgary City Council from 2001 and then won the PC nomination in Calgary-Hays in 2012. Chandler briefly launched a run for the PC nomination in Calgary-Shaw ahead of the 2015 provincial election but dropped out before the vote.
Although voters in the riding elected an NDP MLA in 2015, the riding has been safe UCP territory since Schulz won it in 2019. She was re-elected in 2023 with a 13 point margin of victory over NDP candidate David Cloutier, which is a comfortable margin of victory, but was also one of the largest vote swings towards the NDP. Cloutier increased his party’s vote by 17 points over the results from 2019.
The NDP are expected to nominate Kyle Campbell at a meeting on June 26 at 7:00 pm at the Cardel Rec South in the same room as yesterday’s UCP nomination vote. Campbell is President of the Somerset Residents Association and the Director of Employee Benefits for Qopia Financial.
No other parties have announced their candidates, though current Alberta Liberal Party leader John Roggeveen ran in the riding in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 elections.
A by-election will need to be called before November 15, 2026.
How important is the Calgary-Shaw by-election?
It is very easy to overstate the importance of by-elections, but there is little doubt that the results of the by-election in Calgary-Shaw will be interpreted as a measurement of support for Premier Danielle Smith referendum on Alberta’s separation from Canada and her government’s handling of health care and affordability issues.
It will also be an important test for NDP leader Naheed Nenshi, who served as Mayor of Calgary from 2010 to 2021 and won the party’s leadership in 2024 on his ability to increase the party’s support in Calgary.
The UCP’s decision to call a nomination meeting shortly after Schulz’s resignation suggests a by-election in Calgary-Shaw could be called before the October 19 separation referendum.
The by-election will be held as Elections Alberta and the RCMP investigate the leaking of the entire official voters list that included the names and addresses of 2.9 million voters, as well as efforts by governments and private groups outside of the country to interfere in Canadian politics.
FUN FACT: The Calgary-Shaw riding was created for the 1986 election and was named after Joseph Tweed Shaw.
Shaw was the independent Labour MP for Calgary-West from 1921 to 1925 (defeating future Prime Minister R.B. Bennett in 1921 and being defeated by Bennett in a 1925 rematch) and the Liberal MLA for Bow Valley from 1926 to 1930. He was leader of the Alberta Liberal Party from 1926 to 1930.
NDP MLA Sarah Elmeligi running for re-election in Banff-Kananaskis
NDP MLA Sarah Elmeligi was nominated to run for re-election in Banff-Kananaskis. Elmeligi was first elected in 2023 with 49.7 per cent of the vote, narrowly defeating one-term UCP MLA Miranda Rosin.
Before becoming an MLA, Elmeligi worked as a Parks Facility Planner with the Kananaskis Region and as a Senior Conservation Planner with the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society. Elmeligi currently serves as the opposition critic for environment and protected areas.
Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo UCP MLA Tany Yao and Wetaskiwin-Maskwacis UCP MLA Rick Wilson have registered Prospective Candidate Associations in their campaigns to run for re-election.
Education advocate Jarrad Marthaller has announced plans to run for the NDP nomination in Spruce Grove-Stony Plain. He is the former president of the NDP constituency association in the riding located just west of Edmonton.
And Callan Wassenaar plans to run as an Independent candidate in Edmonton-Glenora.
Here is a list of upcoming nomination meetings:
June 25: NDP MLA Marie Renaud will be nominated in St. Albert and NDP MLA Sharif Haji will be nominated in Edmonton-Decore.
June 26: Kyle Campbell is running for the NDP nomination in Calgary-Shaw.
June 28: NDP MLA Brooks Arcand-Paul will be nominated in Edmonton-West Henday.
June 29: Nomination applications are due for candidates interested in running for UCP nominations in Calgary-Bow, Calgary-West, Camrose, and Chestermere-Strathmore.
A full list of nominated and nomination candidates running in the next Alberta election can be found on this page:
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