Last month Naheed Nenshi was elected as the new leader of the Alberta New Democratic Party (NDP). He is excited about what's ahead with the next provincial election being in 2027.

"Over the last four months, we've seen an incredible momentum of Albertans, who are saying, we can dream bigger, we can dream better for this community and we can have a better Alberta and I've just been blown away. I feel a lot of heavy responsibility that many folks put their hopes, dreams, and fears about Alberta in me and now it is my job to ensure that I live up to those expectations."

During the leadership race, Neshi visited Airdrie in April where he visited and stayed with Airdronians to understand their concerns.

"We made a mistake when we came to Airdrie, which is we booked far too small a room for the number of people who wanted to be there with us. But, I heard a lot of things that are common across Alberta; concerns about public education, concerns about health care, concerns about the economy, concerns about the environment."

Nenshi talked about Airdrie and the struggles it's facing as one of the fastest-growing communities in Alberta, now with a population of over 80,000.

"Growth is a blessing. It's a good thing to have. But you have to be managed because none of those moving people are bringing a family doctor with them. They're not bringing a school, roads and water pipes with them. So, we must get ahead of the infrastructure question."

Nenshi stated if he were the Premier, he would have no problem helping the City of Airdrie pay for much-needed projects.

"Currently, the fiscal funding framework from the provincial government gives less money to cities like Airdrie today than they were making in 2011. We have to come to terms with the fact that if we're growing, that requires investment, and the provincial government has to be willing to make those investments."

Within Airdrie, the NDP membership has grown significantly, making it one of the largest NDP ridings in Alberta now, according to Nenshi.

"It was always thought that Airdrie would only ever vote conservative and things are changing. And we're going to have great candidates running for the NDP in Airdrie in the next election

As the former Mayor of Calgary (from 2010-2021) Nenshi explained he understands the growing pains of Airdrie and feels that he can help.

"Let me just say that Airdrie Mayor Peter Brown is a passionate advocate for doing what's right. He's a very passionate advocate for Airdrie and over the 11 years I worked alongside him, I learned so much about the needs of Airdrie and the surrounding area. I do feel like if elected Premier, I'd be able to hit the ground running on all sorts of local issues."

Former Airdrie East ex-NDP Candidate Dan Nelles believes the future could be bright with Nenshi.

"What he brings to Alberta politics is this incredible, pragmatic and reasoned approach to governing. The wealth of experience that he has will serve all Albertans on the provincial stage."

When asked about possibly splitting ties with the Federal NDP Party, Nenshi stated a lot of members have told him that they are concerned with the affiliation.

"As a leader, I don't like conversations to be bubbling under the surface, I think we have to surface them. What a lot of folks don't know is that most provincial parties are independent of their federal parties.  I think there are substantial differences in policy between the provincial and federal parties, especially around energy. There are also things that we agree on like PharmaCare and dental care.

According to Nenshi, he has committed to the members that they will have the opportunity to make a decision on the nature of that relationship going forward. Federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh has come out and called the idea a mistake and must stay united in their goal of defeating the conservatives.

Nenshi finished off by saying he is excited to meet and visit with all kinds of Albertans and Airdronians.

"You're gonna see a lot more of me out talking to people, learning about their priorities and together, we will co-create a vision for what Alberta can look like going into 2027 and beyond."

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