Calgary-Buffalo

Calgary-Bow consists of the downtown core, with upper-income condos and apartments in the central Eau Claire neighbourhood in the riding’s north, south of the Bow, facing Prince’s Island Park.

It has oil, energy and pipeline head offices including TransCanada, Enbridge, Terasen. Alliance, the National Energy Board, Suncor Tower, Shell Centre, Amoco Tower and the Petro Canada Centre. Also, City Hall, Bow Valley College, the Stock Exchange, Wheat Pool and Petroleum Club.

There are HQs of firms in mining, forestry and fishing. More than 6,400 petroleum engineers work here. Under the city centre area are lower-income Connaught and Victoria Park with Stampede Park and on the Bow, low-income Chinatown and East Village with transients, household incomes 70 per cent of average; and half, low-income.

South of all this, working-class Mission, then the Elbow River heading south and across it, eastern downtown with Ramsay and Inglewood with industry, a fish hatchery and bird sanctuary, working class and low-income and lots of factories and warehouses.

ELECTION HISTORY

The riding was part of Centre until 1971 and from 1967-1971 was represented by Fred Colborne of Social Credit. Buffalo and Currie were formed in 1971 when the Buffalo MLA was Ron Ghitter (PC) 1971-1979 and Tom Sindlinger (PC) 1979-1982.

Tory Brian Lee (PC) was the incumbent from 1982-1986. Sheldon Chumir, a Liberal, held the seat from 1986-1993 when he quit. A Liberal, Gary Dickson, then held Buffalo from 1993 until 2001. Harvey Cenaiko won for the Tories in 2001 and in 2004 by 500 votes.

In 2008, Kent Hehr, took the riding for the Liberals and retained it in 2012 but quit to run federally and replacement David Khan lost a three-way race to NDP's Kathleen Ganley in 2015. In 2019, the NDP retained the seat with Finance Minister Joe Ceci.