Meet the Calgary mayoral candidate: Brian Thiessen

Calgary’s municipal election is now less than a month away and nine people are vying for your vote for the mayor’s seat.

CTV News Calgary invited each of the mayoral candidates this year to answer the same three questions in three minutes or less.

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The video segment is posted in full above and the answers are transcribed below.

Brian Thiessen is the mayoral candidate for The Calgary Party.

Why are you running for mayor?

Thiessen: “I’m running for mayor because I care passionately about this city. I think Calgary deserves to have been voted the best city in Canada to work, live and play. But I actually think we can aspire to something more. I think we can be the greatest city in the world, and I’m really passionate about building teams and building policy that will help us to get there.

“So, we have all the natural assets. We have an entrepreneurial spirit. We have a meritocracy. We have people who come from around the world that are attracted to this world-class place, and all we need to do is get the basics right.

“I have 27 years helping organizations that are dysfunctional to correct course, set a strategy and reach their highest potential.

“My clients all say to me, ‘Brian, you’re exactly what the city needs.’ Let’s get Calgary back on track. Let’s aim at something better. Let’s get Calgary laying the foundation to be the greatest city in the world.’”

What’s the most important issue that needs to be addressed in the city in the next year?

Thiessen: “There’s two top issues we’ve got to focus on: housing and public safety.

“Public safety is really a critical issue because all of the investments we’re making in a world-class arts and entertainment district, to building up this amazing city and diversifying the economy, all falls on its face if we don’t get public safety right, if Calgarians don’t feel safe about where they work and live.

“So we’ve put out a public safety toolkit that focuses on mental health and addiction 24/7 supports, housed with the Calgary Police Service and transit police, and a ‘housing first’ strategy to house the homeless.

“And that leads to the second priority for Calgarians: Housing.

“Calgarians need to have the housing for the 100,000 people that are coming here every year. The Calgary Party has provided a detailed housing toolkit that outlines how we’re going to streamline the regulatory approval process so we can get more housing built faster for all the Calgarians that are coming here to build a world class economy.”

Why should Calgarians vote for you?

Thiessen: “Calgarians should vote for me because I’m a proven leader with 30 years of experience leading world-class organizations.

“Whether I’m advising Fortune 500 companies, cities from across Alberta or not for profits, I help organizations get back on track.

“And I’m a proven leader that builds teams. Whether I was leading the national labour employment group at a large national law firm, or managing partner of my national law firm, to being the chair of the Calgary Police Commission.

“I’m good at bringing people together to collaborate, solving difficult issues and building bridges across the political gap and solving with what we do every day in the workplace.

“And that is why we don’t reject ideas, because they come from the right or the left. So I’ve built a political party that works across the political spectrum with the best ideas for Calgarians.”