# Calgary-Varsity

Calgary-Varsity is a provincial electoral district in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The district was created in 1993 and returns a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.
It comprises the communities of Varsity, Dalhousie, Brentwood, Banff Trail, University Heights, Parkdale, Point Mckay, and Charleswood (part of the Triwood community which also includes Collingwood west of 19th St NW).

## History

The electoral district was created in the 1993 boundary redistribution out of parts of three electoral districts. They were Calgary-Foothills, Calgary-North Hill and Calgary-North West.
The 2010 boundary redistribution saw the district only slightly altered. It picked up some land from Calgary-Bow and Calgary-Mountain View when the south boundary was moved south to run completely along the Bow River and it also picked up a few blocks of houses from Calgary-North Hill when the east boundary between 17th Ave NW and 24 Ave NW was moved one block over to 18 Street NW

### Boundary history

23 Calgary-Varsity 2003 boundaries :
| Bordering districts ||||
| North | East | West | South |
| Calgary-Foothills and Calgary-Nose Hill | Calgary-North Hill | Calgary-Bow and Calgary-North West | Calgary-Mountain View |
| riding map goes here | riding map goes here | | |
| Legal description from the Statutes of Alberta 2003, Electoral Divisions Act. ||||
| Starting at the intersection of Sarcee Trail NW with John Laurie Boulevard NW; then 1. southeast along John Laurie Boulevard NW to 19 Street NW; 2. south along 19 Street NW to 16 Avenue NW; 3. west along 16 Avenue NW to Shaganappi Trail NW; 4. north along Shaganappi Trail NW to 32 Avenue NW; 5. west along 32 Avenue NW and its westerly extension to the right bank of the Bow River; 6. north along the right bank of the Bow River to the southerly extension of Silver Springs Boulevard NW; 7. north along the extension and Silver Springs Boulevard NW to Silver Springs Gate NW; 8. east and north along Silver Springs Gate NW to Sarcee Trail NW; 9. north along Sarcee Trail NW to the starting point. ||||
| Note: ||||
26 Calgary-Varsity 2010 boundaries :
| Bordering districts ||||
| North | East | West | South |
| Calgary-Foothills and Calgary-Mackay-Nose Hill | Calgary-Klein | Calgary-Bow and Calgary-Hawkwood | Calgary-Currie and Calgary-Mountain View |
| Legal description from the Statutes of Alberta 2010, Electoral Divisions Act. ||||
| Note: ||||

### Representation history

Members of the Legislative Assembly for Calgary-Varsity :
| Assembly | Years | Member | Party |
| See Calgary-Foothills and Calgary-North Hill 1971-1993, Calgary-North West 1979-1993 |||||
| 23rd | 1993–1997 | Murray Smith | Progressive Conservative |
| 24th | 1997–2001 | Murray Smith | Progressive Conservative |
| 25th | 2001–2004 | Murray Smith | Progressive Conservative |
| 26th | 2004–2008 | Harry Chase | Liberal |
| 27th | 2008–2012 | Harry Chase | Liberal |
| 28th | 2012–2014 | Donna Kennedy-Glans | Progressive Conservative |
| 28th | 2014 | Donna Kennedy-Glans | Independent |
| 28th | 2014–2015 | Donna Kennedy-Glans | Progressive Conservative |
| 29th | 2015–2019 | Stephanie McLean | New Democratic |
| 29th | 2019 | Vacant | Vacant |
| 30th | 2019–2023 | Jason Copping | United Conservative |
| 31st | 2023–present | Luanne Metz | New Democratic |
The electoral district was created in 1993 and comprised land that had existed in three electoral districts. The region at that era had returned a mixture of Liberal and Progressive Conservative representatives.
In the first election in the district held in 1993, the district saw a closely contested race between Progressive Conservative candidate Murray Smith and Liberal candidate Carrol Jaques. Smith would win with a plurality of 47%. Premier Ralph Klein appointed Smith to his first cabinet post as Minister of Economic Development and Tourism in 1994. He would be shuffled to the Labour portfolio in 1996.
Smith and Jaques faced each other again in the 1997 election with both candidates losing popular vote. Smith however won his second term by taking a majority of the ballots cast. After the election Smith kept his Labour portfolio until 1999 when he was shuffled to be the Minister of Gaming.
The 2001 election would see Jaques and Smith face each other for the third time. The result would be a near landslide in Smith's favour. After the election Smith would once again change cabinet portfolios this time becoming Minister of Energy until he retired at dissolution of the assembly in 2004.
Liberal candidate Harry Chase was elected as the second representative of the riding in the 2004 election with nearly 45% of the vote. He won his second term in 2008 with a slightly larger plurality.
In 2012 Progressive Conservative candidate Donna Kennedy-Glans was elected with 46% of the vote. She briefly sat as an independent in protest of Alison Redford's leadership.
In 2015 New Democrat candidate Stephanie McLean was elected with 44% of the vote. After serving in the cabinet of Rachel Notley, she stepped down as MLA shortly before the 2019 election.
In 2019 despite the NDP attracting a star candidate to run in Calgary-Varsity, Anne McGrath, she was defeated by United Conservative candidate Jason Copping.
In 2023 NDP candidate Luanne Metz - a clinical neurologist and researcher - defeated the incumbent Minister of Health, Jason Copping.

## Legislative election results
### 2023

vte2023 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | New Democratic | Luanne Metz | 13,449 | 58.27 | +14.83 |
| | United Conservative | Jason Copping | 9,377 | 40.63 | -5.53 |
| | Wildrose Loyalty Coalition | Oaklan Davidsen | 141 | 0.61 | – |
| | Solidarity Movement | Kent Liang | 112 | 0.49 | – |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 23,079 | 98.96 | – |
| Rejected and declined | Rejected and declined | Rejected and declined | 243 | 1.04 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 23,322 | 70.65 |
| Eligible electors | Eligible electors | Eligible electors | 33,010 |
| | New Democratic gain from United Conservative | New Democratic gain from United Conservative | Swing | Swing | +10.18 |
| Source(s) Source: Elections Alberta |||||||

### Elections in the 2010s

vte2019 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | United Conservative | Jason Copping | 10,853 | 46.16 | +1.90 |
| | New Democratic | Anne McGrath | 10,215 | 43.44 | +3.29 |
| | Alberta Party | Beth Barberree | 1,687 | 7.17 | +6.05 |
| | Liberal | Ryan Campbell | 383 | 1.63 | -10.48 |
| | Green | Cheryle Chagnon-Greyeyes | 274 | 1.17 | -1.04 |
| | Independence | Chris McAndrew | 101 | 0.43 | New |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 23,513 | 99.89 |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 264 | 1.11 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 23,777 | 73.34 |
| Eligible electors | Eligible electors | Eligible electors | 32,422 |
| | United Conservative notional hold | United Conservative notional hold | Swing | Swing | -0.69 |
| Source(s) "2019 Provincial General Election Results". Elections Alberta. Retrieved April 30, 2019. |||||||
vte2015 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | New Democratic | Stephanie McLean | 8,297 | 43.94 | +39.31 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Susan Billington | 5,700 | 30.19 | -15.71 |
| | Wildrose | Sharon Polsky | 2,598 | 13.76 | -12.45 |
| | Liberal | Pete Helfrich | 1,862 | 9.86 | -10.62 |
| | Green | Carl Svoboda | 424 | 2.25 | +0.92 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 18,881 | 99.33 | +0.03 |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 127 | 0.67 | -0.03 |
| Eligible voters / turnout | Eligible voters / turnout | Eligible voters / turnout | 32,467 | 58.55 | -1.30 |
| | New Democratic gain from Progressive Conservative | New Democratic gain from Progressive Conservative | Swing | Swing | +27.51 |
| Source(s) "2015 Provincial General Election Results". Elections Alberta. Archived from the original on September 28, 2020. Retrieved August 1, 2017. |||||||
2015 Alberta general election redistributed results :
| Party | Party | Votes | % |
| | New Democratic | 8,322 | 40.16 |
| | Progressive Conservative | 6,137 | 29.61 |
| | Wildrose | 3,034 | 14.64 |
| | Liberal | 2,510 | 12.11 |
| | Green | 456 | 2.20 |
| | Alberta Party | 233 | 1.12 |
| | Social Credit | 32 | 0.15 |
| Source(s) Source: Ridingbuilder ||||
vte2012 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Donna Kennedy-Glans | 8,099 | 45.90 | +9.22 |
| | Wildrose | Rob Solinger | 4,624 | 26.21 | +19.06 |
| | Liberal | Bruce Payne | 3,614 | 20.48 | -26.85 |
| | New Democratic | Jackie Seidel | 817 | 4.63 | +1.00 |
| | Alberta Party | Alex McBrien | 255 | 1.45 |
| | Evergreen | Carl Svoboda | 234 | 1.33 | -3.87 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 17,643 | 99.30 | -0.11 |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 124 | 0.70 | +0.11 |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 29,688 | 59.85 | +15.21 |
| | Progressive Conservative gain from Liberal | Progressive Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | Swing | +18.04 |
| Source(s) Elections Alberta. "Electoral Division Results: Calgary-Varsity". Retrieved June 13, 2018. |||||||

### Elections in the 2000s

2008 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Harry Chase | 6,907 | 47.34 | +2.70 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Jennifer Diakiw | 5,353 | 36.69 | -2.63 |
| | Wildrose Alliance | Brennan Lytle | 1,043 | 7.15 | +1.77 |
| | Greens | Sean Maw | 758 | 5.19 | -0.16 |
| | New Democratic | Tim Stock-Bateman | 530 | 3.63 | -0.85 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 14,591 | 99.41 | -0.07 |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 87 | 0.59 | +0.07 |
| Eligible electors / Turnout | Eligible electors / Turnout | Eligible electors / Turnout | 32,883 | 44.64 | -9.67 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | Swing | +2.67 |
| Source(s) The Report on the March 3, 2008 Provincial General Election of the Twenty-seventh Legislative Assembly. Elections Alberta. July 28, 2008. pp. 260–263. |||||||
2004 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Harry Chase | 6,347 | 44.64 | +16.01 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Michael Smyth | 5,591 | 39.32 | -20.10 |
| | Alberta Alliance | Ronald Beniger | 765 | 5.38 | New |
| | Greens | Richard Larson | 761 | 5.35 | +2.92 |
| | New Democratic | Mark Gabruch | 637 | 4.48 | -5.04 |
| | Social Credit | Len Skowronski | 118 | 0.83 | New |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 14,219 | 99.48 | +0.01 |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 75 | 0.52 | -0.01 |
| Eligible electors / Turnout | Eligible electors / Turnout | Eligible electors / Turnout | 26,318 | 54.31 | -5.14 |
| | Liberal gain from Progressive Conservative | Liberal gain from Progressive Conservative | Swing | Swing | +18.06 |
| Source(s) "Calgary-Varsity Statement of Official Results 2004 Alberta general election" (PDF). Elections Alberta. Retrieved March 3, 2012. |||||||
2001 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Murray Smith | 8,173 | 59.42 | +8.00 |
| | Liberal | Carrol Jaques | 3,938 | 28.63 | -9.87 |
| | New Democratic | Susan Scott | 1,309 | 9.52 | +4.97 |
| | Greens | Tavis Du Preez | 334 | 2.43 | +1.49 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 13,754 | 99.47 | -0.37 |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 73 | 0.53 | +0.37 |
| Eligible electors / Turnout | Eligible electors / Turnout | Eligible electors / Turnout | 23,260 | 59.45 | +0.24 |
| | Progressive Conservative hold | Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | +8.94 |
| Source(s) "Calgary-Varsity Official Results 2001 Alberta general election" (PDF). Elections Alberta. Retrieved March 27, 2010. |||||||

### Elections in the 1990s

1997 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Murray Smith | 7,232 | 51.42 | +3.54 |
| | Liberal | Carrol Jaques | 5,414 | 38.50 | -0.05 |
| | Social Credit | Mike Bressers | 646 | 4.59 | New |
| | New Democratic | Dirk Huysman | 640 | 4.55 | -5.48 |
| | Greens | Joel Ashworth | 132 | 0.94 | -2.04 |
| Total | Total | Total | 14,064 | 99.84 | +0.10 |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 23 | 0.16 | -0.10 |
| Eligible electors / Turnout | Eligible electors / Turnout | Eligible electors / Turnout | 23,792 | 59.21 | -5.53 |
| | Progressive Conservative hold | Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | +1.80 |
| Source(s) "1997 General Election". Elections Alberta. Archived from the original on February 14, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2012. |||||||
1993 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Progressive Conservative | Murray Smith | 8,520 | 47.88 |
| | Liberal | Carrol Jaques | 6,860 | 38.55 |
| | New Democratic | Sharon Kimmel | 1,785 | 10.03 |
| | Greens | Mike Sawyer | 531 | 2.98 |
| | Natural Law | Santo Esposito | 99 | 0.56 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 17,795 | 99.74 |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 47 | 0.26 |
| Eligible electors / Turnout | Eligible electors / Turnout | Eligible electors / Turnout | 27,560 | 64.74 |
| | Progressive Conservative pickup new district. | Progressive Conservative pickup new district. | Progressive Conservative pickup new district. | Progressive Conservative pickup new district. | Progressive Conservative pickup new district. | Progressive Conservative pickup new district. | Progressive Conservative pickup new district. |
| Source(s) "Calgary-Varsity results 1993 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Archived from the original on December 8, 2010. Retrieved March 15, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) |||||||

## Senate nominee election results

| 2004 Senate nominee election results: Calgary-Varsity | 2004 Senate nominee election results: Calgary-Varsity | 2004 Senate nominee election results: Calgary-Varsity | 2004 Senate nominee election results: Calgary-Varsity | 2004 Senate nominee election results: Calgary-Varsity | Turnout 54.44% | Turnout 54.44% |
| | Affiliation | Votes | % votes | % ballots | Rank |
| | Progressive Conservative | Bert Brown | 5,387 | 16.92% | 49.83% | 1 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Jim Silye | 4,891 | 15.36% | 45.25% | 5 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Betty Unger | 4,072 | 12.79% | 37.67% | 2 |
| | Independent | Link Byfield | 3,812 | 11.97% | 35.26% | 4 |
| | Independent | Tom Sindlinger | 2,920 | 9.17% | 27.01% | 9 |
| | Progressive Conservative | David Usherwood | 2,682 | 8.42% | 24.81% | 6 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Cliff Breitkreuz | 2,536 | 7.96% | 23.46% | 3 |
| | Alberta Alliance | Vance Gough | 2,105 | 6.61% | 19.47% | 8 |
| | Alberta Alliance | Michael Roth | 1,895 | 5.95% | 17.53% | 7 |
| | Alberta Alliance | Gary Horan | 1,547 | 4.61% | 14.31% | 10 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 31,847 | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Total ballots | Total ballots | Total ballots | 10,810 | 2.95 votes per ballot | 2.95 votes per ballot | 2.95 votes per ballot |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 3,517 | 3,517 | 3,517 | 3,517 |
Voters had the option of selecting four candidates on the ballot

## Student vote results

* Participating schools
* Banff Trail School
* Brentwood Elementary
* Ecole Varsity Acres School
* F. E. Osborne Junior High School
* H.D. Cartwright Junior High School
* Jerry Potts Elementary
* Sir William Van Horne High School
* William Aberhart High School
On November 19, 2004, a student vote was conducted at participating Alberta schools to parallel the 2004 Alberta general election results. The vote was designed to educate students and simulate the electoral process for persons who have not yet reached the legal majority. The vote was conducted in 80 of the 83 provincial electoral districts with students voting for actual election candidates. Schools with a large student body that reside in another electoral district had the option to vote for candidates outside of the electoral district then where they were physically located.
2004 Alberta student vote results :
| | Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal | Harry Chase | 424 | 30.44% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Michael Smyth | 373 | 26.78% |
| | Green | Richard Larson | 282 | 20.24% |
| | NDP | Mark Gabruch | 203 | 14.57% |
| | Alberta Alliance | Ronald Beniger | 60 | 4.31% |
| | Social Credit | Len Skowronski | 51 | 3.66% |
| Total | Total | Total | 1,393 | 100% |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 95 | 95 |