Aryan Sadat said that Ward 5 has been neglected for too long and needs someone to fight for its recognition.
Sadat has lived in Calgary his entire life, that time mostly spent in Ward 5. He said he’s tired of the rest of the city looking down on this area of the city.
“Calgary northeast is looked down upon at all times. Even if you say you live in Calgary northeast, people will give you a different perception,” Sadat said.
“In reality, we have the hardest working people and the most diverse individuals who live in Calgary.”
Sadat said that while the rest of the city looks down on Ward 5, in reality, there is so much diversity that is a huge asset to the people of Calgary
A lawyer by trade, Sadat ran in the last election but was ultimately defeated by current councillor George Chahal. Chahal recently withdrew from the race to run as a candidate for the federal Liberal party.
With his experience as a lawyer, Sadat believes he can use his legislative knowledge to bring change to his ward while sitting on city council.
Platform for Ward 5
Traffic and transit are some of Sadat’s main issues. He said that traffic-related issues are a problem in his ward. Correcting some of these issues will be one of his main goals, if elected.
It all comes down to making the roads safer and dealing with speeding, making communities safer.
Snow plowing is also where Sadat is disappointed in the city. He feels that ward 5 is again overlooked and needs to be treated better.
“When you are in Calgary northeast… You have to wait for the sun to melt your snow. Whereas other wards get their share. We are paying property taxes we should get our share,” he said.
“We need to make sure we are providing the services needed for these individuals.”
In relation to making communities safer, Sadat said he wants to build a bridge between the community and the police.
“People in the northeast don’t have that relationship with the police,” he said.
“There are a lot of new immigrants who come here with the mindset of where they came from. They expect the police are there to give them a ticket or take money from them. In reality, police are supposed to serve and protect us.”
Major issues facing the city
With that in mind, Sadat is adamantly opposed to defunding the police, saying it takes security away from residents.
Instead, he said more resources should be put into the police so they can engage more with residents, so there isn’t a negative relationship.
“I believe essential services shouldn’t be defunded. We should make sure that when we cut, we cut wasteful spending. Not what is used to keep us safe,” Sadat said.
The arena deal and events centre also came up when discussing spending.
Sadat said that the Flames are a beloved part of Calgary but that the funding should not be a burden put onto residents. Future generations should not be saddled with the cost of the project. Especially if many Calgarians can’t even attend or make use of the centre because they can’t afford it, Sadat said.
Moving back to transportation, Sadat said he doesn’t oppose major projects like the Green Line. He appreciates the jobs it will produce. But he wants to make sure Ward 5 actually benefits from it in some way.
“It is not connecting anything to Ward 5, but I want to bring Ward 5 into this,” he said.
“Ward 5 has been having issues with respect to transit for a while. It feels like we have been disconnected after the Saddletown CTrain station. People in Skyview Ranch and Redstone are facing major issues with respect to Calgary transit.”
Legislative expertise
Although Sadat has no previous experience in politics, he said his background as a lawyer will be invaluable while serving the city.
The main point is that with a guaranteed nine new councillors, knowledge of law and good communication would be necessary.
“My friends joke around with me and say, ‘if you get elected in October, we’ll be able to say council got counselled,” Sadat said.
“So that means I can facilitate my legal experience as a lawyer to make an informed decision in service of my ward and Calgary.”
