Calgary city council already has a party forming inside it, one members say is born from the current dysfunction at city hall and a desire to represent citizens.

Communities First is calling itself a municipal caucus right now, and is comprised of sitting Calgary city councillors Andre Chabot, Dan McLean, Sonya Sharp and Terry Wong. Former Calgary city councillor John Mar will also be on the team.

They said they will field a “full roster of like-minded Calgarians” as candidates in the Oct. 20, 2025 municipal election.

Their media release is headlined with “new municipal caucus seeks to replace ‘dysfunctional council’ with sensible one in 2025 election.”

When asked about the so-called dysfunction on council, Ward 7 Coun. Terry Wong said that increasingly citizens have asked him why councillors aren’t representing their views at city hall. They’re telling him they see the same 9-5 vote all the time and it looks like it’s on ideological lines instead of what their citizens want.

“The question is not so much, is this council dysfunctional? The question is, what the public perceives,” Wong said.

“I think there’s a number of us that think the same way. You’re going to see candidates coming forth doing exactly that, as opposed to following that proverbial nine-six vote.”

Communities First intends to register as a municipal party for the next election, but they said they’ll function very differently from traditional federal or provincial parties. They said they’ll focus on genuine community representation over strict party discipline.

“We’re a ‘party’ by necessity rather than desire,” said Coun. Chabot.

“These are the rules the province has set down; this is where things are going, but we don’t have to behave like other parties do. For each of us, representing our constituents independently is the top priority, and it will always trump any party discipline.” 

How will they ensure they’re representing all the voices in their constituencies and not just the loud ones?

“I always encourage listening to everybody, and do that at town halls, I do that in emails, I do that in my social media, everything else, and I expect every other council to do the same,” Wong said.

“The way we do that, of course, is we invite everybody, we invite everyone to respond, and we’re very transparent. So, we get all the good news, and we also get all the bad news, and we’re not hiding anything.

Communities First priorities

The group listed six priorities that will guide their decisions at city hall.

• Being responsible and account to citizens
• Running an efficient and effective city
• Getting back to basics (focus on municipal responsibilities)
• Public safety as a fundamental responsibility
• Smart and respectful growth

“Calgarians are fed up with this Council. They’re tired of all the drama,” said Ward 1 Coun Sonya Sharp, in a prepared news release.

They’re tired of not being listened to and being lectured. They’re tired of a Council that seems to want to focus on anything but what matters to Calgarians. We want to offer Calgarians the chance to vote for people who are interested in representing them rather than an ideology.”

Former Ward 8 Coun. John Mar said there’s lots to be fixed at Calgary city hall.

“When I left, things were running pretty smoothly. Now, there’s a ton of infighting, nobody working together. City Administration feels like it’s a rudderless ship.”

Mar who was an incumbent at the time, was beat in 2013 by Evan Woolley. He had served two-terms on Calgary city council.