Calgary’s Ward 13 councillor wants to make the jump to Edmonton, as he’s announced that he’ll run for nomination in the provincial Calgary-Shaw constituency.
Dan McLean, who was recently elected to serve Calgarians in Ward 13 will vie for the United Conservative Party nomination in the riding, the area currently served by MLA Rebecca Schulz.
Schulz announced her resignation from the UCP government’s cabinet at the end of 2025, and that she would be leaving her seat this year. That’s expected to trigger a byelection in the riding for later this year.
For his part, McLean had told LWC earlier this year that he was 50-50 on the nomination run. Now his intentions have been made clear.
“Following the decision by my friend Rebecca Schulz to step down as MLA, I have spent time speaking with residents across Calgary-Shaw—listening to their concerns and seeking their input,” read a media release from McLean.
“I have been encouraged to step forward because residents want a continuation of the strong, principled leadership Rebecca has demonstrated, and I would be honoured to carry that work forward.”
McLean was first elected to Calgary city council in 2021, winning the Ward 13 riding over incumbent Diane Colley-Urquhart, who had served the area for multiple terms. In the most recent municipal election, McLean had one of the largest margins of victory.
“Over the past five years on Calgary City Council, I have worked to bring common sense to City Hall—standing up for taxpayers, advocating for safer communities, and pushing for greater accountability and fiscal responsibility,” he said.
“I believe the time is right to continue serving—this time at the provincial level.”
Support from city council colleagues
McLean’s first term on Calgary city council was a turbulent one, with dustups that included sanctions for not wearing a mask during a COVID function, fines for a pre-election Calgary Stampede breakfast, a reprimand for playing a game of golf during a Calgary public hearing, and the surfacing of a video involving McLean, former Justice Minister Jonathan Denis and conservative operative Craig Chandler that involved the mocking of Indigenous people.
The second term for McLean has started off less controversial, and he’s taken somewhat of a leadership role with council.
He has been involved with Chandler over the Calgary Shaw nomination, with the latter creating a website that was initially encouraging McLean to stay a part of Calgary city council but recently turned into an anti-McLean site.
Chandler is running the campaign of nominee Mike Derry.
McLean’s run was acknowledged by Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas, who said he’s shown leadership this term, including spearheading the Notice of Motion on repealing blanket rezoning. McLean also chairs the Intergovernmental Committee and sits on the Calgary Police Commission.
“I’ve appreciated his mentorship as well as a returning member of council. So regardless of his decision, I’ll say I appreciate his service on this council, and I wish him the best,” Farkas said.
Farkas said having a former municipal politician jump to provincial politics can help ensure there’s a voice in Edmonton that understands the challenges the City of Calgary faces.
“I think it brings a level of expertise that you don’t typically see at the provincial level,” he said.
Ward 14 Coun. Landon Johnston said that McLean has his full support.
“He’s seen what happens within the city halls here, and he’ll be able to take that knowledge onto a bigger scale,” Johnston said.
“I would support any council member that wanted to further their reach and actually do action this way. I think he would be in a good position to do that.”
Should McLean succeed in nomination, it would likely trigger a byelection in Ward 13, though it’s unclear when as McLean likely wouldn’t officially be gone unless he was elected in a 2027 provincial race.
There are rumours that former Ward 1 councillor and mayoral contender Sonya Sharp would enter the race to replace McLean.
