Communities First is a

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

municipal political party in

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

, founded by four incumbent city councillors ahead of the city's 2025 municipal election. Councillor Sonya Sharp is running as the party's mayoral candidate.

History

Communities First was founded in December 2024 by four

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

councillors and was registered with Elections Calgary on February 18, 2025. The party was founded in response to the Alberta government's legalization of municipal political parties in Calgary and

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

ahead of the province's 2025 municipal elections; though several of their candidates criticized the introduction of parties to municipal politics, they expressed concern that incumbent councillors could be defeated by candidates from other parties if they did not form their own. The party intends to run a full slate of candidates for

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

and

council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

. On March 31, 2025, councillor Sonya Sharp announced she would be running as the party's mayoral candidate.

Positions

Communities First's candidates have described it as a "non-party party" and "a caucus with like-minded individuals" that will not impose strict party discipline on its councillors. They have criticized city council as "dysfunctional" and failing to represent the views of constituents, promising to focus on community representation over ideology. Their priorities include government efficiency, a focus on basic responsibilities such as filling potholes and fixing roads, maintaining low taxes, and public safety. They are opposed to Calgary's blanket rezoning policy, instead favouring development policies that allow higher density while preserving community character.

Candidates in the 2025 Municipal Election

References

External links

* {{Municipal political parties in Alberta Municipal_government_of_Calgary Organizations based in Calgary Municipal political parties in Alberta Political parties established in 2024 2024 establishments in Alberta