The owner of a human resources and business consultancy will be the United Conservative Party\u2019s candidate in an upcoming byelection in Calgary-Shaw, overcoming a Calgary city councillor in the party\u2019s nomination contest.<\/p>\n
Mike Derry secured the nomination ahead of Ward 13 Coun. Dan McLean after a vote by Calgary-Shaw UCP members on Wednesday at Cardel Rec South in Shawnessy.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast night was truly unforgettable,\u201d Derry wrote in a social media post Thursday, calling the nomination contest a \u201chard fought battle.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The vote breakdown was 286 to 221, he said.<\/p>\n
While he\u2019s supported conservative election campaigns for candidates at all three levels of government in the past, Derry said this marks the first time his own name was on the ballot.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s absolutely an honour,\u201d he said in an interview. \u201cNothing was given to me. My team and I had to work very hard. We tried to knock on every single door in Calgary-Shaw and I think people saw that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derry previously held corporate positions with Telus, and in the oil and gas sector with Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., before he founded LegendDERRY Talent in 2022. He has a wife and two sons.<\/p>\n
He said he was born in Calgary, raised in a town outside the city and relocated to south Calgary after reaching adulthood.<\/p>\n
\u201cI live local, my kids go to school local and I think whether you live local or not, you have to actually represent and experience local issues,\u201d he said. \u201cI feel honoured to be able to actually represent the area I live in.\u201d<\/p>\n
McLean, a second-term councillor who has served as the Ward 13 representative since October 2021, announced his intention to seek the UCP nomination<\/a> for Calgary-Shaw in early May.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks for all the tremendous support I heard from people at doors in this nomination contest, and I understand why many don\u2019t want to lose me at city hall fighting for conservative policies and common sense,\u201d McLean wrote afterward.<\/p>\n \u201cI will continue to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n Premier Danielle Smith congratulated Derry in person after his win Wednesday, and then again in a subsequent social media post.<\/p>\n \u201cI also want to sincerely thank Dan McLean for putting his name forward,\u201d she wrote. \u201cDan has been a strong advocate for Calgary and I know he will continue making a positive difference for our city and our province.\u201d<\/p>\n A byelection is required for the riding as it was recently vacated by former UCP cabinet minister Rebecca Schulz. She announced on Dec. 31, 2025, that she\u2019d step away from provincial politics in May of this year.<\/p>\n Under provincial law, a byelection is required by November, though a date has not been set.<\/p>\n The Alberta NDP has not confirmed its candidate for the riding, which is on the southern tip of Calgary, straddling Macleod Trail in communities such as Shawnessy, Somerset, Silverado and Legacy.<\/p>\n An NDP spokesperson said in an email the party intends to nominate a Calgary-Shaw candidate<\/a> on Friday.<\/p>\n Kyle Campbell, president of the Somerset Residents\u2019 Association, is the party\u2019s sole listed candidate for the riding and has been campaigning in recent weeks.<\/p>\n