He was once the Mayor of Calgary, but now Naheed Nenshi has entered the provincial political scene.
Nenshi is running for the leadership of the NDP, he says the cost of living has been one of several concerns he’s heard from people during his campaign.
“The Premier keeps telling us that Alberta’s economy is doing really well, but we’re not feeling it in our own pocket books. What are we going to do about that and it’s true that Alberta has the second highest inflation or sometimes given the month the highest inflation in the country. Our wages have gone down more than anywhere else in the country. People are very right to be concerned about these things.”
Nenshi says it’s important to “focus in on areas where the provincial government has some control”.
“Things like utilities and insurance rates and ensure that we are making sure that we always put the consumer at the centre, not the companies that are selling these things. If you believe that housing affordability is in crisis, then you’ve got to invest in increasing housing supply, both affordable housing and private sector housing.”
Some things that Nenshi says he’s heard from smaller communities include the difficulty attracting and retaining doctors, nurses and teachers.
Nenshi served as Calgary’s Mayor between 2010 and 2021.
You can listen to our full interview with him below.
– Kyle Moore, Trending 55 Newsroom
