Dan Nelles is the New Democratic Party (NDP) candidate that is hoping to become a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the Airdrie-East riding.

Nelles, a father of five, has been living in Airdrie since he was five. Nelles has been the Chair of the Library Board for the past decade.

"I started as a high school teacher in Calgary, taught high school for eight years before I moved into a position with the Alberta Teachers Association, in Labour Relations, and have been doing that for the past 11 years."

Getting into his campaign, Nelles talked about his main priority.

"The number one issue for Airdronians is access to health services. Folks are having a really difficult time finding a family physician, and the Alberta NDP has the plan to engage in the largest healthcare professional recruitment campaign this province has ever seen."

Job number two for Nelles is making life more affordable for Airdronians. He has heard plenty of times that residents are struggling to make rent payments, cost of living and inflation are becoming big problems. 

"The NDP has measures that we want to introduce to address that we want to put caps back on electricity, gas, and auto insurance rates; bring those costs back down."

With that being said, Nelles stated he has already been advocating and making sure the needs of Airdrie are known and recognized in provincial circles. According to Nelles, one of the first things that need to be discussed is Airdrie's infrastructure needs.

"Educational infrastructure is a huge priority for folks in Airdrie. We have a very young community and the enrollment growth in Rocky View Schools is equivalent to this."

Nelles mentioned he would also like to revitalize the relationship between the City of Airdrie and the provincial government, as he believes there has been a lack of attention to the needs of both the city council and Airdronians over the last four years.

"The NDP has a strong track record of investing in the priorities that mattered to Albertans. When the NDP was last in government, Rachel Notley built or modernized 240 schools across this province, that's something that we want to do again. We also have a track record of effectively and competently managing the health system."

Door knocking for over five months, Nelles wants to say thank you to all the Airdrie residents has talked to so far.

"I have been so pleasantly surprised, and delighted by the enthusiasm that these folks have for change, and for a new Democrat candidate that's actually going to listen to their needs and advocate for those needs."

The 2023 provincial election will take place May 29.

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