Naheed Nenshi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Naheed Nenshi MLA
Nenshi in 2015
Leader of the Opposition in Alberta
Incumbent
Assumed office June 23, 2025
Preceded by	Christina Gray
Leader of the Alberta New Democratic Party
Incumbent
Assumed office June 22, 2024
Deputy	Rakhi Pancholi
Preceded by	Rachel Notley
Member of the Legislative Assembly for Edmonton-Strathcona
Incumbent
Assumed office June 23, 2025
Preceded by	Rachel Notley
36th Mayor of Calgary
In office October 25, 2010 – October 25, 2021
Preceded by	Dave Bronconnier
Succeeded by	Jyoti Gondek
Personal details
Born	Naheed Kurban Nenshi (1972-02-02) February 2, 1972 (age 53) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Political party	New Democratic
Other political affiliations	Independent (municipal)
Alma mater	University of Calgary (BCom) Harvard University (MPP)
Profession	Associate professor; management consultant

Naheed Kurban Nenshi (born February 2, 1972) is a Canadian politician. He has been the leader of the Alberta New Democratic Party (NDP) since 2024. He also became the Leader of the Official Opposition in Alberta in 2025.

Before this, he was the 36th mayor of Calgary. He served for three terms from 2010 to 2021. Nenshi studied at the University of Calgary and Harvard University. He worked as a consultant and teacher before entering politics.

Nenshi won the 2010 mayoral election. He became the first Muslim mayor of a major Canadian city. He was re-elected in 2013 and 2017. After three terms, he decided not to run again in 2021. Many people thought he was one of Canada's most popular mayors.

In March 2024, Nenshi announced he would run for leader of the Alberta NDP. He won with a large majority of votes. He became a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in June 2025. He won a special election in Edmonton-Strathcona.

Early Life and Education

Nenshi was born in Toronto, Ontario. He grew up in Calgary and Red Deer County. His parents were Ismaili Muslims from Indian Gujarati backgrounds. They moved to Canada from Tanzania.

He went to the University of Calgary. He was President of the Students' Union. He earned a degree in Commerce in 1993. He then got a Master's degree in Public Policy from Harvard University in 1998.

After university, Nenshi worked as a management consultant. He also started his own consulting company. His company helped non-profit groups and governments. He also advised the United Nations. He helped them encourage companies to be more socially responsible.

Nenshi first tried to enter politics in 2004. He ran for a seat on Calgary's city council but did not win. He also helped start groups to improve Calgary's city government. He was an instructor at Mount Royal University. He also wrote a column about city issues for the Calgary Herald.

Mayor of Calgary (2010–2021)

Winning Elections

2010 Mayoral Election

Nenshi's 2010 campaign for mayor was called the "Purple Revolution." It used social media a lot to reach voters. The name "Purple Revolution" showed that the campaign wanted to appeal to many different types of voters.

Early polls showed Nenshi was not a top candidate. But his popularity grew quickly. Days before the election, polls showed he was tied with the leading candidates. He was especially popular with younger voters. This was likely because of his social media campaign.

Nenshi won the election with 40 percent of the votes. He finished far ahead of the second-place candidate. His win was seen as a big success for using social media in elections. It also made international news because of his background and faith.

Nenshi speaking to supporters and media shortly after being projected to win

2013 Mayoral Election

When Nenshi ran for re-election in 2013, he shared who donated to his campaign. He encouraged his opponents to do the same. He had promised to make City Hall more open and clear.

Nenshi proposed to stop giving money to home builders. He believed this would save the city millions of dollars each year. He wanted developers to help pay for new roads and services in new areas.

Nenshi won re-election by a huge margin. He was sworn in a few weeks later.

2017 Mayoral Election

During his first term, the time for council terms was changed. It went from three years to four years. Nenshi decided to run for a third term in 2016. On October 16, 2017, Nenshi won his third term. He received over 50% of the votes.

Time as Mayor

City Development and Services

Soon after becoming mayor, Nenshi's council started many projects. These projects aimed to improve Calgary. They included redeveloping the East Village area. This included building the New Central Library and the National Music Centre.

His administration also finished projects started by the previous mayor. These included extending the C-Train line and building the Peace Bridge. They also built a tunnel to the Calgary International Airport.

Nenshi's team worked to make city services better and clearer. These efforts were called "transforming government" and "cutting red tape." These ideas aimed to improve life and business for Calgarians. The "cutting red tape" effort saved Calgarians a lot of time and money.

In 2013, the city council passed a rule. It banned smoking in playgrounds and other places where families and children play. Nenshi also supported the Keystone XL pipeline project. He said it could help reduce environmental damage from oil transport.

Transportation Improvements

During Nenshi's time as mayor, Calgary built its first bicycle lanes downtown. By 2020, the city had many kilometers of cycle lanes.

The city also worked with the Tsuu T'ina to extend Stoney Trail. This is a ring road around Calgary. The Tsuu T'ina people voted to allow the road on their land. In return, they received land and money.

Calgary Transit presented a plan called "RouteAhead." This plan aimed to invest billions of dollars over 30 years. It would expand and improve Calgary's public transit. The city council approved money for new four-car trains. These trains would replace older ones and help with crowded trains.

Nenshi also changed the fees for park-and-ride lots. He first removed the fees to encourage more people to use public transit. Later, a monthly fee was set for reserved parking.

2013 Flood Response

In 2013, a big flood hit Southern Alberta. Nenshi's efforts to help people and boost spirits were praised. He encouraged Calgarians to support each other during the recovery. People even made internet memes calling him "Supermayor." T-shirts with his image were sold to raise money for flood relief.

Nenshi helped launch a book about the flood. It was published by the Calgary Herald. Money from the book went to help flood victims. Nenshi also set up a group of experts to suggest ways to prevent future flood damage.

City Finances

The city worked on a plan to combine the business tax with the property tax. Calgary was one of the last cities to have a separate business tax.

Taxes had been rising in Calgary even before Nenshi became mayor. This was due to both provincial and city government increases. During Nenshi's first term, property taxes increased. They also increased during his second term.

Nenshi said that Calgary's taxes were still among the lowest compared to other major Canadian cities. He also said that the city needed different ways to get money, not just property taxes. He believed the province needed to make laws to allow this.

In 2013, the city council asked Calgarians how to spend a $52 million surplus. This money came from collecting too much in property taxes. The council voted to use this money for flood relief.

Social Issues and Diversity

In 2011, Nenshi was the grand marshal of Calgary Pride, the city's gay pride parade. He was the first Calgary mayor to do this. In 2013, he declared a "Trans Day of Visibility." This day raises awareness for challenges faced by transgender people.

Nenshi spoke about the importance of diversity in 2014. He noted that there was not enough diversity among senior city staff. He said that while the city hired many minorities and women, they might not be getting promoted.

During his time as mayor, the term "alderman" was changed to "councillor." This is a gender-neutral term.

After winning the 2013 election, Nenshi decided that City Hall would fly the rainbow pride flag. This was during the 2014 Winter Olympics. It was a protest against the Russian government's stance on LGBT rights.

In 2017, the Langevin Bridge was renamed the Reconciliation Bridge. This was done after people raised concerns about naming it after Sir Hector-Louis Langevin. He was involved in the residential school system. Nenshi also took part in a ceremony to raise the flag of Treaty 7 outside city hall. This honored Indigenous communities.

Leader of the Alberta NDP (2024–Present)

Nenshi announced he would run for leader of the Alberta NDP on March 11, 2024. He was not a member of the party at the time. He needed special permission to run.

He won the leadership race on June 22, 2024. He received 86% of the votes. He replaced former Premier Rachel Notley.

Current Priorities

Six months after becoming leader, Nenshi shared his main goals. He said he would focus on making things more affordable, creating jobs, improving health care, public safety, and education. He felt the current government was not focusing on these areas enough.

Nenshi has spoken about the consumer carbon tax. He also criticized the government's pause on new renewable energy projects. He has written articles for the Calgary Herald. These articles discussed reforms and how Alberta can deal with trade issues.

In May 2025, Nenshi received strong support in a leadership review vote. He had 89.5 percent support from party members.

By-elections

Nenshi's party won the 2024 Lethbridge-West provincial by-election. Nenshi did not run in that election. However, when Rachel Notley retired from the legislature, Nenshi decided to run for her seat. This was in Edmonton-Strathcona. On January 23, 2025, Nenshi became the party's candidate without anyone else challenging him. Nenshi was elected as an MLA on June 23, 2025. The Alberta NDP also kept the seat of Edmonton-Ellerslie.

Outside Politics

Nenshi appeared on the 2024 edition of Canada Reads. He supported the illustrated novel Denison Avenue.

Awards and Honors

• In 2011, Nenshi won a Young Leader award from the World Economic Forum. This was for his new ideas in city planning.
• He received the President's Award from the Canadian Institute of Planners in 2012. This was for his ideas like making government more open.
• Maclean's magazine ranked Nenshi as the second most important person in Canada in 2013.
• In 2014, he was given the Blackfoot name A'paistootsiipsii. This means "Camp Moving Leader" or "he who moves the camp and others follow." It showed his leadership for the people of Calgary.
• Nenshi won the World Mayor prize in 2014. He was the first Canadian mayor to receive this award.
• In 2017, he was named 'Honorary Peace Patron' by the Mosaic Institute. This was for his work in strengthening Canada.

Electoral Record

(Asterisk indicates candidate withdrew from the race but name remained on ballot)

See also

In Spanish: Naheed Nenshi para niños

• List of Harvard University politicians