| Kent Hehr | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 2008 election |
|
| Preceded by | Harvey Cenaiko |
| Constituency | Calgary-Buffalo |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 16, 1969 Calgary, Alberta[1] |
| Political party | Alberta Liberal Party |
| Alma mater | University of Calgary |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Website | KentHehrMLA.com |
Kent Hehr (born December 16, 1969[1]) is the Liberal Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for the riding of Calgary-Buffalo.[2]
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As a teenager, Hehr was extremely active in sports including both baseball and hockey. These are interests which Hehr is still passionate about to this day. He played for the Alberta Junior Hockey League champion Calgary Canucks in 1989-90 and for the Mount Royal College Cougars the following year.
He had a goal of becoming a physical education teacher. However, in October 1991, Hehr was shot as a bystander in a drive-by shooting and became a quadriplegic.[3] His injuries ended his plans, and instead Hehr pursued post-secondary studies at Mount Royal College and then at the University of Calgary, from which he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Canadian Studies and a Bachelor of Laws. Upon graduation he was named graduate of the decade and ranked among the top 40 graduates in 40 years. Prior to being elected Member of the Legislative Assembly, Hehr practiced law at Fraser Milner Casgrain.
Hehr also became active in the community, leading various groups, such as the Alberta branch of the Canadian Paraplegic Association. In 2008, he was listed as one of "20 Compelling Calgarians" by the Calgary Herald.[4]
Hehr has also been active in numerous community groups within Calgary. He has served on the following boards in the past few years:[5]
In June 2006, Hehr won the Calgary-Buffalo Liberal nomination in a contest with Keith Purdy, a gay rights activist.[6] It was the first time the Alberta Liberals had had a contested nomination in Calgary since 1998.[6] He was subsequently elected to the legislature in the March 3, 2008 general election.[2]
After the election, Hehr was chosen to be the Shadow Minister for Justice and Solicitor General for the Alberta Liberal Caucus.[7] As the Shadow Minister, Hehr has been working to tackle crime in the province while focusing on other justice issues.
In the legislature, Hehr serves on the following committees:[8]
Hehr was campaigning for mayor in the 2010 Calgary municipal election but withdrew prior to the vote.[9]
Hehr’s major focus has been on gun violence in the province. Soon after he was elected, the City of Calgary became trapped in a gang war, which has claimed the lives of many young individuals.[10]
Hehr has been putting pressure on the government to help reduce these numbers. He started by calling on the province to increase the number of police officers on the beat in downtown Calgary. The Mayor and the Police Chief have also joined in his call to increase the number of police officers.[11]
Hehr’s most recent call has been to give police the power to seize vehicles that contain unregistered firearms, along with the gun.[10] Bill 201 was defeated in second reading March 9, 2009 with no Conservative MLA support.[12]
| Alberta general election, 2008 Calgary-Buffalo |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Liberal | Kent Hehr | 4,583 | 48.92 | ||
| Progressive Conservative | Sean Chu | 3,646 | 38.72 | ||
| Green | Stephen Ricketts | 611 | 6.52 | ||
| New Democrat | Robert Lawrence | 387 | 4.13 | ||
| Social Credit | Antoni Grochowski | 158 | |||