Why We Endorse Joey
With her background leading million-dollar projects in Calgary’s tech and innovation sector, starting her own small business, and building an incubator program for local startups tackling issues like mental health and community safety, Joey will fight to solve the big problems at City Hall.
About Joey
Joey is a problem solver. She’s spent over a decade working in both public and private sectors figuring out what’s working, what’s falling short, and how to build solutions that last.
Local government is where decisions are most acutely felt, and Joey takes that responsibility seriously. Her experience in the tech and innovation sector shows that she is able to collaborate, innovate and find new solutions to the biggest challenges facing Calgary and Ward 1.
When residents are facing the same barriers again and again – whether it’s lack of affordable housing, overstretched infrastructure, or concerns around safety – that’s not just about local fixes. That’s about upstream conditions shaping what’s possible for people and communities. I’m running because I want to do both: work alongside residents to solve problems that affect daily life and take on the root causes that keep holding us, and Calgary, back.
– Joey Nowak
Joey’s qualifications include:
- small business owner
- dedicated community builder
- passion for finding solutions that last and have real impacts on people’s lives
- senior manager in Calgary’s tech and innovation sector
- Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Toronto
- experience as a policy analyst and evaluation officer for Global Affairs Canada
Joey is ready to put her passion for problem-solving and community building to work for the residents of Ward 1.
Check out Ward 1
Bowness Park, one of Calgary’s most famous urban parks, is located in Ward 1. Did you know that land for the park was donated to the City of Calgary in 1911 by John Hextall in exchange for streetcar service to a suburb he was developing called Bowness Estates?
That suburb grew into the community of Bowness. Bowness became a village in 1948, a town in 1952, and was amalgamated into Calgary in 1964.
Learn More
If you want to learn more about Joey and see where she stands on critical issues facing Calgarians today, check out her responses to our Candidate Questionnaire:
I’m running because I believe in building strong communities. Neighbourhoods are where change really happens. It’s where people feel the impact of city decisions, the good and the bad, in their everyday lives. When we invest in people, places, and relationships, we make real progress and make lives better. That’s the kind of work I want to do on Council.
On housing affordability:
Keeping housing affordable means looking at the full picture. Not just how many homes we build, but where, what kind, and who they’re for. We need more homes near transit, schools, and services, and we need to make sure people can afford to live in the communities they’re connected to. That means using city tools wisely, like opening up public land for non-market and diverse types of housing.
On public transit:
Transit shouldn’t be a last resort, it should be a reliable option. This is especially the case with how fast our City is growing. I’ll push for transit equity across the city and make sure Ward 1 communities aren’t left behind in the process.
I support the full Green Line vision, and I’ll work to keep it moving by building relationships across the aisle, pushing the province to stay at the table, and keeping the long game in focus. This isn’t just about trains. It’s also about showing Calgarians that we can still deliver on bold ideas.
On climate planning:
I believe climate action needs to be built into the way we plan and invest across the City. It means investing in electrified and reliable transit options, making it easier and more affordable for people to live in energy-efficient homes, and protecting the green spaces, tree canopies, and watersheds that help our communities stay cool and resilient. We need to stop treating climate resilience as a siloed policy goal and start treating it as part of how we build a healthy, functioning city.
We also have to prepare for what’s already here. That means investing in flood and drought mitigation, upgrading infrastructure to handle extreme weather, and making sure emergency response systems are ready when people need them most. It’s about practical, local action that protects quality of life now and into the future.
On public services:
Public services are what make a city work – not just on paper, but in people’s daily lives. From transit and waste collection to rec centres, libraries, and emergency response, these are the things Calgarians rely on to get where they need to go, stay safe, care for their families, and feel connected to their neighbourhood.
They’re also a huge part of our local economy. Not just as job creators, but as the foundation that makes everything else work. Small businesses, working parents, seniors, and newcomers all rely on strong public services to thrive. I see them as the glue that holds a neighbourhood together.
Investing in public services isn’t just good policy, it’s how we build a city where people can count on the basics and no one gets left behind. When we deliver these services well – with care, reliability, and equity – we create the conditions for families and workers to access opportunity, and neighbourhoods to thrive. That’s the kind of Calgary I want to help shape.
Where to Find Joey
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