Why We Endorse Nathaniel Schmidt
Nathaniel is driven by a sense of fairness and justice that comes from his experience as a defence lawyer and working with Legal Aid. His involvement in his community as a volunteer and mentor show his willingness and ability to find solutions to our city’s greatest challenges through collaboration and connection.
About Nathaniel Schmidt
Nathaniel has publicly fought for the protection of our river valleys, vulnerable populations, and housing. This has brought him to council chambers in City Hall many times over the years. A former freelance musician, he currently operates his own law firm as a defence lawyer doing all Legal Aid work. His focus has been on vulnerable clients, youth criminal law, and Indigenous courtrooms both in Calgary and the surrounding regions.
As a defence lawyer, Nathaniel has heard his clients’ stories and noticed the same patterns over and over of lack of affordable housing, mental health supports, addictions services, and a place to find stability and safety. Now he’s ready to address the root sources of these problems.
Like many Calgarians, I recognize the real challenges our communities are facing in housing, affordability, safety, and climate change. I have stood at the Courts, volunteered for my community, and witnessed first hand the challenges facing Calgarians from all walks of life. For many in my generation and younger generations, the aspiration of home ownership and long-term stability is becoming more difficult and we need voices on City Council advocating for policies that ease these pressures and give people of all backgrounds a chance to succeed.
– Nathaniel Schmidt
Nathaniel’s qualifications include:
- Criminal defence lawyer working with vulnerable populations
- Board member of Alberta Wilderness Association, Calgary River Valleys, and Nature Calgary
- President of Kensington Sinfonia Society
- Mentor at Student Legal Assistance and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada
Nathaniel is passionate about using his experience advocating for Calgarians without a voice to give the residents of Ward 8 a strong voice at City Hall.
Check out Ward 8
Ward 8 is home to Calgary’s downtown communities. The ward includes many of Calgary’s artistic and cultural organizations including the Calgary Stampede.
Learn More
If you want to learn more about Nathaniel and see where he stands on critical issues facing Calgarians today, check out his responses to our Candidate Questionnaire:
I see that we continue to make the same mistakes over and over, and believe we must change our perspective and learn that by lifting up those around us, we improve the well-being of our entire community. With the birth of my own daughter and these formative experiences, I was moved to put my name forward for City Council, driven by a desire to help shape the future of this city for my own family and the families of all the others who call Calgary home.
On housing affordability:
We need more housing and better housing options for people at all stages of life and must keep pace with the needs of Calgarians who are facing challenges finding adequate housing. This means building market and non-market housing in areas across the city where people can access services and amenities, to live a high quality of life. I will work with communities and learn what they love about their neighbourhoods and the components they want to maintain while also advocating for the crucial importance of building more housing options so that we can all grow together.
On public transit:
There is no denying the Green Line has been a difficult project. Public transit is crucial for a city like Calgary, one of the fastest-growing cities in Canada. My priority, regardless of the project, is to have a transit system that works and provides Calgarians with the choice to have an affordable way to move around their city. Shovels are in the ground and the project is proceeding. The province has expressed a clear interest in the project and the next City Council must be prepared to maintain an open dialogue with whoever is in power in Edmonton and Ottawa to build a Green Line that moves people through our city as effectively as possible and enhances the neighbourhoods where it is being built.
On climate planning:
Calgarians are already experiencing the real impacts of climate change with floods, drought, hailstorms, and wildfire smoke. I will work with provincial and federal governments to ensure we have adequate support to increase Calgary’s resilience to extreme weather events like hail, fire and floods through existing and future adaptation projects.
On public services:
Effective public services are the foundation of a world-class city and are one of the strongest tools cities have to enable success for their citizens. Services like transit, recreation, emergency services, water, waste management, and many others are essential and the foundation of a healthy, thriving city. Individual areas of public service provide additional benefits that improve the lives of those with daily challenges that would otherwise go unaddressed. On the surface, these programs may appear expensive but they have essential, long-term value to our everyday life.
Where to Find Nathaniel
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