In 2012, Coolahan left writing and editing and became a Business Agent for the United Utilities Workers' Association.

After moving to Calgary in 2003, he became politically active on issues such as health care, education and housing.

He ran for the Alberta NDP in the 2012 provincial general election in the riding of Calgary-Elbow, losing to the would-be Premier Alison Redford.

[2] Coolahan married Sarah Somasundaram in 2010 and they have two children: Mehna Grace (b.2011) and Kieran Shanta Thomas (b.2014).

In November 2016 he introduced Bill 208 to "introduce mandatory workplace harassment policies for every industry," [3] and while the bill died after its first reading it informed the NDP government's "An Act to Protect The Health and Well-Being of Working Albertans" which became law in June 2018.