Redraw could put third MLA in the Hat

Alberta Electoral Boundaries Commission report suggests new ridings that could mean more local representation in Edmonton

A suggestion to compress seven provincial ridings in eastern Alberta into six could result in the Medicine Hat region gaining a third member of the Alberta legislature.

Or, the city riding could be split in two, with each half becoming part of two more evenly-sized rural ridings, depending on a new round of input to the Alberta Electoral Boundaries Commission.

The group began studying political boundaries last year with a mandate to, if needed, redraw ridings to balance population.

With 600,000 more Albertans in the province since the last adjustments, an interim report suggests adding three urban ridings, while combining some rural ridings to keep the total number at 87.

The initial proposal for Medicine Hat involves a city riding, a northern riding including Brooks, and a southern riding extending all the way west to Vulcan.

“With population declines we had to extend (the boundary) a long way to the west,” said commission member Bruce McLeod during a late-day teleconference.

“(The southeast) is one place where we really need to get some input to see if we got it right.”

To deal with population decline,Z seven eastern Alberta ridings would become six, though changes would result in more ridings converging at Medicine Hat.

The alternate option to maintain general population levels is to create two “blended ridings,” where half the city would join with northern Cypress County and Brooks voters, and the other half with areas directly south.

The report states presenters at local hearings this winter, “invariably” felt the current system worked well. However, they also rejected blended models.

The commission will accept feedback until July 8 before issuing a final report in October.

Commission member Gwen Day wrote a minority opinion stating less change across the province would be better.

“The erosion of rural ridings should be a concern to everyone,” said Day. “There are ridings that could remain the same with populations plus or minus the average.”

Commission chair Justice Myra Bielby said she is sympathetic to areas of slow growth or declining population, but cities now account for 70 per cent of the population.

“We’ve tried to minimize what’s happened in areas outside Calgary and Edmonton, but that’s how the population has changed,” said Bielby.

Currently, about three-quarters of Hatters are represented in a city riding, while those generally living south of the Trans-Canada Highway live in Cypress-Medicine Hat.

That large rural riding also includes Cypress County, the County of Forty Mile and the Town of Redcliff.

Under the proposal, Medicine Hat city limits would establish a single city riding. Areas north of the city and including Brooks would become Brooks-Cypress. Areas south of the city and including Taber, would become the riding of Taber-Vulcan.

Strathmore, currently paired with Brooks, would become its own riding along with Drumheller.

The Brooks-Cypress riding would somewhat mimic historic riding boundaries from the mid-20th century, but the Vulcan-Taber proposal would create a riding stretching from the Saskatchewan Boundary to near Highway 2 south of Calgary.

Ridings groups in northern and central Alberta would also be reduced by one each. New ridings would be added for Airdrie, and Calgary and Edmonton.