New ridings proposed for Calgary, Edmonton
Boundary review recommends changes to deal with population growth
Alberta’s electoral boundaries commission is recommending the province adjust its ridings so that Edmonton, Calgary and the Airdrie-Cochrane area each get a new electoral district to account for population growth.
That means consolidating rural ridings in Alberta’s central northeast, central west and eastern parts, where population growth has been slower than the province as a whole.
Commission chair Justice Myra Bielby said Thursday the result is a constituency map where most ridings have around the same number of people, thus equalizing the power of each Albertan vote.
RURAL-URBAN DIVIDE
The rural-urban divide was always expected to be at the heart of the review.
In its 200-page report, the commission wrote it is time to stop treating differences between rural and urban Albertans as a main driver in setting electoral boundaries.
Bielby said while she sympathizes with rural folks who could see significant growth in the size of their riding, addressing the inequality in constituency populations was the most pressing concern.
Commission member Gwen Day had a different take on the rural-urban question and included it in the report as a minority opinion.
To her, Alberta’s constituency variety — small towns, villages, cities — and the resulting social mosaic is a gift that should be treasured.
“I would have loved to have seen a different result,” she said Thursday.
“But this is the interim report, so I’m still hopeful.”
The commission also wrote in the report that some concerns raised by rural Albertans during consultations “may be overstated.”
Staff could drive MLAs to Edmonton while they read and prepare for legislative business, it found, and satellite offices could be opened in geographically large ridings.
It also pointed to a cultural shift whereby voters are now making contact with their MLA via phone or email rather than visiting offices.
As for the worry that fewer rural seats means less of a rural voice in the legislature, resulting in less attention and fewer resources, the commission found that’s the inevitable outcome of a major population shift toward urban centres.
THE NEXT STEP
The next step in the commission’s review will allow for more public input as proposed boundaries are hashed out and debated over the summer.
Bielby said the commission is particularly interested in hearing from Albertans about the actual population of the current Fort McMurray-Conklin constituency, which was hit hard by last year’s wildfire, and local thoughts on dividing the region’s constituencies north-south, rather than eastwest.
They’re also keen on hearing thoughts about the changes to Medicine Hat, merging Strathmore and Drumheller, and combining Airdrie and Cochrane into a new constituency.
The commission started its review on Dec. 19, and received 749 submissions online and from the public, political parties and interest groups as it travelled across the province.