Boundaries to be tweaked ahead of vote

Proposed changes to ward boundaries in Calgary would unify Beltline communities in Ward 8, bring the entire downtown into Ward 7, and push Ward 11 farther south and east.

The city began reviewing Calgary’s 14 municipal wards when census data showed growing population disparities between certain areas.

Wards were redrawn ahead of the 2017 election but, according to the 2019 civic census, Coun. Shane Keating’s Ward 12 in the southeast has seen rapid population growth that puts it 20 per cent above the municipal average. On the opposite end of the city, Coun. Jyoti Gondek’s Ward 3 is about 22 per cent below the average. The maximum population deviation allowed between districts under Canadian law is 25 per cent, and the city typically aims to keep it within 15 per cent above or below the average.

City returning officer Laura Kennedy presented the proposed boundaries to city council last week, but before they become official for the 2021 vote, council must approve a bylaw to adopt them. There will be a public hearing on the changes in July, with final approval set for October.

Under the proposed map, Coun. Jeromy Farkas’s Ward 11 would take Douglasdale and Riverbend, but lose the inner-city communities of Mission and Elbow Park. Gondek’s Ward 3 also takes on Mcewan Glen and Sandstone Valley.

Farkas’s ward would be the most populous in the city after the changes, with about 103,000 residents based on 2019 census numbers. Ward 3 would still have the fewest, at around 81,000.

Projected city growth over the next decade was taken into account for the review.

Because population deviations were a problem in fewer than seven wards, this round of boundary changes is considered a minor review.

Kennedy conducted an independent review that involved public feedback gathered earlier this year. She presented two “deliberately provocative” options for boundary changes to gauge what Calgarians wanted to see, but neither scenario is identical to her final recommendation.

An education effort will be rolled out ahead of the 2021 municipal election to make sure Calgarians know which ward they ’re in before voting.