The process of redrawing the electoral map for Alberta’s next provincial election will begin in a few weeks. The Alberta Electoral Boundaries Commission will propose a new map of provincial constituency boundaries to reflect changes in population since the last time the map was drawn in 2009/2010. (Here is a link to the current maps)
The Commission has launched their website and released the dates of the first public hearings to collect feedback from Albertans about how their provincial constituencies should be shaped.
The Commission has announced eleven locations where public hearings will be held. Public hearings in Calgary have not yet been announced but I expect they will be soon.
- January 16 and 17 in Edmonton
- January 18 in Fort McMurray
- January 19 in Peace River and Grande Prairie
- January 20 in Red Deer
- January 23 in Wainwright and St. Paul
- January 24 in Drumheller
- January 25 in Lethbridge and Olds
- January 26 in Medicine Hat
The Commission is also accepting written submissions until February 8, 2017.
An interim report will be available by May 31, 2017 and the final report by October 31, 2017.
The Commission’s membership is made up of a neutral chairperson, Justice Myra Bielby, two government appointees, Bruce McLeod of Acme and Jean Munn of Calgary, and two official opposition appointees, Laurie Livingstone of Calgary and Gwen Day of Carstairs.
I have more thoughts about how Alberta’s electoral boundaries are drawn that I will share in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, I encourage all Albertans to participate and provide their feedback into this important process.
