SANDRA M STANWAY
Brooks Bulletin
Alberta’s Electoral Boundaries Commission is expected to begin consultations this spring to review the province’s current electoral boundaries.
The Commission’s task is to review and adjust electoral boundaries to ensure fair representation based on population changes.
“Periodic review of constituency boundaries is key to fair and effective representation for all Albertans,” said the Honourable Nathan Cooper, speaker of the legislative assembly.
“The independent Commission will consider legal requirements, including population changes to existing constituencies, relative population densities and common community interests. It is important that Albertans give the Commission input and feedback to ensure its success, and I encourage them to do so.”
The chair of the Commission is Justice Dallas K. Miller who will work with Julian Martin, Greg Clark, Susan Samson and Justice John D. Evans, who was born and raised in Brooks.
The first report is to be delivered by October and five months after that, the final report is to be delivered.
The Electoral Boundaries Commission Act allows the Commission to make proposals to the legislative assembly as to the area, boundaries and names of electoral divisions following its review.
During the 2016 consultations, it was proposed to split the County of Newell and the City of Brooks, however, advocacy resulted in the municipalities remaining intact to become the Brooks-Medicine Hat riding.
“This recommendation would reunite (the) county entirely within the constituency of Brooks-Medicine Hat,” the Commission determined.
Based on 2017 Statistics Canada information, at the time of the previous Commission, the electoral district had a population of 51,070, which was nine per cent above the provincial average of 46,803 for an electoral district.
