Report says Edmonton, Calgary should each get another seat in Alberta legislature

EDMONTON – A report by the Electoral Boundaries Commission suggests Calgary and Edmonton should each get an additional seat in the legislature.

The commission is working to update Alberta’s political map for the 2019 provincial election.

The report says the province should continue to have 87 constituencies, but some of them need to be changed to reflect a growing population in some urban areas.

The changes would involve:

– The Lac La Biche-St. Paul-Two Hills, Athabasca-Sturgeon-Redwater, Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville and Bonnyville-Cold Lake ridings being consolidated into three;

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– Seven ridings (Battle River-Wainwright, Drumheller-Stettler, Strathmore-Brooks, Little Bow, Cardston-Taber-Warner, Cypress-Medicine Hat and Vermilion-Lloydminister) made into six;

– Five constituencies (Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre, West Yellowhead, Drayton Valley-Devon, Whitecourt-Ste. Anne and Stony Plain) becoming four;

– Seven ridings (Battle River-Wainwright, Drumheller-Stettler, Strathmore-Brooks, Little Bow, Cardston-Taber-Warner, Cypress-Medicine Hat and Vermilion-Lloydminister) being made into six.

The report also recommends creating a new constituency north of Calgary to accounts for growth in Airdrie and Cochrane.

Alberta’s population grew from 3,742,800 in 2010 to 4,252,900 in 2016, according to Statistics Canada.

The government is scheduled to receive the commission’s final report by Oct. 31.

(The Canadian Press, Troy Gillard)