Former Alberta judge tapped to chair panel re-drawing electoral boundaries

Alberta’s governing United Conservative Party has tapped a retired judge to chair the province’s new political boundaries panel.

Former provincial justice Brian O’Ferrall will head a panel, overseen by a UCP-led committee, to redraw a map marking all electoral ridings across the province.

The Opposition NDP questions whether O’Ferrall can be seen as impartial given he has donated money to the UCP.

But the UCP says O’Ferrall was free to participate in the political process in his personal life, and he can be trusted to be impartial in heading the panel.