The Banff-Cochrane constituency is likely to see new electoral boundaries in time for the 2019 provincial election.
Out of the 87 Alberta constituencies, the Banff-Cochrane riding has experienced significant growth over the last eight years – since the last time the Alberta Electoral Boundaries Commission reviewed boundary changes.
“The Alberta population has grown by more than 14 per cent since the boundaries were last looked at in 2008,” explained Justice Myra Bielby, commission chair, explaining that some communities – such as Calgary and its surrounding communities – have experienced higher concentrations of growth than other areas.
Constituencies must encompass a population of not less than 10 per cent nor more than 25 per cent of the provincial average of 46,697. This formula is determined by dividing the population (4,062,609 in 2016) by the 87 constituencies.
With a population increase of more than 10,000 since 2009/2010 to 56,399, the Banff-Cochrane constituency is pushing 21 per cent of the constituency average.
Other nearby communities pushing or exceeding 25 per cent include Airdrie at 64,409 and Chestermere at 54,061. Calgary South-East topped the list at a whopping 92,148; Edmonton South-West also came in high at 79,881.
Fort McMurray-Conklin has the lowest number at 17,129 – a stark contrast to its 2008 figure of 39,657.
When asked if the likely step would be to separate Banff from Cochrane, Bielby said it is too preliminary to speculate what the new boundaries would look like and how they would subsequently shape the boundaries of adjacent constituencies; additional constituencies cannot be created, only adjusted.
“It’s the democratic principle of representation by population,” said Bielby, explaining that the commission is wrapping up its first round of public consultations – held in Calgary earlier this week.
Cochrane Coun. Morgan Nagel has expressed his concerns over the process and is hopeful Cochrane will not get lumped in with the City of Calgary.
“My fear is that if Cochrane and other small towns are stuck into city ridings, we will completely lose our voice. Please do not consider doing this,” penned the councillor to municipal affairs this week.
“It’s something we do every two election cycles,” said Banff-Cochrane NDP MLA Cameron Westhead, confirming it is too early to speculate on how the boundaries in this constituency might shift. He said the commission has a “difficult task to meet all the requirements and ensure all the constituencies are represented fairly.”
The commission is required to file its interim report by May 31. Round two of public consultations will be in July. The final draft needs to be filed by Oct. 31.
“I think people are anxious about change,” she said, adding the public has been providing common sense input about how to best move electoral boundaries, including using rivers and highways as borders.
As part of its mandate, the commission is to “achieve effective representation and clear and understandable boundaries.”
Other criteria used to determine the boundaries include common community interests and existing municipal and neighbourhood boundaries.
The commission chair said the legislative assembly would need to adopt the recommended changes at least one year before the next election to give the returning officers enough time for implementation. The next provincial election is slated for the spring of 2019.
Bielby said the public input has been “terrific” to date, with 749 people providing written submissions in a six-week period (deadline closed Feb. 8). She added the turnout to the public consultations events has been strong and she anticipates the second round will be much the same.
The commission is relying on 2016 Statistics Canada figures. The recently posted figures marked Cochrane as the Calgary-area community that experienced the most growth between 2011 and 2016, with a growth rate of 47.1 per cent, with Airdrie at 42.3 per cent and Chestermere trailing at 34.2 per cent.
Calgary remains the fastest-growing Canadian city with a growth rate of 14.6 per cent. Alberta more than doubled the national average growth rate in this period, at 11.6 per cent (up from 10.8 per cent from 2006-2011).
To learn more about dates and locations for summer public consultations got to abebc.ca.
