The Lac La Biche-St. Paul-Two Hills provincial electoral riding is another step closer to disappearing off Alberta’s electoral ridings’ map with Bill 33, the Electoral Division Act, now being debated in the Alberta Legislature.
If passed, Bill 33 paves the way for the provincial government to accept and implement recommendations to create three new urban ridings and re-shape and reduce a number of rural ridings. Caught up in the changes recommended by the Electoral Boundaries Commission report released in October is the Lac La Biche-St. Paul-Two Hills riding.
The Electoral Divisions Act, was sitting at second reading in the Alberta Legislature last week before debate was adjourned with five amendments proposed. Among those amendments, all relating to the names of the ridings impacted, the report’s proposed Cold Lake-St. Paul constituency would be changed to Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul.
Constituency boundaries in this region would shift to see St. Paul, Saddle Lake, Elk Point and portions of the County of St. Paul absorbed into much of what is currently the Bonnyville-Cold Lake riding. Areas including Mallaig, St. Vincent, Boscombe and Ashmont would become part of the Athabasca-Barrhead constituency. The Two Hills area would become part of the Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville riding.
Essentially, the proposed riding changes are population based. Three new ridings are proposed, these include: Airdrie-Cochrane, Calgary-North East and Edmonton-South. The commission used Alberta population data from the 2016 federal census as the basis for its recommendations which pegged the province’s population at 4,071,875. Spread over 87 electoral divisions, the average population per riding is 46,803.
Lac La Biche-St. Paul-Two Hills has a current population of well below that provincial target, sitting at 36,666. The new Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul riding would see a population base of over 53,800, which is 15 per cent above the provincial average. The commission recommended proposed electoral divisions not vary more than 25 per cent from the provincial average.
MLA Dave Hanson said Friday he fully expects debate on this Bill 33 will “go long and hard” this week as the House draws near to the end of fall session with Christmas break looms.
“We are willing to take it to the mat,” Hanson said of the United Conservative Party’s (UCP) conviction the Electoral Boundaries Commission report, will reduce the rural voice in the Alberta Legislature.
“We should have substantial time to debate and not be forced to choose between staying in the House or spending time with our families (during the holiday season,” Hanson said, of the government’s move to table Bill 33 so close to the end of the Fall sitting.
The local MLA is said he’s more than willing to do what it takes to ensure “fair and equitable” representation in rural Alberta.
“The only tool we have is debate in the House that is compelling and convincing,” he said, adding he fully expects and is prepared for some late night over the coming days
“Absolutely, we’ll be going to midnight,” Hanson said.
If passed, which is likely, the new electoral divisions will come into force on the day the writ is dropped for the next provincial election. What that means for Hanson, is he’ll be looking for a new riding in which to run.
Government House Leader Brian Mason issued a news release last week thanking the commission for its work and noting, “While some may not agree with the recommendations, it is important to all Albertans that the new boundaries were decided by an independent body.”
Mason’s press secretary John Archer told the Journal it’s likely Bill 33 will get third and final reading by mid-week.
