A map of the proposed new federal electoral boundaries in southern Alberta, February 2023. (Photo: Electoral Boundaries Commission)

By David Opinko / with files from Josh Hall

Most southern Alberta federal ridings proposed to change

Feb 3, 2023 | 10:58 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – A new federal electoral map for Alberta has been tabled in the House of Commons, and it could lead to some residents being represented by different Members of Parliament (MP).

A final report outlining the proposed changes was tabled in the House of Commons this week. MPs can now express any issues they have with the boundaries, as proposed, to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs.

Committee member Blaine Calkins, who is also the MP for Red Deer-Lacombe, points out that in the last decade, Alberta has gone from 28 to 34 riding, and is now set to have a proposed 37 ridings.

The goal of electoral redistribution is to ensure that all of Canada’s federal ridings have a similar population of approximately 115,000. Redistributions are done every 10 years.

The Lethbridge riding is set to stay the same, even though an earlier proposal saw the riding shrink in geographical size due to its rising population.

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The ridings immediately surrounding Lethbridge, however, are proposed to change.

The Foothills riding will lose is northwest corner that includes areas south of Canmore such as Kananaskis Village and both Peter Lougheed Provincial Park and Elbow-Sheep Wildland Provincial Park. Those lands will instead be incorporated into the new Jasper-Banff-Canmore riding.

The eastern border of Foothills is set to expand to Highway 23 and will now include the Town of Vulcan. Other communities along Highway 23 such as Champion and Carmangay will remain in the Bow River riding.

Bow River’s northerly boundary will decrease and will no longer include the Villages of Linden, Acme, and Carbon.

A notable change for the Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner riding is the loss of the Blood Tribe First Nation. Communities such as Standoff will become part of Foothills.

The St. Mary Reservoir will stay in Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner and its western shores will mark the boundaries between the two ridings.

Calkins explains that if the next general federal election were to be held before April 2024, the current boundaries would be used. If it happens in April 2024 or later, the new ones would be in effect.

The next scheduled federal election is in October 2025.

More information about the changes in general is at redecoupage-redistribution-2022.ca.

An interactive map showing the changes to electoral ridings can be viewed here.

READ MORE: Updated census counts for Southern Alberta, Lethbridge population reaches 98,406