Albertans have a new way to see how proposed electoral boundary changes could affect their communities. Public Interest Alberta launched fairmaps.ca, allowing users to search for their current riding or community and compare existing boundaries with two proposed maps. One was created by the original electoral boundaries commission, while the other comes from a subsequent advisory panel appointed after the United Conservative Party (UCP) government rejected the commission’s recommendations. The new proposal, endorsed by the UCP, would increase the number of provincial ridings from 87 to 91. It would also make significant changes in several areas, including splitting Lethbridge into four ridings and extending some Calgary ridings into surrounding rural communities. Public Interest Alberta says the changes could make it harder for some communities to have their interests represented in the legislature. The organization is particularly concerned about communities being split apart or combined with areas that have different needs and priorities. In Calgary, it says adding rural areas to previously all-urban ridings could also mean voters in more populated ridings have less influence. “We believe the proposed maps turn a blind eye to the unique needs and interests of Alberta’s diverse communities. We believe there was no reason to ignore the independent commission’s proposals,” said Brad Lafortune, executive director of Public Interest Alberta. “We want to hear from Albertans so we can make the case for boundaries that serve their communities.” The Alberta NDP has called the re-jig gerrymandering, accusing the government of redrawing the map to benefit itself, and plans to challenge the legislation in court. The UCP has defended the changes, pointing out that ridings combining urban and rural communities already exist in Alberta and says the changes are intended to provide more balanced representation as the province’s population grows. The legislature voted last week to move forward with the proposed boundaries, but they are not law yet. The changes still need to be included in a bill and debated before they can take effect. Justice Minister Mickey Amery expects the legislation to pass before the end of the year, with the next provincial election scheduled for October 2027.
