Changes to Edmonton region in new electoral boundary maps

A number of tweaks have been made to proposed electoral boundaries in the Edmonton region. The new riding boundary maps were tabled in the legislature on Nov. 2 after an advisory panel revised the previous work of the Alberta Electoral Boundaries Commission. The commission had proposed removing two rural seats, including Lac Ste. Anne-Parkland, which have now been restored, albeit with a slightly different name. Lac Ste. Anne's reintroduction to the map led to cascading changes across the ridings west of Edmonton. Spruce Grove-Stony Plain has been split up, with Stony Plain moved into the Lac Ste. Anne riding, and Spruce Grove and the areas around it becoming a riding on their own. To the north, Morinville-Sturgeon has been renamed from St. Albert-Sturgeon because it includes the entire town of Morinville and nearly all of Sturgeon County, with only a part of St. Albert.

South of Edmonton, changes have been made to align communities of interest, according to the report. The previous commission had grouped Stony Plain and Drayton Valley together, while admitting the relationship between the two municipalities was not obvious. This version restores the Drayton Valley-Devon riding. Residents of Leduc and Beaumont had asked for their cities to be grouped together in a riding after previous versions of the map split Beaumont in two. Leduc-Beaumont is now significantly above the average population. To help address this, the panel moved some areas in and around Leduc and Beaumont into a new south Edmonton riding called Edmonton-Nisku. The panel said this riding "clearly unites communities of interest in southeast Edmonton." Many south Edmonton ridings are currently below the population threshold, but they're expected to grow in the coming years. Postmedia's Matthew Black built an interactive map so you can compare the current 87 seats, the commission's proposed 89 seats, and the panel's 91-seat revision.

So far, the changes to the electoral boundaries in the Edmonton region have not been as controversial as those in Calgary and Lethbridge, where several urban ridings have been combined with rural ones. The Alberta NDP calls it gerrymandering and has threatened to challenge the map in court, which Premier Danielle Smith says she'll fight. The proposed maps are expected to be debated in the legislature this week, and the UCP government wants the new map in place before the next election, expected on Oct. 18, 2027, notwithstanding Alberta Chief Electoral Officer Gordon McClure's plea for more time.