Public hearings for proposed changes to the provincial electoral boundaries will no doubt spark overwhelming responses from people and communities in northwestern Alberta.
Since the interim report from the Alberta Electoral Boundaries Commission was released Oct. 27, the proposed changes have ignited strong opposition from local MLAs and Treaty 8.
Just read the stories in the South Peace News on Nov. 5 on the views from Lesser Slave Lake MLA Scott Sinclair and on Nov. 12 on the views from Treaty 8 Grand Chief Trevor Mercredi to understand their concerns.
A schedule of public hearings was set to be released Nov. 24 – likely to start in January.
When the preliminary series of hearings was held in June, just three were held in the northwest – Slave Lake, Peace River and Grande Prairie.
Considering the drastic proposals to eliminate one longtime riding, create a new electoral division and combining two in the Peace River and Falher-McLennan regions, residents and municipalities will want to express their concern and strong opposition to the commission – face to face.
It is imperative the commission host hearings in many communities in northwestern Alberta including Slave Lake, High Prairie, Falher or McLennan, Peace River, Valleyview and High Level.
January seems to be the worst time to hold hearings – considering weather can be cold and roads can be treacherous, particularly in the north.
Consultation is best done in person, not online where communication and connections can be difficult because of poor or no Internet service in the north.
Mercredi is concerned that Treaty 8 was not consulted by the commission from the beginning of the review. Looking at the names of the four people on the commission, members are from Sherwood Park, Sylvan Lake, Calgary and Lethbridge.
Where is a member from northern Alberta?
An Indigenous member on the commission would have understood the Treaty 8 concerns and considered the issues in reviewing the current boundaries.
The provincial government needs to consider that when appointing members to future electoral boundaries commissions – especially considering that a large portion of the north includes Indigenous communities.
During the first round of hearings, residents from the Slave Lake, High Prairie, Falher and Peace River regions urged the commission to keep the current boundaries and not focus too much on population that is the top consideration for the commission.
Instead, the commission needs to make common community and regional interests, natural boundaries and effective representation the priorities when drawing the lines in the north.
Richard Froese