Lethbridge-West MLA decries latest electoral boundaries as “lunacy”

The latest proposed Alberta electoral boundaries map continues to draw reactions as it’s debated in the legislature. The new map grows from 87 seats to 91 but with some notable changes in southern Alberta.

Calgary ridings in the northwest will be shifted to extend to the rural areas west of the city.

More notably, the proposal would dramatically split Lethbridge’s current two ridings, Lethbridge-East and Lethbridge-West, into four separate electoral divisions. One urban riding is comprised of central and downtown Lethbridge, and three hybrid ridings combine portions of Lethbridge’s outer municipal boundaries and reach out to places such as the Siksika Nation, Bow Island, and south along the U.S. border.

Current Lethbridge-West MLA for the NDP, Rob Miyashiro says the ridings simply don’t make sense.

The new electoral boundaries legislation, also known as Government Motion 45, was commissioned by an independent advisory panel. It was debated in the legislature earlier on Wednesday.