In an effort to remove one riding from central-western Alberta, the constituency of Lac Ste. Anne-Parkland was recently born.
The new riding, which captures 46,546 residents, is one per cent below the provincial average population size.
A slowdown in the region's population growth led to the constituency being formed, with five ridings being consolidated into four to accommodate the lack of people moving into the area when compared to the rest of the province. The area at the time spanned north past Whitecourt, west to the provincial border with British Columbia, south past Sundre and as far east as Devon.
Five candidates are facing off for the riding, with Oneil Carlier, a former NDP MLA for the now-dissolved riding of Whitecourt-Ste. Anne; UCP candidate Shane Getson; Alberta Party candidate Don McCargar; Alberta Independence Party candidate Gordon McMillan; and Alberta Advantage Party candidate Darien Masse.
The new riding of Lac Ste. Anne-Parkland captures communities as far west as Mayerthorpe and east to Highway 2. The biggest communities in the riding are Onoway, Wabamun, Alberta Beach and Mayerthorpe.
One of the reasons the Electoral Boundaries Commission, which redrew the ridings in 2017, decided to form the riding is to keep Indigenous communities grouped together.
“These recommendations would place Indigenous peoples throughout the area together in the same constituency,” the report read.
The riding spans three Treaty 6 reseserves, including Alexander First Nation, Alexis Nakota Sioux First Nation and Paul Band First Nation.
The new constituency captures parts of four former ridings, including the Whitecourt-Ste. Anne riding, formerly represented by the NDP’s Oneil Carlier; Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock, formerly represented by the UCP’s Glenn van Dijken; Spruce Grove-St. Albert, formerly represented by the NDP’s Trevor Horne; and Stony Plain, formerly represented by the NDP’s Erin Babcock. It also captures a large part of the western side of Sturgeon County.
With the results of the last election redistributed for the new riding, the NDP won 39.5 per cent of the vote, with the Wildrose earning 30.5 per cent. The Progressive Conservatives (PCs) came in third with 27 per cent of the vote. Since the last election, the PCs and Wildrose joined together to form the UCP.
The riding represents a low population density, with just 8.5 residents per square kilometre. Overall, the constituency spans an area of 5,486 square kilometres.
Residents will head to the polls April 16 to vote for the first representative of the riding. Advance polls are running until Saturday.
