May 27, 2002 Electoral Boundaries Commission Public Hearings – Calgary EB-1 9:10 a.m. Monday, May 27, 2002 recommendations. It’s certainly this chairman’s target, and I’m sure it’s the goal of my colleagues that we will have a report that the [Mr. Clark in the chair] Legislature will accept in whole. Title: Monday, May 27, 2002 - Calgary ............. ebc02 Your Worship, I guess there’s much more I could say, but we’re The Chair: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Your Worship, delighted to have you here, and we look forward to your comments. thank you very much for taking the time from a hectic and very busy It’s a very laid-back atmosphere, and I am sure my colleagues will schedule to be with us this morning. Just a few opening comments have some questions for you and, knowing my colleagues, maybe and then we’ll look forward to hearing your views, Your Worship. even some comments. Your Worship, we’re delighted to have you This committee is a committee under the electoral boundaries act. here. As Ethics Commissioner I was selected to head up the committee. I did that after being asked. I discussed the proposition with the Mr. Bronconnier: Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the Leader of the Opposition, and he was prepared to support my commission, for today’s consideration to address the panel, and most appointment. Quite frankly, I did that because this is going to be a importantly thank you very much for having me first up, as we have difficult enough job. a council meeting at 9:30 this morning. Two of my colleagues were appointed by the cabinet, and two of Mr. Chairman, the work of the commission that you will be my colleagues were appointed by the Leader of the Opposition in undertaking over the next few weeks is very valuable for Alberta. consultation. I’m extremely fortunate in having four very able and I believe that fundamental questions of great political significance experienced people who sit on the panel with me. To my far left is which go to the heart of democratic representation in Alberta are at Doug Graham, a well-respected member of the legal fraternity here stake. The challenge of the commission is indeed a difficult one: in Calgary. To my immediate left is Bauni Mackay, the former how to ensure that voters across our province have an equally president of the Alberta Teachers’ Association, from Edmonton. To powerful and a representative vote. I believe the commission must my immediate right is Glen Clegg, who formerly was the Member look to the future as it draws its electoral divisions. The Alberta of for Dunvegan, the Spirit River-Fairview area in the Peace River 2010, which is just a few short years away, will largely be an country and formerly a municipal councillor, a municipal reeve. urbanized province, and its representative institutions, such as the Then furthest to my right is Ernie Patterson, the 33-year mayor of Legislature of Alberta, should reflect this change. This point has the great centre of Claresholm. Ernie is also, as you know, the vice- been emphasized in Calgary’s recent submissions to the Alberta president of the AUMA. So it’s a broadly based group, and none of Future Summit, the Financial Management Commission, and the us is under any delusions, sir. At the end of the day we may only minister’s council on roles, responsibilities, and resources. have four friends, and they may be the four that are with us here. Mr. Chairman, the issue of the electoral boundaries in Alberta has Just three or four quick comments. The legislation says that there had an eventful history since 1989. The city of Calgary has been an will be 83 seats, so we have no choice in that. The legislation also active participant since 1989: in the 1989 review, the 1992 review, says that we have to use the most recent census, so that’s the census the 1993 review, and of course 1995. Previous to this and other of 2001, which gives Alberta really a population of 2.98 million. I commissions, we have expressed several key concerns: the need for used to be a schoolteacher in one of my former lives, and if you equitable distribution of seats based upon population, that each divide that 2.98 million by the 83 seats, you get 35,900. So virtually citizen needs to have an equal voice in being represented in the 36,000 is the target across the province. The legislation does permit Legislature, that the population of each seat should be reflected as a variance of up to 25 percent plus or minus that, but the last close as possible to the provincial average, and that urbanization commission had no greater variance than 15 percent in every trends need to be taken into account with your decision. The focus constituency with one exception. Of course, that exception didn’t today will be building upon those themes, and my presentation will happen to be Calgary-Shaw, I might add, and we all here know what emphasize just two points. has happened to Calgary-Shaw with over 80,000 people in it today. Fair and equitable representation should be based primarily on Two other quick comments. One is that there is provision for four population. It needs to balance competing needs and demands in seats to have up to 50 percent variance. There are specific criteria allocating a fixed number of electoral divisions in the province with for those four seats. They have to touch on a border of either great variations in population density. In addition, existing another province or the United States, have to be a very, very large community boundaries and geographic and transportation barriers area, and have no centre over 4,000 people. That’s the general and links must also be taken into account. Voter population must, guideline there. though, be the primary consideration although clearly not the only The last point I want to make is that this is the first day of nearly consideration in allocating electoral boundaries. I do understand that three weeks of hearings. By the end of June we will have been your recommendations are not based upon just the math. The across the province. From here we go to central Alberta and then current allowable variance in population per electoral division is a Edmonton on Wednesday, and then next week we start in St. Paul plus or minus 25 percent variance and for good reason. In the and go down eastern Alberta, right down to Medicine Hat and over Calgary region we have populations that are well in excess of the to Lethbridge and up to Wetaskiwin. In the last week in June we go provincial average. There are six divisions in Calgary where the from Westlock to Edson, Slave Lake, Fort McMurray, Grande population is much greater than recommended, and Calgary-Shaw Prairie, Peace River. The week after that, we have to get together as an example, as referenced by the chairman, is almost double the and come to some conclusions and work on our first report. The recommended population. draft report will be out in the early part of September. Then there’ll The second point, Mr. Chairman, is that the Calgary region will be an opportunity for people to look at that and respond to that. continue to be a dynamic and growing urban region. Alberta has We’re mandated under the legislation to have a second set of become a highly urbanized province. More than 90 percent of the hearings, and that second set of hearings will be likely in December increase in its population over the past 30 years has occurred within or January. Following that, then we make recommendations to the urban areas. Over half the population of the province resides in the Speaker, and he’ll pass it on to the Legislature. With the last two major centres, and two-thirds of our province’s population live commission, under the very able leadership of Mr. Justice Ed in the two metropolitan regions, those being of course Calgary and Wachowich, the Legislature in fact accepted all the Edmonton. In the 2001 census the Alberta population grew by just EB-2 Electoral Boundaries Commission Public Hearings – Calgary May 27, 2002 over 10 percent in the last five years, between 1996 and 2001. Of this trend to continue. Thus we are down to approximately a 12-year this growth, 94 percent occurred in urban centres. The city of land supply for growth in the city. We are looking at a reasonably Calgary itself accounted for 40 percent of the total provincial aggressive annexation plan that will take us well into the future, in growth. Expressing this in another way and using the provincial the neighbourhood of a 40-year supply. math, this would be equivalent to three average electoral districts in the city of Calgary alone, and that, Mr. Chairman, if my math is Mr. Patterson: Chair, if I might just follow that up with a correct, is 35,951. By all economic measures Calgary and its supplemental question. Jeez, that sounds like I’m in the Legislature; surrounding regions have been among the fastest growing regions in doesn’t it? Alberta for the last six years. All indications from our forecasters are that this pattern will continue well into the future. The Chair: You’d get two. In 1995 the Electoral Boundaries Commission found that on the basis of population alone Calgary would warrant 23 seats but Mr.