Coun. Earl Hemmaway discusses a proposed option for realigning the MD of Willow Creek’s electoral boundaries at Wednesday’s open house at the Fort Macleod and District Community Hall.
Some MD of Willow Creek residents will soon find themselves represented by a new councillor.
But new electoral district boundaries should not impact the way the municipal district is governed.
“If our council works for the whole of the MD, I don’t see it as a problem,” Reeve Maryanne Sandberg said of the possible boundary changes. “It doesn’t matter where you are, you are still a resident of the MD.”
The MD of Willow Creek held the first of three open houses Wednesday at the Fort Macleod and District Community Hall.
That open house attracted few municipal district residents, and Sandberg is hopeful the numbers will increase for the next ones at Claresholm and Nanton.
Following those open houses council will schedule a public hearing where people can provide input.
“I do hope we get some feedback,” Sandberg said.
The need for revised electoral boundaries to reflect the changing demographics of the MD of Willow Creek has been the subject of discussion.
Council ordered its own census after officials became skeptical of the numbers shown in a 2016 federal census.
The MD of Willow Creek’s census had tremendous participation, with 96 per cent of residents taking part.
The MD of Willow Creek’s population is 6,182.
“That gave us the numbers that we need in order to do this in a fair way,” Sandberg said of revising the electoral district boundaries.
The census showed the percentage of population each councillor represents ranged from a low of 11 per cent to a high of 19 per cent.
Following is each division’s population with the present electoral boundaries.
Division 3 (Reeve Maryanne Sandberg) — 1,199 people or 19 per cent of the total population.
Division 2 (Coun. John Kroetsch) — 1,112 people or 18 per cent of the total population.
Division 1 (Coun. John Van Driesten) — 905 people, or 15 per cent of the total population.
Division 4 (Coun. Glen Alm) — 863 people or 14 per cent of the total population.
Division 5 (Coun. Earl Hemmaway) — 702 people or 11 per cent of the total population.
Division 6 (Coun. Evan Berger) — 693 people or 11 per cent of the total population.
Division 7 (Coun. Brian Nelson) — 708 people or 11 per cent of the total population.
At Wednesday’s open house, the MD of Willow Creek presented two options for electoral boundary realignment.
The option favoured by council would see the following redistribution of population:
- Division 1, 905 people, 15 per cent of the total.
- Division 2 — 893 people, 14 per cent.
- Division 3 — 802 people, 13 per cent.
- Division 4 — 887 people, 14 per cent.
- Division 5 — 836 people, 14 per cent.
- Division 6 — 903 people, 15 per cent.Division 7 — 956 people, 15 per cent.
“This is quite fair, population-wise,” Sandberg said.
The second option would see the following redistribution of population:
- • Division 1 — 905 people. 15 per cent.
- Division 2 — 893 people, 14 per cent.
- Division 3 — 802 people, 13 per cent.
- Division 4 — 848 people, 14 per cent.
- Division 5 — 933 people, 15 per cent.
- Division 6 — 941 people, 15 per cent.
- Division 7 — 860 people, 14 per cent.
Both options would change some traditional representation for councillors and ratepayers.
Council hopes to hear from ratepayers on their views of more equitable representation at the loss of some traditional community relationships.
The next open houses run from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 13 at the MD of Willow Creek office and Wednesday, Sept. 20 at the Nanton Community Centre.
Coun. Earl Hemmaway discusses a proposed option for realigning the MD of Willow Creek’s electoral boundaries at Wednesday’s open house at the Fort Macleod and District Community Hall.
This map shows the present electoral boundaries in the MD of Willow Creek.
This is MD of Willow Creek council’s favoured option for realigning the electoral boundaries.
This is a second option for realigning the MD of Willow Creek’s electoral boundaries.
