Increasing electoral divisions part of new provincial legislation

By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on November 6, 2024.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

The provincial government is introducing four pieces of legislation which would if approved by the legislature make changes to the Electoral Boundaries Commission Act, the Public’s Right to Know Act, the Critical Infrastructure Defence Act and the Alberta Evidence Act.

The changes are included in Bill 31, the Justice Statutes Amendment Act, 2024.

One amendment under the Electoral Boundaries Commission Act calls for the addition of two electoral divisions from the current 87. The government says amendments to this act are a response to the province’s population growth.

The government says under the Act the population of each Alberta electoral district mustn’t be more than or less than 25 per cent below the average population of all proposed electoral division and currently nine districts have a population greater than the average.

The proposed amendments would address the increase in Alberta’s population since the last provincial election to ensure all Albertans have effective representation in the legislature, says the government.

“The amendments we are proposing are essential to keeping up with Alberta’s significant population growth and ensuring fair, effective representation for all Albertans in the legislature. By increasing the number of electoral divisions, we demonstrate our commitment to balanced and equitable representation for all Albertans,” said Minister of Justice and Attorney General Mickey Amery in a release.

Between July 1 of 2023 and July 1 of this year, the province says Alberta’s population grew by 4.4 per cent or about 204,000 people, the highest increase since 1981 and the highest among all provinces.

A second amendment under the Public’s Right to Know Act would allow the Minister of Justice to acquire data about crime from not only government departments, branches or agencies but also municipalities and police services to “enable more informed conversations between law enforcement, municipalities and the province,” says the government in press material released before the official announcement Tuesday.

An amendment to the Critical Infrastructures Act – which protects essential infrastructure by creating offences for trespassing, interfering with operations or causing damage – would “incorporate facilities identified as essential infrastructure in the regulation into the definition of essential infrastructure in the legislation, which would eliminate the need for the Critical Infrastructure Defence Regulation, and it could then be repealed,” says the province.

And lastly, amendments to the Alberta Evidence Act would give residents of Alberta “simpler and more modern processes for confirming the truth of the information they provide to the courts.”

The government says Albertans who submit documents to the courts using an electronic system designated by the court would be able to electronically certify as true information they provide rather than having to attend a courthouse or pay to swear or affirm an oath in person.

And another amendment would let Albertans to choose more easily between swearing a religious oath or making a secular affirmation when testifying in court or affirming an affidavit.