The Alberta electoral boundaries commission will begin public hearings this week as part of its examination of the 87 ridings in the province.
Formed every eight to 10 years, the commissions examine existing boundaries and make suggestions for any changes.
The current commission will take into consideration the "requirement for effective representation, the scarcity and density of populations and common community interests as well as existing municipal boundaries and geographical features," say officials.
Mountain View County councillor Al Kemmere, who is also the president of the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties (AAMDC), says rural communities have an interest in the commission's findings and recommendations.
"Any time this goes forward there is always the concern that they (commission) will only use population as their defining factor and that creates some almost impossible challenges for counties and municipal districts," Kemmere told the Gazette.
"It is a concern that our rural riding may become too large (in terms of overall area), making it harder for the MLAs to get in touch with their communities or individual citizens to get in touch with their MLAs.
"Just based on news that we've heard over the past few years, it seems to me that we've grown (population) in the rural environment, but not to the same extent as the cities have. We want to make sure that our rural ridings don't become unmanageably large."
The AAMDC is scheduled to make an official presentation to the commission this week, he said.
The association represents 69 rural municipalities, including Mountain View County.
Former Mountain View County councillor Gwen Day is one of the electoral boundary commission members.
Justice Myra B. Bielby is chair of the commission, which is scheduled to submit an interim report within seven months of its appointment and its final report within five months of the date of its first report.
"We want to make sure that our rural ridings don't become unmanageably large."Al KemmereAAMDC president
