The County of Grande Prairie is looking for feedback from residents during the second electoral boundary review survey and plan open house.
The review process was deemed necessary due to the dissolution of the Village of Hythe, leading to the province stepping in and mandating a review of the county’s electoral boundaries ahead of the next election in 2025.
“While this review may or may not result in changes, as our County has changed, it’s important to ensure that residents are adequately represented,” the county says.
Following the first reading of the boundary review, the county shaped four potential options based on resident feedback gathered in June.
Research in the past months has revealed that six out of nine county divisions are outside the optimal population range of between 2,052 and 3,420. According to the county, the population in divisions ranged from more than 1,000 residents to more than 5,000.
The county is also projected to grow faster than the rest of the province with an anticipated population of 45,400 by 2046.
So far, the county has made the decision to keep the current number of councillors and boundaries at nine each. Up for debate still are the three potential boundary options along with the choice to keep the current boundaries unchanged.
Interested residents can complete the survey online on the county’s website, and officials suggest that the results of the survey will guide council’s decision in September regarding any changes to the electoral boundaries.
