Medicine Hat wants own provincial riding, while Brooks seems happy as is

By Collin Gallant on June 19, 2025.

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Hatters have told a commission examining provincial election boundaries that the city should be central to a two-riding setup in the far southeast of the province, but submissions from Brooks suggest officials see the current setup working well.

The Alberta Electoral Boundaries Commission held public meetings in the two cities last week, and heard a consistent message in the Hat that an urban Hat-only riding and a largely rural riding balanced with some suburban Hatters is preferable.

That was endorsed by three former MLAs and several others with ties to progressive political parties, but at meetings in Brooks, another former MLA and other United Conservative Party officials said the 2019 alignment of the two population centres should not be changed.

A Brooks-Medicine Hat and Cypress-Medicine Hat configuration meets population guidelines and aligns common interests, said Norm Gerestein, a former city councillor and head of the UCP riding association in the Brooks-Medicine Hat riding.

“I always think it’s an advantage if you have two MLAs there that can hear from different perspectives,” said Gerestein. “I think it’s good for whoever the representatives are that they hear different perspectives so they can make better decisions going forward on what needs to happen within both Cypress-Medicine Hat and Brooks-Medicine Hat.”

Arno Doerksen, who represented the “Brooks-Strathmore” riding in the legislature from 2008 to 2012 and is the current reeve of Newell County, said the feeling is that Strathmore was more aligned as a bedroom community of Calgary

Brooks and Medicine Hat and the surrounding counties deal with similar issues, he stated, like water issues, roads, agriculture and a business community that is now represented by a regional Chamber of Commerce.

“There’s been some talk about the difference between urban and rural,” he said. “There is definitely some, but there are a lot of similarities at the end of the day.”

In Medicine Hat, former “Medicine Hat” riding MLA Bob Wanner said the city is unique, with its own identity and a public utility that deserves special focus from a provincial representative.

He suggested a return to a wholly urban riding and largely rural riding with portions of Medicine Hat, Cypress County and County of Forty Mile, and potentially Oyen. That’s similar to the layout before a 2017 adjustment.

Meanwhile, Brooks and Taber, each with large irrigation concerns and similar agricultural economies, could be considered a stand-alone riding, he said.

That was endorsed by former MLAs Jim Horsman and Rob Renner, who both won multiple terms as Progressive Conservatives.

Speaking in Medicine Hat, one-time Alberta Party candidate Jim Black said Brooks’ interests would be better served if it was apart from the Hat.

“From my experience it’s difficult to represent a distinct community in Medicine Hat and a distinct community in Brooks, where the interests are north-south, not east-west,” said Black, a former Brooks resident who retired to the Hat, and who represented Brooks on the Palliser Triangle Health Advisory board.

“We felt we were always getting the short end,” he said.

“I’m not sure as a backbench MLA could meet the needs of both constituencies (in Brooks and Medicine Hat),” he added.

The commission must add two ridings to the electoral map, and has the ability to adjust ridings to fit them in and balance additional ridings based on a population target of 56,000, as well as other factors such as transportation routes, geography, economic or other factors.

It will present a draft report in October for further public feedback.

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