Electoral Ward Review

Updated August 26, 2020 –

At the April 22, 2020 board meeting, the board approved option 4 that came out of the Electoral Ward Review that was held in January and February of this year. The goal of the ward review was to analyze the current ward structure to ensure that it effectively represents both the general and school populations and communities.

Option 4 creates a better representation by population between municipal and students numbers taking into account areas that are more sparsely populated. There will be six (6) ward and six (6) trustees in the electoral wards as follows:

Electoral Wards - Option 4

Electoral WardMunicipal Divisions located in wardSchools
located in
ward
Municipal
Population
(est)
Student Population
Pembina Hills East - Ward 1Westlock County
- Div 1, 2, 4, 5
Village of Clyde
Busby,
Eleanor Hall
4,040375
Pembina Hills East - Ward 2Westlock County
- Div 3, 6, 7
MD of Lesser Slave River*
Pembina North Community,
Colony Schools, Vista Virtual School
3,610258
Pembina Hills - Town of Westlock - Ward 3Town of WestlockR.F. Staples,
Westlock Outreach,
Westlock Elementary
5,1011,184
Pembina Hills West - Ward 1County of Barrhead
- Div 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7
Neerlandia Public Christian,
Dunstable
5,389252
Pembina Hills West - Ward 2County of Barrhead
- Div 6
Woodlands County
- Div 5*, 6, 7
Town of Swan Hills
Big Lakes County*
Fort Assiniboine,
Swan Hills
3,752300
Pembina Hills - Town of Barrhead - Ward 3Town of Barrhead Barrhead Composite,
Barrhead Outreach,
Barrhead Elementary
4,5791,410

* Indicates only the portion that is within Pembina Hills School Division

The next step will involve administration drafting a new bylaw that must be passed by December 31, 2020, and will take effect for the October 2021 general election.

Electoral Ward Bylaw Passed

At their August 26, 2020 regular meeting, trustees voted in favor of Electoral Ward Bylaw 06-2020. The Bylaw changes the Ward structure of the division and reduces the number of trustees from seven (7) to six (6). These changes to the ward structure will come into effect for the October 2021 school trustee elections.

The new electoral wards are:

  • Pembina Hills East – Ward 1 – Busby, Eleanor Hall
  • Pembina Hills East – Ward 2 – Pembina North Community School, Colony Schools, Vista Virtual School
  • Pembina Hills – Town of Westlock – Ward 3 – R.F. Staples, Westlock Outreach, Westlock Elementary
  • Pembina Hills West Ward 1 – Neerlandia Public Christian School, Dunstable
  • Pembina Hills West Ward 2 – Fort Assiniboine, Swan Hills
  • Pembina Hills – Town of Barrhead – Ward 3 – Barrhead Composite High School, Barrhead Outreach, Barrhead Elementary

View the new electoral wards in this map.

Details of the entire Electoral Ward Review is available below.

Background

The Pembina Hills Board of Trustees requested input from the public as they review the division’s electoral wards. This may impact the number of trustees on the board and the area that each trustee represents. The review will take into account factors such as population, school attendance areas, and historical data.

The board considered 3 options:
Note regarding Options 2 and 3 with a board of six (6) trustees: If it is a tie vote, the motion is defeated. A tie vote fails. A majority of votes cast (more than half) is required to pass a motion.

Option 1: (Current Electoral Structure)  View Map

  • Three (3) wards: Barrhead, Swan Hills, and Westlock
  • Seven (7) electoral sub-divisions; total of seven (7) trustees

Option 2:  View Map

  • One (1) ward: Pembina Hills School Division
  • Four (4) electoral sub-divisions; total of six (6) trustees

Option 3:  View Map

  • One (1) ward: Pembina Hills School Division
  • Two (2) electoral sub-divisions; total of six (6) trustees

See the full presentation (PDF)

The survey closed on February 10, 2020. We thank all respondents for their input.

Read details of the ward review including survey reponses in the Electoral Ward Review – What We Heard Report.