Don't punish northerners with federal riding redistribution, MP Angus says

There has been unanimous response opposing changes that were proposed back in August 2022 to redraw northern Ontario's electoral boundaries.

The Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for the Province of Ontario held public hearings earlier this month in Sioux Lookout, Kenora and Timmins to gather feedback on the new changes to electoral boundaries which would cut the number of federal election districts in northern Ontario from 10 to nine.

The most significant – combining two of Northern Ontario's largest ridings, Kenora and Timmins-James Bay, into one massive riding called Kiiwetinoong—Mushkegowuk –  would span Ontario's far north from the Manitoba border to Quebec.

Charlie Angus, NDP MP for Timmins-James Bay, attended the public hearing held in Timmins on October 11. He said the proposal ignores the geographic distances and the communities of interest.

What we have is a status quo, and it's not great, but we live with it.- Chalie Angus, NDP MP for Timmins-James Bay

"We're not asking for anything special here, we're just saying we shouldn't be punished because we are growing, just not growing as fast as urban, southern Ontario," Angus said. 

The commission reviews electoral boundaries every 10 years and changes are made based on population and other factors.

"It causes a great deal of trauma because it rips apart relationships in terms of economics, community development, and then we're all supposed to pick up the pieces at the end of the day when the Commissioners leave," Angus said.

Representatives from all parts of the region impacted in northeastern and northwestern Ontario are in opposition to the proposed riding changes. 

Douglas Judson, a lawyer and municipal councillor in Fort Frances, believes that there is a need to dismantle the assumptions that views of all of northern Ontario are the same. 

"How a single person could possibly represent the diversity of communities you see in a land mass that stretches from Manitoba to the shores above James Bay to Quebec?" he said. 

He added that the riding boundaries should be crafted in a way that gives the communities effective representation.

Angus noted that cutting the number of ridings at a time of growing political alignment can lead to an increased mistrust in the political process.  

"What we have is a status quo, and it's not great, but we live with it," he said. 

"We know that we don't have the same level of representation that people expect in the urban, we can live with that. But don't cut our representation."

More commentary on the proposal is expected to happen as people of the northern communities have the opportunity to send in letters and official statements by October 29.