The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

HB NEWS NEW BORDERS PROPOSED FOR ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES ROLAND CILLIERS. rcilliers@metroland.com Change is on the table for local democ- racy, and it could have a huge impact on the way you're represente The Federal. athe nn Boundaries Com- mission for Ontario ha: sed a new Ont propo: electoral map that includes anew district for Halton and the redrawing of local boundaries. The change is the result of the region's steadily growing population and rules set out in the constitution that re- quire federal electoral boundaries to be re- viewed after every 10-year census. Under the new proposal, Halton would have six districts: Burlington Lakeshore, Burlington—Milton West, Georgetown— Milton East, Oakville Lakeshore, Oakville North and Wellington-Halton. It repre- sents a dramatic shift for many of the re- ion's ridings and creates new groupings for several communities that have never before been put together. Notably, both Burlington and Milton are being split into separate ridings. Kyle Hutton, a concerned Halton resi- dent and self-described election nerd, said he believes the proposal unnecessarily breaks up communities. “Theyve decided this is how we must beaten both growth and the current ypulation quota and this is how we think he best to do it. And they've done this places like Halton or London, they've cre- ated these massive rural, urban ridings that don't seem to reflect the communities that they're drawing the boundaries for," said Hutton. The proposed boundary changes for the more rural riding of Wellington—Halton Hills are less dramatic. The riding would become Wellington-Halton and would add portions of Guelph to bring it closer to the province's desired population for the rid- ne tichael Chong, the MP of Wellington— id Halton Hills, said he respects the work of the commission. "Unlike the U.S., Canada has an inde- pendent commission — free of partisan in- terference — that irra new federal electoral district boundaries every decade based on the most sesent census data. This the same number of people and each vote roughly the same weight, upholding the constitu- tional principle of representation by pop- ulation," said Chong. "I respect the work of e i d look for- ward its final report." Under the proposed changes, the Brant Hills neighbourhood in Burlington would now be part of the newly created Burling- ton—Milton West riding. That would mean, Brant Hills residents would n now be represented in the same riding as half of Milton and a alarge section of rural Burlington and Milton. The problem that can create i is the com- ferent problems and priorities. The fear is representatives would be less able to prop- erly support their constituents: as ar result of their needs being s ally vs In establishing oe "poundare, ‘he commission considers a number of fac- tors, wretuding the historic vattern of the boundaries, geographic size and commu- ines identity. It also attempts to create rid- with populations as close to 116,000 as is is feasible, Burlington MP Karina Gould said what concerns her most about the proposal is the movement of Tyandaga and Brant Hills into the new Burlington—Milton West riding and moving Elizabeth Gar- dens to the Oakville Lakeshore riding: "The Electoral Bout Commis- sion ares one sole focus: ee tor make the rid- in Ontario asnumerically proportion- ala as 5 possible. That goal is fine and you ACTA AA a es FIREWORKS | NIGHTLY AT 10PM Graham Paine/ Metroland Left: Kyle Hutton is concerned about proposed changes to federal election boundaries Halton. Right:The Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario has proposed a new electoral map that includes a new district for Halton and the redrawing of local boundaries. don't want to have ridings that are wildly different in population size, but they kept to a strict +/-10 per cent of the target pop- ulation, whereas the legislation stipulates +h 25 per cent for the pxatt reason as e. TI failed to take into consideration how com- munities exist, live, and access services and amenities," said Gould. For example, a resident in Burlington's Brant Hills who wished to speak with their MP would likely need to travel to Milton to visit their office. Any changes to electoral districts will not come into effect until at least April 4. Anyone interested in learning more is to visit the redistribution web- www.redecoupage-redistribu- site at WH UONEH - dl UL | 2 2202 ‘9 4eq0}90 ‘Aepsiny,, | FEBC illustration tion-2022.ca. Inacolumn, Milton MP Adam van Koe- verden wrote about the proposed changes, role in the upcoming decision. “Democracy is hard work requiring constant effort and engagement of our communities. If you're interested or have concerns, I hope you will consider taking an active role and making sure the com- mission hears your voice," said van Koe- len. For those who would like to take part, a live public hearing will be held at Milton's FirstOntario Arts Centre on Oct. 12 start- ing at 6:30 p.m. Written submissions may be filed with the commission until Oct. 29. STORY BEHIND THE STORY: ve sett like the proposed electoral boundar; change wasn't getting the attention it de- served so we wanted to share what local experts and officials had to say about it. #EXPLORE NIAGARA BOOK YOUR OVERNIGHT AT NIAGARAFALLSTOURISM.COM