Changes could see Morson moved to Kenora riding

By Duane Hicks
Staff writer

The Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario has proposed a new electoral map for consideration, which includes shifting Lake of the Woods Township, Morson, and the surrounding area out of the Thunder Bay-Rainy River riding and into the Kenora riding.
Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP John Rafferty said he wants to see the riding remain as is.
“It might sound kind of funny to hear me saying I want to keep my riding bigger, but I think the residents of Lake of the Woods would be much better served where they are right now, with Rainy River District,” Rafferty said last week.
“I think the people who live there have much more in common with my riding than they do with Kenora,” he noted.
“And I suspect when the commissioners looked at some changes, they didn’t understand that it’s not quite that easy for the MP from Kenora to get to Morson.
“In defence of the Kenora riding, which is already huge, I think that this move, if it remains, will leave people in Morson and Bergland under-represented because they will seldom see their MP in that part of the Kenora riding,” Rafferty added.
He said he travelled to Morson for the Morson Bass International kick-off in late August and had to be back in Thunder Bay the next day.
“Would an MP from Kenora do that? I don’t know. I doubt it,” Rafferty remarked.
“The riding is so big, and so much of it is off the road there, that any MP in Kenora already has a big enough job.
“But more importantly, people in that part of my riding have more in common with my riding than they do with Kenora,” he stressed.
Rafferty said he just can’t fathom how the EBC decided on the proposed change.
“I suspect they just looked at the map and thought, ‘Oh, this makes sense,’ without having looked at the road systems or anything else that has to do with it.”
The new electoral map will be up for consideration at public hearings this fall, and Rafferty said he will be opposing the proposed change while defending that his riding remain the same.
“I think I can make a pretty good case,” he added.
Constituents can offer Rafferty their input by dropping off written statements at any of his constituency offices, or send their input directly to the EBC as detailed below.
Residents also are invited to share their views on the proposed federal electoral map at a public hearing slated for Tuesday, Oct. 9 at 2 p.m. at the Best Western Lakeside Inn & Conference Centre in Kenora.
A second one is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 10 at 2 p.m. at the Best Western Plus Nor’Wester Hotel & Conference Centre in Thunder Bay.
Rafferty questioned the lack of direct consultation for the Lake of the Woods area.
“What about the people who are affected? Nothing,” he noted.
For complete address information for the public hearings, visit www.federal-redistribution.ca under “Ontario—Public Hearings.”
Those wanting to make a presentation at a hearing are requested to send the commission written notice no later than Monday, Oct. 1.
Notices of presentation should include:
•the person’s name, address, and contact information;
•the organization he/she represents (if any);
•the date of the public hearing he/she wishes to attend;
•a short overview of the issue(s) he/she intends to address;
•the official language of preference; and
•any accommodation needs the person may have.
Written notice can be sent by e-mail to ontario@rfed-rcf.ca or by mail to 130 King St. W., 36th Floor, Suite 3670, P.O. Box 368, Toronto, Ont., M5X 2A2.
Alternatively, the Public Hearings Notice Form can be filled out online at www.federal-redistribution.ca under “Ontario—Public Hearings.”
Learn more about the redistribution of federal electoral districts at www.federal-redistribution.ca
In April, 2003, the EBC recommended Rainy River District be removed from the federal Kenora riding and join the Thunder Bay-Atikokan riding.
A year later, this became a reality.
Electoral boundaries are re-evaluated by the EBC every 10 years to reflect changing populations across the country.
With this most recent review, Ontario could gain 15 electoral districts as a result of the increase in its population from 11,410,046 in 2001 to 12,851,821, as captured in the 2011 census.
The proposed new electoral districts are located in Brampton, Cambridge, Durham, Hamilton, Markham, Mississauga, Oakville, Ottawa, Simcoe, Toronto (two), and York.
As well, despite a slight population decline, the commission has maintained 10 electoral districts in Northern Ontario as a minimum for its effective representation.
“Population shifts and increases, efforts to honour existing municipal boundaries whenever possible, and the establishment of 15 new electoral districts have required substantial adjustment to Ontario’s electoral map,” the Hon. Mr. Justice George Valin, chair of the three-member commission, said in a press release last week.
Douglas Colbourne and Dr. Leslie Pal are the other members of the commission responsible for readjusting the province’s federal electoral boundaries.
Under the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act, the commission’s main aim in redrawing boundaries is to divide the province into electoral districts as close to the average population as reasonably possible.
The population of a district should remain within 25 percent of the average once consideration is given to communities of interest or identity, and historical and geographic factors.
A commission can depart from the 25 percent guideline to deal with extraordinary circumstances.
The commission makes final decisions about where the electoral boundaries will be located after consultation, giving the public and MPs an opportunity to express their views and participate in the process.