A New Federal Electoral Map is Taking Shape for Ontario

LONDON, ON, Aug. 19, 2022 /CNW/ - The Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario has proposed a new electoral map for consideration at public hearings this fall. This map introduces changes to Ontario's federal electoral district boundaries and has been developed through an independent and non-partisan process.

"In exercising its mandate under the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act and given the allocation of one additional district to Ontario, the Commission found it necessary to propose many new electoral boundaries to correct wide variations in voter equality that have emerged across the province over the past decade due to population change," says the Honourable Justice Lynne C. Leitch, Chair of the three-member commission.

Karen Bird and Peter John Loewen are the other members of the Commission who are responsible for readjusting the province's federal electoral boundaries.

The Commission welcomes input and engagement from the public in this important democratic exercise.

The proposal reflects Ontario's increase in population from 12,851,821 in 2011 to 14,223,942, as captured in the 2021 Census, and takes into consideration communities of interest or identity, and historic and geographic factors. The proposal can be found at redistribution2022.ca. It will be published in the Canada Gazette on September 3, 2022.

Under the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act, the Commission's main aim in redrawing the boundaries is to divide the province into 122 electoral districts that are as close to the electoral quota as reasonably possible, while taking into consideration the factors listed above. The electoral quota is calculated by dividing the population of the province by the number of electoral districts it has been allocated. In the case of Ontario, the quota for each electoral district is 116,590 (14,223,942 residents divided by 122 electoral districts).

Public hearings

The Ontario commission is holding in-person and virtual public hearings to gather opinions on the proposed boundaries and electoral district names.

Public Hearings
Location	Place of Hearing	Date of Hearing	Time of Hearing
Virtual hearing	Central Ontario; Northern GTA; Eastern GTA; and Central East Ontario The link will be provided to participants	Monday, September 26, 2022	6:30 p.m.
Virtual hearing	Hamilton and Niagara; South Central Ontario; Southwestern Ontario; and Southernmost Ontario The link will be provided to participants	Tuesday, S eptember 27, 2022	6:30 p.m.
Virtual hearing	Halton, Guelph, and Wellington; Brampton, Caledon, and Dufferin; and Mississauga The link will be provided to participants	Wednesday, September 28, 2022	6:30 p.m.
Virtual hearing	City of Toronto The link will be provided to participants	Thursday, September 29, 2022	6:30 p.m.
Sioux Lookout	The Forest Inn & Conference Centre 11 May Street	Monday, October 3, 2022	6:30 p.m.
Kenora	Douglas Family Art Centre-The Muse 224 Main Street South	Tuesday, October 4, 2022	6:30 p.m.
Timmins	The Senator Hotel 14 Mountjoy Street South	Tuesday, October 11, 2022	6:30 p.m.
Milton	FirstOntario Arts Centre Milton 1010 Main Street East	Wednesday, October 12, 2022	6:30 p.m.
Brampton	Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives, 9 Wellington Street East	Thursday, October 13, 2022	6:30 p.m.
Whitchurch- Stouffville	Whitchurch-Stouffville Museum & Community Centre 14732 Woodbine Avenue	Monday, October 17, 2022	6:30 p.m.
Scarborough	Scarborough Civic Centre Committee Rooms 1 and 2 150 Borough Drive	Tuesday, October 18, 2022	6:30 p.m.
Toronto	Beeton Hall, Toronto Reference Library 789 Yonge Street	Wednesday, October 19, 2022	6:30 p.m.
Ottawa	Rotunda, Canadian Museum of Nature 240 McLeod Street	Thursday, October 20, 2022	6:30 p.m.
St. Catharines	Pond Inlet, Mackenzie Chown Complex, Brock University 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way	Friday, October 21, 2022	6:30 p.m.
London	Ivey Spencer Leadership Centre 551 Windermere Road	Monday, October 24, 2022	6:30 p.m.
Virtual hearing	Northern Ontario; Eastern Ontario; and Ottawa The link will be provided to participants	Wednesday, October 26, 2022	6:30 p.m.
Virtual hearing	Ontario open virtual hearing The link will be provided to participants.	Saturday, October 29, 2022	12 p.m.

 

How to participate

If you wish to make a representation at a hearing, you must complete the Public Hearing Participation Form and submit it by September 25, 2022.

You can submit written comments if you don't want to appear at an in-person or virtual hearing. Should you wish to only send comments and feedback to the Commission, without attending a public hearing, you can do so by mail or email, or by using the Interactive Mapping Tool.

The Commission can be contacted at the following address:

Ms. Paula PuddyCommission SecretaryFederal Electoral Boundaries Commission for OntarioPO Box 37018 SouthdaleLondon, ON N6E 3T3

[email protected]

In the interest of transparency, the Commission will make public all written submissions that it receives in response to the proposed redistribution plan. They will be published on the Commission's website and will include the person's name and the date of the submission. The person's home address will not be shared.

SOURCE The Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario

Website: redistribution2022.ca, Telephone (toll-free): 855-747-7224, TTY (toll-free): 1-800-361-8935; Media enquiries: [email protected]