in Chatsworth, Grey Highlands, Southgate, West Grey
February 14, 2023
Western Ontario retains their rural federal seat count as part of the federal riding redistribution plan.
In the fall of 2022, the Western Ontario Wardens Caucus (WOWC) advocated strongly to the Commission to ensure communities of interest remain whole and the importance of maintaining the current rural seat count for the region.
Under the original proposal, multiple rural communities across the region would not have been kept whole, including but not limited to: Dawn-Euphemia, Zorra, Tillsonburg, Warwick, and Chatham-Kent.
“While the WOWC understands that the location and density of population growth required the Commission to move boundaries, the originally proposed federal electoral districts unnecessarily fragmented many of our region’s communities – and jeopardized our rural seat count in Southwestern Ontario,” stated Chair Glen McNeil. “We are pleased to see that the Commission considered our suggestions and kept communities whole while maintaining the rural seat count in Western Ontario.”
Municipal community organizations will now be able to continue to engage with one federal government representative and the risk of contradictory positions by area MPs where they represent competing political parties, is greatly diminished.
The WOWC is a not-for-profit organization representing 15 upper and single-tier municipalities in Southwestern Ontario, representing more than 1.5 million residents. The WOWC aims to enhance the prosperity and overall wellbeing of rural and small urban communities across the region. Caucus members work collectively to influence federal and provincial legislation and programs through advocacy, research, analysis and education. For more information, visit www.wowc.ca.
Alex Ruff, Member of Parliament for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound issued the following statement regarding the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario’s report tabled in the House of Commons on 10 February 2023.
“The Federal Electoral Boundary Commission for the Province of Ontario was tasked with reviewing and drawing 122 electoral districts in Ontario. After initial proposals put forward by the Commission outlined potential changes to the riding of Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, they were rescinded after the consultation period. Therefore, there have been no changes to the name or the boundaries of the riding of Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound.
“I thank the Municipality of Grey Highlands for providing its input to the Commission and highlighting its ties to the rest of Grey County. In my opinion, this input was instrumental in preventing changes to the boundaries as noted in the Commission’s report. There are still a few final steps yet to be completed by the Commission; however, I do not anticipate any changes that will impact Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound.”
The report is public and available in PDF format online here.
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