Locals, politicians concerned over proposed electoral boundary changes

BY DENNY SCOTT

The electoral boundaries commission’s proposed new voting districts has politicians of all levels concerned about potential changes to the Huron-Bruce riding, as well as ridings around it.

Earlier this year, the commission unveiled its proposed districts, which could be in effect as early as 2024. The proposal includes renaming the Huron-Bruce riding South Huron Shores and removing portions of the riding from the north while extending it to the south. The result would be the municipality of Howick becoming part of the Perth-Wellington riding while South Bruce and its surrounding area would be removed from South Huron Shores and added to Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound. In the south end of the riding, South Huron Shores would be extended to south of Forest and the Ausable River, as Lambton-Kent-Middlesex is divided into three different ridings. When paired with changes across the province, the move will add one electoral district in Ontario.

Huron County Warden Glen McNeil said the changes isn’t in the best interest of Huron County or the riding. The goal of the changes, according to the commission’s website, is to have approximately the same number of voters in each district, in this case, near 117,000.

“We feel the current boundaries really address keeping the counties whole and our communities whole,” he said in an interview with The Citizen, adding he didn’t want to see Howick in another riding.

McNeil said that the proposal of having approximately 117,000 residents in each riding could still work, since the commission has a margin for approval of 25 per cent.

“Currently, in Huron-Bruce, we have 107,000, which conforms to the numbers that are proposed,” he said. 

During its last meeting, Huron County Council endorsed having Howick stay in the current riding, and, as the Vice-Chair of the Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus, McNeil said he would be making a submission to the government in October on behalf of the county and the entire caucus.

McNeil said residents have reached out to him and feel very, very strongly about keeping the communities whole and not fragmenting them.
“The feedback has been very, very clear and consistent,” he said. 

McNeil said that, as much as he’s working on behalf of Huron County, the push is for the entire riding, he said, as the changes impact Bruce County as well.

Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson feels the changes were proposed without consultation and aren’t necessary.

“I think this is another example of our federal government coming up with ideas without any respect or effort to reach out to the local level to talk through what makes sense,” she said, adding the proposal has created significant concern among local municipalities and service providers. “I hope the federal government keeps an open ear to their concerns so they can have some effect, some impact on what actually ends up happening.”

She said that representatives work hard to make sure entire ridings are represented, so it’s important that an effort is made to keep like-minded municipalities within the same border. 

“I think it would behoove the federal government to really listen to the feet on the street, the people on the ground, dealing with and working through these proposed changes,” she said. 

She said the only path forward is to revisit the proposal and discuss it with stakeholders before considering implementation. Thompson also said she is supportive of municipal councils reaching out to the commission and exercising their right to voice their concerns about it.

Huron-Bruce MP Ben Lobb said that Huron-Bruce has avoided changes for a number of years, and that, while the changes may not be received well, it is important to note that the number of rural seats should remain the same.

“No rural seat should be taken out,” he said in an interview with The Citizen. “It’s very important that those rural seats are maintained.”

He said changes around city centres, like London, can become more complicated, but rural seats need to be protected. 
Lobb has recommended, in a presentation to the commission, that it fully utilize its mandate which allows for some variation in the goal, to keep communities and counties together in the same riding.

“In our case, specifically, my point to the commission was we should all remain together,” he said. “The agricultural communities in Huron-Bruce and all of the economic arteries that serve each other in Huron-Bruce and the region should stay together.”
Lobb said he would be happy to represent additional areas if the proposal goes through, but that representing residents from four counties instead of two will make for complications, including more distance between constituency offices and more challenges in meeting with voters.

Lobb said he heard presentations to the commission from all over, including Grimsby, Hamilton, Sarnia and Windsor, who all made good arguments for exercising discretion against the changes. 

Lobb said that services, including schooling and health care, are built around the current boundaries, and the proposal would further complicate that.

“I truly believe that South Bruce and Brockton should stay in Huron-Bruce,” he said. “If you look at the way that hospitals are partnered up, with Kincardine and Walkerton, or how kids go to school in Kincardine instead of Walkerton, you can see that people try and stay within their county and riding,” he said. 

Most of those situations, Lobb said, deal with provincial ministries, and that the province doesn’t have to accept the changes. 
Fortunately, Lobb said, the commission has extended its feedback period, and is accepting written comments until Oct. 29. For more information, visit redecoupage-redistribution-2022.ca.