Electoral Boundaries Commission Told To Rethink Plans for North

By 250 News

The meeting room at the Inn of the North  in Prince George was full  as people  attended to listen, or to make a presentation to the Electoral Boundaries Commission.

It was MLA Pat Bell who started off the hearing, reminding the Commissioners that the distances in the proposed new ridings are significant, 638 kilometers from Kitimat to Dease Lake, 513 kilometers from Wells to Anaheim.  Yet, the new riding of Vancouver –False Creek would have a population of just of 43 thousand and cover a full 6 kilometers.    He also pointed out that MLA’s from rural regions currently make up 22% of the legislature and the proposed changes will reduce that percentage to 17%, a drop of 23%.

Eileen Benedict, the President of the North Central Municipal Association says her association stands to lose two MLA’s, one from the north and one from the Cariboo.  She called for the Commission to consider geography and pointed to other provinces which have adopted a 50% deviation from the norm for rural ridings. She says some of the concerns being raised this evening were pointed out by the Electoral Boundaries Commission of 1998. She says the very special circumstances that existed in 1998, still exist. She also told the commission failure to deal with these issues could lead to “Further opposition and unrest.”

Prince George – Mount Robson MLA Shirley Bond told the Commission that while she fully expected the Commission to make changes and add seats “I never thought it would be done at the expense of northern British Columbia.” Bond told the Commission that this issue is beyond partisan politics, that on this issue, there is a united feeling “I am one of eight MLA’s who serve the people of the north, and it is a daunting task given the size of our ridings, but, never once in my years in office has a constituent approached me to say Northern BC is OVER represented.” 

The Mayor of Ft. St. James,  Rob MacDougall told the Commission revising the  Prince George- Omineca riding would  do irreperable damage "John Rustad has been  our MLA and has done a very good job at  representing us,  chanigng that riding now, would do so at a time when we need him most." He also  told the Commission that to  change  the ridings and reduce  northern representation would lead to  "Northern alienation."

As Prince George resident Betty Bryce told the Commission:  “With all due respect we need more representation not less, and we don’t take kindly to outsiders making decisions for us, or about us.”

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