Brock Weir |
By Brock Weir
Aurora’s lawmakers, representatives, and business advocates plan on fighting recommendations which could lead to Aurora voters being split in two in the next Federal election.
As The Auroran reported last week, the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission, the body tasked periodically in reviewing how Canada’s Federal electoral boundaries are distributed according to population, proposed sweeping changes in Ontario. While their recommendations affected most of York Region, here in Aurora they propose splitting Aurora down the centre of Wellington Street.
Those living on the north side of Wellington would continue to vote in a slightly reconfigured version of Newmarket-Aurora, while south of Wellington, Aurorans would be voting in the newly created riding of Aurora-Richmond Hill, encompassing the bulk of Aurora and the northwest section of the town below.
If the changes are implemented, Aurora would be represented by two individual Members of Parliament, and this “divided voice” has drawn criticisms from the area’s current MP Lois Brown, MPP Frank Klees, Mayor Geoffrey Dawe, and the Aurora Chamber of Commerce, all of whom plan to make submissions to the Commission opposing the change.
Last week, Ms. Brown said she was “disappointed” over the Commission’s proposal, having gone on the record through a letter to them advocating Newmarket-Aurora stay as one entity. Newmarket-Aurora, she said, is just finding a voice, having been separated federally for so long, and have “grown together in their vision.”
This was a sentiment later echoed by her provincial counterpart Frank Klees. Mr. Klees told The Auroran that the recommendation is not in the “best interests” of Aurora and said commissioners have missed one key point in their recommendations.
“What these commissions tend not to do is take into consideration the communities of interest,” he said. “To draw a line down the middle of Wellington in Aurora and have two separate electoral districts cut through the swath of a town the size of Aurora, I think, doesn’t make a great deal of common sense.
“It seems to me that someone overlaid some arbitrary boundaries on top of some re-jigging of population figures and gave us what we have here.”
With towns the size of Aurora and Newmarket, dealing with two separate boundaries, whether Federal or Provincial, is “unnecessarily cumbersome”, he said. At the moment, Aurora’s Federal and Provincial boundaries are one and the same, but following suit at the provincial level to revise boundaries is not a guarantee, particularly in a government which is, at least at press time, a minority.
“In the past, the commission has been receptive [to submissions] and we’re going to be optimistic – particularly in a situation like this in Newmarket and Aurora where the arguments, I think, are fairly strong for the concept of communities of interest,” said Mr. Klees. “I certainly intend to [make a submission], and I look forward to having a discussion as well with my municipal colleagues to get their perspective on this.”
Mr. Klees’ municipal colleague in Aurora agreed that these changes “do not make any sense” for Aurora. Mayor Geoffrey Dawe said having two separate voices in Parliament for Aurora would be the wrong move.
“We are such a small community physically, and in population, that to split it up and have two Federal MPs just does not make sense,” said Mayor Dawe. “I don’t see how we would benefit from that. We have one Federal member and one Provincial member right now and the cohesiveness of one voice is extremely important in order to make sure we are heard properly.”
The Aurora Chamber of Commerce was yet one more body joining the chorus against the changes. Judy Marshall, Executive Director of the Chamber, said she agreed with the views Ms. Brown expressed last week and will be making a submission “for sure.” Having two separate ridings dividing Aurora would weaken the voice in Ottawa and the collective between two towns in having a shared advocate at the Federal level.
While Newmarket will remain intact as the biggest shareholder in the reconfigured Newmarket-Aurora, Mayor Tony Van Bynan had some sympathy for his neighbours to the south.
“It fractures the Aurora community and the demographics and what I used to refer to when I was involved in banking, as customer pathways and community gathering places,” said Mayor Van Bynen.
“Newmarket-Aurora have a lot of similarities and it would be, I think, more effective representation if you can capture the identities of both communities together.
“I think it makes it more responsive and what do Aurora residents do? I live south of Wellington, so I have to contact my MP which is down in Richmond Hill. I think the linkages of community will probably get diluted that way.”
The proposed changes from the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission, if approved, will see Ontario gain 15 further electoral districts in Ottawa to account for population growth over the last 10 years.
“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,” said the Commission in a statement. “The population of a district should remain within 25 per cent 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 per cent guideline to deal with extraordinary circumstances.”
A number of hearings have been scheduled for the fall where voters will have their say on the electoral riding changes, which are sweeping Ontario. The closest meetings for Aurorans to put in their two cents will be in Richmond Hill at the Sheraton Parkway Toronto North Hotel at 600 Highway 7 East at 11 a.m. on Thursday, October 18 and Friday, October 19 at 10 a.m.
Residents wanting to make a presentation at either of these meetings are requested to send written notice to the commission no later than October 1.
Concerns can be emailed to ontario@rfed-rcf.ca, while concerns and written submissions can be made to:
Beverly Hayter
Commission Secretary
Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario
130 King Street West, Ste. 3670
P.O. Box 368
Toronto, ON
M5X 2A2
Have your say: What do you think of the proposal to divide Aurora into two separate Federal ridings. Vote in our poll at www.the
auroran.com or send your comments to
letters@auroran.com.