Comment 8 – comments and feedback

Brian Smith

I live in Peterborough County. My parents live(d) in Peterborough County and so do my children and my brother and sister. All of us live within a 30 – 45 minute drive; but in very different directions. If approved, I will remain in the Peterborough Riding but by extended family will not.

I understand that redistricting by ruling Parties is done as a matter of course as a sort of prize for winning the election. It’s disgusting that communities with shared political issues are mixed up every decade or so. It is a significant barrier to the electorate towards keeping informed, engaged and up-to-date on issues within the boundaries of an regularly changing Riding. Normally, the changes are not so drastic that it completely changes the population of a community such that neighbors, alliances, community organizations and communities of shared values are split up. This makes it far more difficult to remain active, interested and engaged. It is a real barrier that should not be dismissed as collateral damage in the ruling Party’s exercise of their redistricting prize.

Peterborough County is being separated in the worst way possible:

• The Kawartha Lake system (mainly cottagers) and the City of Peterborough is all that is left to the proposed district.
• The district is less than half the size of the existing Riding
• The more rural areas that have longer standing interests in roads, bridges, ambulances, police, utilities, internet and other rural services have always struggled to have their voices heard in Peterborough County. Now they can be completely ignored as they are folded into an enormous new riding which is also sparcely populated and has no population base to spread these service amongst. It’s bad for voters outside Peterborough City and it pits the rural folk against the City dwellers and Cottagers. The only benefit to anyone is to isolate voters that are more likely to vote conservative from the population base that produced the property tax revenue, the income tax revenue and has the highest concentration of Federal Employees.
• It also separates the Curve Lake Reserves from their rural roots by lumping them in with City dwellers and Cottagers.
• The existing riding that drawn roughly along the county boundaries has forced all levels of government to address concerns of the County in a balanced way. This has been possible mainly because these levels of government are organized along the same boundaries.

I submit that the aggregate cost to the people of Peterborough County to remain politically informed, active and engaged will increase far more than the benefit created that accrues only to the ruling party in corralling voters into more predictable groups and to isolate perceived opposition. This subverts the political action needed for a healthy democratic process.

Brian Smith