Comment 39 – comments and feedback
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John Henderson, Mayor, Cobourg
RE: Retention of the entire Township of Alnwick/Haldimand and the Alderville First Nation Reserve within the new riding of Northumberland
Dear Commissioners,
As a lower-tier municipality of Northumberland County, The Town of Cobourg is urging the Commission to re-examine Item E of the proposal to create a new riding of Northumberland and, in so doing, retain the entire Township of Alnwick/Haldimand along with the Alderville First Nation in this new riding.
Item E of the Northumberland proposal recommends separating out a section of the Township of Alnwick/Haldimand, as well as all of the Alderville First Nation Reserve, from Northumberland's electoral borders. This proposal, if implemented, will have significant impacts to the continuity of local geography, community, municipal operations, and long-established historical relationships that are vital to the cultural fabric of our county.
The main criterion for electoral boundaries is population equality. It is important to note that this requirement will still be met with the retention of Alnwick/Haldimand Township and Alderville First Nation in the Northumberland riding. Retaining these communities in their entirety would reallocate approximately 2,000 residents. This would bring our proposed riding population to 116,335; a variance of only 0.3% to your population equality target.
In the 2012 electoral boundary review, the initial proposal for our county similarly would have resulted in geographic fragmentation and separation of communities of interest. Local municipalities made a compelling case for One Northumberland — to retain all of Northumberland County in one electoral district. We appreciated that the government listened and made the necessary adjustments to keep our community together.
The Town of Cobourg is once again asking the government to listen and hear local concerns. We ask that you revise the proposed electoral boundaries to ensure all of Northumberland and our neighbours of the Alderville First Nation remain together.
Sincerely,
Mayor John Henderson