Commentaire 57 – commentaires et rétroaction

Martin J. Ward

Ms Paula Puddy
Commission secretary,
Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario
PO Box 37018 Southdale
London, Ontario, N6E 3T315 Jarvis Street,
Orillia, Ontario, L3V1Z8
September 21, 2022

Dear Members of the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario;

Regarding the proposed boundary and name changes to the riding of Simcoe North I wish to raise the following concerns•

The relocation of the eastern section of Oro-Medonte into the riding of Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte will result in this area being separated from its geographic, economic and social connections to the City of Orillia. The area is within Oril!la's urban hinterland and as such is an integral part of the riding of Simcoe North. The villages of Warminster, Price's Corners, Hawkestone, Bass Lake and Forest Home are all much closer to Orillia than to Barrie and are served by businesses and institutions in Orillia. It would be a considerable inconvenience for residents of the eastern part of Oro-Medonte to access the office of their member of parliament in Barrie, rather than in Orillia as they do at present. My recommendation would be to keep the boundary of the riding as it currently is at the 9' Line of Oro-Medonte.

With respect to the renaming of the riding to Penetanguishene - Couchiching, the new name is not really a true reflection of an area which has as its focus the Town of Midland and the City of Orillia and their urban hinterlands. Although Penetanguishene is located at one end of the riding, at the other end the riding extends well south from Lake Couchiching. The name Simcoe North has been associated with this riding for many years and, given the problem of using specific place names to describe a riding encompassing such a large geographical area and the fact that the riding is for all intents and purposes located in the northern part of Simcoe County, the riding's current name is appropriate. Furthermore I understand that by changing the name of a riding you essentially create a new riding which has all kinds of administrative repercussions. I see no need to introduce this added bureaucratic complication for a riding which, even if the boundary is adjusted, is fundamentally geographically the same riding. My recommendation is to keep the name Simcoe North.

Although I am writing as interim President of the Simcoe North Provincial Liberal Association, past practice has been for changes to the boundaries and names of provincial ridings to mirror their federal counterparts.

Yours sincerely,

Martin 1-.-Z-ai:c1