Comment 26 – comments and feedback

Anthony Keith

I respectfully submit that the residential areas of North Leaside and South Leaside should both remain in DVW. These communities have been together in DVW for a great many years and should remain so. However the Commission has proposed that they be divided, with North Leaside remaining in DVW while South Leaside is o be transferred to a new riding called St. Clair-Mount Pleasant, with which it has no historic connection. There is no obvious reason why this should happen.

The Leaside area, once its own separate incorporated town, is still essentially one community. For the purpose of elections the Commission proposes to cut it in half. This makes no sense, unless there are other motives at work which go beyond maintaining an average number of voters in each riding within an acceptable range. If what the Commission is dealing with is simply a matter of numbers of voters, there is a perfectly obvious way to achieve the desired result without interfering with the established community. By keeping the Leaside community together while making the northern boundary of the riding York Mills Road, rather than Highway 401, the desired average number of voters will be maintained.

Sadly, the Commission’s proposal calls to mind the blatant gerrymandering which unfortunately is still common in parts of the United States. I had hoped that we were well past that sort of interference in Canada, but perhaps not.

Yours truly,

Anthony Keith