Comment 42 – comments and feedback

Andrea Hazell, President, Scarborough Business Association

Sherief Rezk, Chair, Membership Committee

Natasha Allen, Chair, Advocacy and Policy Committee

Re: The redistricting of Scarborough and its effects on local business.

Dear Members of The Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario,

This letter is written on behalf of the Scarborough Business Association (the SBA), the Board of Directors, and our members to address concerns regarding the proposed boundaries of federal ridings in Scarborough. The SBA is focused on helping Scarborough business by driving prosperity, creating forums for networking, providing education and opportunity. After review, the SBA has identified two major areas of concern regarding the new proposal. The SBA strongly believes that this redistricting weakens Scarborough's access to representation. The SBA advocates for Scarborough retaining 6 seats, and that the boundary of Scarborough ridings be maintained at the historic boundary of Victoria Park Avenue.

Scarborough received a new riding in the last federal redistricting. After only a decade, the new proposal would remove this riding. The back-and-forth is inherently negative, and chills Scarborough's access to local representation. Local businesses rely on access to legislators, and this redistricting cuts down a decade of community building. This is exacerbated by a) the barriers Scarborough businesses face as a racialized and immigrant community, and b) the implication for representation at all three levels of government. As Ontario aligns provincial and municipal ridings and wards to federal boundaries, under this proposal, Scarborough would be set to lose representation drastically.

The SBA also objects to the new boundaries proposed by the commission. Victoria Park Avenue has a long history of representing where the Scarborough ends in the west. These areas have a cultural connection to Scarborough and should be maintained in Scarborough-centric ridings. By shifting the western boundary of Scarborough ridings from Victoria Park Ave to Warden Ave north of Eglinton Ave, the commission distances vital Scarborough neighborhoods from their community. Even in the small area being severed from Scarborough, the SBA has identified several businesses that even use "Scarborough" in the name [1][2][3][4]. While we understand that riding names will not directly harm these businesses, we hope that the commission will take it as evidence of a strong cultural connection that warrants preservation.

To further evidence the harms of severing western Scarborough, it's important to note the strong connection the area has with Scarborough community organizations. The Scarborough Business Association has worked tirelessly to support business development in the Golden Mile (Birchmount Rd and Eglinton Ave to Victoria Park Ave and Eglinton Ave), a historic Scarborough neighborhood which is set to be partly moved to a non-Scarborough riding. In coordination with the City of Toronto Economics department and the Centennial College Innovation Program the SBA worked to support businesses in the Golden Mile area regarding the business difficulties they're faced primarily from the Metrolinx construction and COVID-19 pandemic. To these businesses, the SBA has offered support in business growth around topics like how to scale your business online, a job fair, and a town hall meeting with local politicians. Furthermore, the SBA has spearheaded the creation of a Golden Mile Advisory Committee, to help further support the Golden Mile's economic recovery. We hope the commission understands the strength of connection between Scarborough and the areas the proposal seeks to remove.

The Scarborough Business Association would like to thank the Commission for the chance to address their concerns. We hope that our advocacy, on behalf of the local business of Scarborough, will raise the Commission's awareness about these local Scarborough impacts of the redistricting proposal. We strongly hope that that Scarborough will retain 6 seats and that the boundaries of Scarborough be respected with Victoria Park Avenue remaining the western boundary for any and all realignment of ridings.

Sincerely,

Andrea Hazell
President of the Scarborough Business Association

Sherief Rezk
Chair of the Membership Committee

Natasha Allen
Chair of the Advocacy and Policy Committee