Comment 352 – comments and feedback
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Leah Houston
October 26, 2022
To the Members of the Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario,
My name is Leah Houston and I am the Executive Director of MABELLEarts - a grassroots arts and community development organization hard at work in the Mabelle neighbourhood. I am writing to express my concerns related to a proposal to redistribute the Etobicoke Lakeshore Riding currently represented by MP James Maloney.
Mabelle is an inner-suburban, high density and low-income community surrounded by affluent single-family homes. Mabelle residents rely on the services more indicative of downtown communities, including affordable rapid transit, responsive and culturally sensitive social services and easy access to free and vibrant public spaces like parks and community centres. Our current riding is a strong mix of urban, inner-suburban and affluent suburban neigbbourhoods, which helps ensure our representation on the federal level.
My concern with the redistribution plan is that the Mabelle community will be lost in a more homogeneous and affluent suburban riding and that their unique concerns and needs will be sidelined by the aspirations and social capital of their neighbours to the north. The marginalization of inner-suburban communities is a huge issue in the GTA. Historically these communities have been under-served in part because their needs are masked by the relative affluence of neighbouring suburban neighbourhoods. I believe that the current redistribution plan will further entrench the historical inequities at play.
I hope the Commission will take these concerns into consideration. For too long, inner-suburban communities like Mabelle have been under-represented and marginalized. Your plan does nothing to address these realities and should not move forward.
Please feel free to be in touch with me to learn more about the Mabelle community! This vibrant neighbourhood is a jewel in Etobicoke Lakeshore's crown. I hope we get to stay!
Sincerely,
Leah Houston
Executive Director
MABELLEarts
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