Comment 75 – comments and feedback

Written submission from:

• Gary Anandasangaree, MP Scarborough-Rouge Park
• Yvan Baker, MP Etobicoke Centre
• Carolyn Bennett, MP Toronto-St. Paul's
• Bill Blair, MP Scarborough Southwest
• Shaun Chen, MP Scarborough North
• Michael Coteau, MP Don Valley East
• Julie Dabrusin, MP Toronto-Danforth
• Han Dong, MP Don Valley North
• Kirsty Duncan, MP Etobicoke North
• Julie Dzerowicz, MP Davenport
• Ali Ehsassi, MP Willowdale
• Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, MP Beaches-East York
• Chrystia Freeland, MP University-Rosedale
• Ahmed Hussen, MP York South-Weston
• Marci Ien, MP Toronto Centre
• James Maloney, MP Etobicoke-Lakeshore
• John McKay, MP Scarborough-Guildwood
• Marco Mendicino, MP Eglinton-Lawrence
• Rob Oliphant, MP Don Valley West
• Ya'ara Saks, MP York Centre
• Judy Sgro, MP Humber River-Black Creek
• Arif Virani, MP Parkdale-High Park
• Jean Yip, MP Scarborough-Agincourt
• Salma Zahid, MP Scarborough Centre

Please find attached our written submission, which includes:

1. A letter setting out our concerns with the Commission's current proposal.
2. Schedule A: a map of Toronto that maintains 25 seats but that also meets the Commission's goal with respect to a 10% deviation.
3. Schedule B: two options for managing Ontario's overall seat count.

Commissioners: October 8, 2022

We write as Members of Parliament for Toronto with concerns about the proposed redistribution plan's negative impact on communities of interest in our city and on the diversity of representation in our province.

Preserving Communities of Interest:

Since amalgamation in 1998, much of Toronto continues to respect the boundaries of its former municipalities and many of its legacy networks of hospitals and other health, social, educational, and city services. For example, the city's 158 neighbourhoods clearly adhere to the former municipal boundaries.

Larger communities of interest are maintained to this day and the City of Toronto's governance continues to recognize distinct regions like Scarborough, which maintain unique programs and services designed to meet the needs of local residents.

Unfortunately, the Commission's proposal will move areas of Scarborough into North York, and split up well-defined communities in Scarborough-Agincourt, Scarborough North, and Scarborough Centre.

For example, the emerging neighbourhood of Chester Le is being moved out of Scarborough, despite the fact that it has long been supported by Agincourt Community Services, and it benefits from the Toronto Police's Neighbourhood Officer program out of 42 Division in Scarborough.

Another example: the Seniors Persons Living Connected has deep roots in Scarborough, serving 2500 seniors, and is heavily reliant on Scarborough organizations for support.

The previous Commission in 2012 recognized Victoria Park as Scarborough's natural boundary, which reflects the reality of crucial infrastructure such as police services. Today's Commission should also respect long-standing boundaries.

Returning Toronto to 25 seats is important in order to preserve these larger, historical, and important communities of interest and neighbourhoods.

Preserving Representation:

Beyond preserving neighbourhoods, it is critical that we preserve representation. The Commission's justification for a reduction in districts fails to address the negative impact on the diversity of representation across our province.

In its proposed redistribution plan, the Commission reduced the districts in Toronto on the basis that "overrepresentation in Toronto has emerged due to uneven population growth between Toronto and surrounding areas, which is expected to continue or increase in the future."

The Commission has relied on 2021 census data which reported a population count of 2,794,356 for the City of Toronto. This resulted in a proposed reduction from 25 to 24 districts, averaging 116,431 people per riding.

This population count and recent slower growth does not adequately account for undercoverage or the unique circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which the 2021 census was conducted.

A City of Toronto report found that its "population growth is largely driven by international migration, and this has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is not a 'slowing of growth'. Hemson Consulting Ltd., which prepared the forecasts supporting A Place to Grow, anticipated that the fundamental growth patterns of the region would reassert themselves in three years' time."

As a city of immigrants, with population growth driven by international migration, reducing a seat in Toronto will have a serious and negative impact on the diversity of representation in our province.

For reference, Scarborough-Agincourt and Scarborough North's immigration population is 19% above the City of Toronto average. Losing representation in Scarborough will unquestionably impact the diversity of voices we see in our legislature.

As Professor Michael Pal has recently stated: "Urban areas are generally underrepresented" and "racial minorities' voices are diminished from what they should be in a purely numerical sense." The loss of a seat in the Toronto area will exacerbate this existing inequality in representation.

Nowhere does the Commission address the importance of diversity in representation, when it should be an important factor under consideration.

Returning Toronto to 25 seats would properly account for undercoverage in the census data and take into account the importance of diversity in representation.

A Concrete Alternative:

We recognize the challenge before you, as it is a zero sum game across the province. There are no easy decisions.

At the same time, we also know that the law permits much greater flexibility than the 10% deviation the Commission has used,3 and we are confident there is a path forward to maintain the diversity of representation in our province.

We offer a potential solution that returns a seat to Toronto, revises boundaries within Toronto to both respect communities of interest and maintain more even representation by population, and fits within the overall seat growth in Ontario.

You will find our proposal for Toronto at Schedule A, and two potential options for managing Ontario's overall seat count at Schedule B.

Thanks for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

• Gary Anandasangaree, MP Scarborough-Rouge Park
• Yvan Baker, MP Etobicoke Centre
• Carolyn Bennett, MP Toronto-St. Paul's
• Bill Blair, MP Scarborough Southwest
• Shaun Chen, MP Scarborough North
• Michael Coteau, MP Don Valley East
• Julie Dabrusin, MP Toronto-Danforth
• Han Dong, MP Don Valley North
• Kirsty Duncan, MP Etobicoke North
• Julie Dzerowicz, MP Davenport
• Ali Ehsassi, MP Willowdale
• Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, MP Beaches-East York
• Chrystia Freeland, MP University-Rosedale
• Ahmed Hussen, MP York South-Weston
• Marci Ien, MP Toronto Centre
• James Maloney, MP Etobicoke-Lakeshore
• John McKay, MP Scarborough-Guildwood
• Marco Mendicino, MP Eglinton-Lawrence
• Rob Oliphant, MP Don Valley West
• Ya'ara Saks, MP York Centre
• Judy Sgro, MP Humber River-Black Creek
• Arif Virani, MP Parkdale-High Park
• Jean Yip, MP Scarborough-Agincourt
• Salma Zahid, MP Scarborough Centre

Do to the length of this submission, the submission cannot be coded in html format. Please contact ADMIN-REDECOUPAGE_ADMIN-REDISTRIBUTION@elections.ca to receive a copy of this submission.