Comment 92 – comments and feedback
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Wanda MacNevin
Submission to the Ontario Commission regarding the redistribution of the Federal Electoral Districts – October 19, 2022
I am deeply concerned about the proposed redistribution for the area I lived in for over 60 years and where I worked for over 40 years which is the Jane-Finch area of the Humber River-Black Creek riding. I am also deeply concerned about Toronto losing one seat with this proposal – that's not acceptable. Toronto is the largest municipality in Ontario and needs more representation, not less.
Your proposal calls for the exclusion of the area west of Weston Road for the riding. The Humber River has been and continues to be a natural geographic boundary for this riding. This natural waterway ought to continue to act as the boundary, the same boundary for both the municipal and provincial ridings. The two neighbourhoods east and west of the Humber River have remained as separate neighbourhoods with different elected officials that appears to be working well.
Your proposal divides three neighbourhoods that would impact the communities: Humberlea, Humbermede and Humber Summit. For example Humberlea and Humbermede and the neighbourhoods on the east and west side of Weston Road are all neighbourhoods that have worked well together and with their elected officials. Why change that?
I have recently written a book on the history of Jane-Finch from the 60s onwards that tells plenty of stories of political and bureaucratic maneuvers that deeply impacted folks from this area of the city. For example, we have had that experience in Jane-Finch when the municipal boundaries were changed that divided two neighbourhoods - east and west of Jane Street. The community then had two politicians with very different views that collided with what people wanted for their neighbourhood.
The boundary change at a municipal level in 2018 deeply affected the community with having only one councillor covering a very large area. Both the municipal and the provincial levels of government now has the Humber River as the western boundary – please keep the federal boundary in line with the other levels of government as consistency is important to this community.
As for the eastern boundary of Keele Street, I believe that is the correct boundary. York University has been very important to the community of Jane-Finch (its neighbour) and that should not be changed. Thank you for keeping that boundary as is.
Respectfully Submitted,
Wanda MacNevin