Commentaire 199 – commentaires et rétroaction

Sevag Belian
Armenian National Committee of Canada

On behalf of the Armenian National Committee of Canada, we are writing to you today to comment on the proposal for electoral boundary changes in Ontario.

We appreciate the complexity of the challenge before the commission to balance a multitude of constraints and priorities. It is particularly commendable that the proposal considers the extraordinary circumstances of the primarily indigenous population of Northern Ontario to allocate a special district to the vast geography there. This region has poor access to infrastructure compared to the rest of the province and deserves special attention. Efforts to include indigenous references in the naming of the districts are also commendable, to honour the rich history of Canada that extends far beyond 1867.

The Armenian community of Canada, on behalf of whom we advocate in policy-making circles, found it surprising however that the Commission felt it was necessary to reduce the number of districts in the City of Toronto. In comparing growth rates across the province, it is difficult to believe that the City of Toronto has grown more slowly than other parts of the province to warrant such a reduction. As we are sure you are well aware, there is a tradition for these districts to cascade down to the provincial and also municipal levels.

While we are certain the result was not intentional, the commission's proposal results in reducing the number of representatives right at the epicentre of the Armenian community of Ontario, which is focused on the northeastern quadrant of the City of Toronto, across North York and Scarborough.

The broader area in question has undergone continual rapid growth since the introduction of the Sheppard subway line and will continue to do so as expanding transit options are transforming the landscape with new high-density housing developments.

The City of Toronto as a whole is the top destination in the country for new Canadians, while aging infrastructure has struggled to keep up with the population growth. Reducing the number of districts in the city and creating a zero-sum game, leaving an area with a diverse population that has been historically marginalized in Canada to bear the cost is the wrong approach. It feeds into narratives of neglect of the periphery by urban elites (the debacle over the Scarborough subway is a salient example) and disenchants residents from the political process as a way to bring about change. We strongly encourage you to revise the proposal so as to maintain Toronto's total of 25 districts.

In terms of specific boundary lines, Victoria Park Avenue has always been a prominent landmark and reflected as such by historical electoral boundary limits stretching back decades. In the interest of the commission's goal of keeping together communities of interest, we feel it is important to maintain Scarborough's historical boundaries. Likewise, Highway 401 and Steeles Avenue are other major landmarks. We applauded the reinstatement of the district of Don Valley North in 2015 with boundaries that were easy to communicate to voters.

Finally, our organization and membership regret the proposed renaming of the district of Willowdale to Bayview-Finch. The district of Willowdale has existed since 1979, and many local residents self-identify as living in the neighbourhood of Willowdale. The intersection of Bayview Avenue and Finch Avenue is less personal to the identity of local residents, especially those who live closer to Bayview and Steeles or Bayview and Sheppard, or the other major intersections in the district. We strongly recommend maintaining the current name of Willowdale, even if specific boundaries are slightly adjusted.

We thank the commission for the opportunity to take part in the public consultation process, and for extending the timeframe for doing so. We sincerely hope that our input will be taken into consideration, and would be happy to discuss the matter further in different formats.

Sincerely yours,

Sevag Belian