Commentaire 335 – commentaires et rétroaction

Sarah Gallagher, President,
Davenport NDP Riding Association

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October 29, 2022

Attention: Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario
Re: 2022 Ontario Electoral Boundary Redistribution Proposal

Dear Members of the Commission,

The Davenport NDP Riding Association is pleased to participate in the decennial review of our electoral boundaries. Our members are actively involved in the Davenport community. We have a deep knowledge of our riding and have worked in every corner of the riding over the years.

Our Riding Association echoes the comments made by Davenport MPP Marit Stiles at the Toronto hearing on September 29^th, 2022. While we appreciate your efforts to keep many Davenport communities together, we are concerned that your proposal divides Little Jamaica between two ridings and separates Lisgar Park from Davenport.

Our Riding Association agrees with the comments made by MP Carolyn Bennett and MPP Jill Andrew at the October 19^th, 2022, hearing about the importance of keeping the Little Jamaica community together. Little Jamaica is a key community of identity, and the new proposed federal boundaries would create a division. This division may result in voter suppression and confusion for residents who have been historically underserved.

As such, the new proposed eastern boundary of the riding is acceptable until where Oakwood Ave. meets Rogers Rd. We propose that the current riding boundary that runs along Rogers Rd., west to Dufferin St., then north to Eglinton Ave. W., remain the same to keep the vibrant Little Jamaica community together.

In addition, our Riding Association believes that the Lisgar Park community should remain as an important neighbourhood in Davenport. Residents in the Lisgar Park area have long identified with Davenport and have voted in the riding for over ten years. Removing this neighbourhood from the riding could create confusion among residents and may result in lower voter turnout.

As such, we propose that the southernmost part of the riding remain the same, instead of the Commission's proposal to have the riding end at Queen St. W. In conjunction with our first point that Little Jamaica should not be split up, keeping the Lisgar Park community in Davenport will also ensure population equity is maintained.

We appreciate your efforts to maintain some long-standing Davenport communities such as Little Portugal and maintain historic neighbourhoods such as Dovercourt Village, Bloordale Village and the Junction Triangle. We also welcome your decision to make the Beaconsfield Village neighbourhood whole again. However, we ask that you consider keeping Lisgar Park in Davenport and keep Little Jamaica together. Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback and for considering our submission.

Sincerely,

Sarah Gallagher
President, Davenport NDP Riding Association