Commentaire 147 – commentaires et rétroaction

Richard Battista

I wish to voice my objections to the boundary changes proposed by the Federal Redistribution Boundaries Commission's ("FRBC") with regard to the Tyandaga Neighbourhood in the City of Burlington.

Currently, the Tyandaga Neighborhood is included in the Burlington electoral district. The FRBC is proposing to move Tyandaga to a newly configured district, named Burlington-Milton West. The FRBC states that it considers historical patterns, geographic size, and communities of interest or identity in its determinations.

Tyandaga's community of interest/identity ( city, schools, hospitals, amenities) is the city of Burlington, whose population is largely south of Dundas street/hwy5.

It appears that Tyandaga was excluded from the more appropriate newly configured district, Burlington- Lakeshore solely for "headcount" reasons. It is apparent from Map 8 that the triangular area (northwest of 407, south of hwy5/Dundas street and north of the QEW) was a convenient way of balancing headcount numbers. This triangular area is the only part of Burlington-Milton West that is south of Dundas Street/hwy 5.

In conclusion, the proposed boundary changes pertaining to the Tyandaga Neighbourhood, and for that matter Brant Hills, disregarded considerations of historical patterns and communities of interest/identity. A more inclusive consideration of the facts would have the Tyandaga Neighbourhood situated within the Burlington-Lakeshore electoral district.

Thank you,

Richard Battistat.