Comment 11 – comments and feedback
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Chris Bittle
St Catharines is the largest city in the Niagara Peninsula and the Riding of St Catharines has existed federally since 1968, having split from the Riding of Lincoln which was created at confederation.
According to Statistics Canada, the City of St Catharines has a population of 136,803 (2021). The City of St Catharines is clearly a community of interest. However, it would be unreasonable to expect that the entirety of the City of St Catharines to be represented in one riding given the population. The proposed boundary nearly mirrors the urban boundary of the City of St Catharines. Attached is a map from the Regional Municipality of Niagara's Official Plan, which outlines the urban boundary (or settlement area).
As the riding is proposed, it comprises the vast majority of the residents of St. Catharines (approximately 87%). The residents of the proposed riding share services (both municipally and from nongovernmental organizations that are predominantly located in downtown St Catharines) are represented by a single municipal council and share a common sense of community. The riding as proposed achieves serving a community of interest while maintaining a reasonable level of population.
I look forward to presenting before the commission to be able to answer any questions you may have.
Chris Bittle
