Commentaire 32 – commentaires et rétroaction

Leah Taylor Roy

Submission for Federal Redistribution Commission

RE: Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill Redistribution

As the Member of Parliament for the riding of Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill, I am pleased to share my thoughts on the proposed changes to the federal ridings made by the Ontario Commission. The work being done on the proposed redistributions is of significant importance, and I wanted to extend my thanks to the excellent members of the commission, who have shown dedication and careful attention to detail in their work to date. I wanted to stress that in addition to the necessary technical focus on population numbers and the maintenance of generally equitable population distribution that ridings are reflections of communities, and that a consideration of community groups with common identities and economic interconnections should also play a role in this process of redistribution.

It is with these considerations in mind that I wanted to express my support for the proposed changes to the riding of Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill, which are outlined as follows on the commission's website:

1. that part of the City of Richmond Hill lying northerly of a line described as follows: commencing at the intersection of the easterly limit of said city and Elgin Mills Road East; thence westerly along said road and along Elgin Mills Road West to the westerly limit of said city; and
2. that part of the Town of Aurora lying southerly and westerly of a line described as follows: commencing at the intersection of the easterly limit of said town and Wellington Street East; thence westerly along said street to Yonge Street; thence northerly along said street to Orchard Heights Boulevard; thence generally westerly along said boulevard to the westerly limit of said town.

In the case of the first change, the delineation of the southern boundary of the federal riding at Elgin Mills Road East brings residents of the area closer to the offices of the Member of Parliament for the riding of Richmond Hill South, which in my personal experience being a resident of Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill, is a sound decision that reflects the closer economic and community ties between that section of Richmond Hill and the riding of Richmond Hill South. It also maintains the community integrity of the neighborhood in connecting it to the federal riding of Richmond Hill South to allow for percentage population shifts and aligning the borders of the riding with township boundaries.

Regarding the second change, that being the proposal to incorporate the part of the Town of Aurora along Wellington Street East in the northwest corner of said township, I believe that is an important and positive change that acknowledges the important community of shared interest that exists and the nature of Aurora as a distinct urban community. Bringing the entirety of Aurora into a single riding would be the ideal proposition, especially the current riding of Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill, but I support the move to draw more of the town into a single riding. Importantly it is a transitional step that recognizes and reinforces the natural community of interest located in Oak Ridges, which also should be incorporated as a whole into a single riding. Given that the currently proposed changes brings the riding of Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill to a population less than 116,900, I hope that the incorporation of the entirety of the township of Aurora in a single riding could be achieved to better reflect the distinct community identity which includes economic, social, and cultural significance, if not in this particular redistribution then in the future.

Moreover, in light of the recent changes to the Aurora township municipal elections, the proposed boundary changes align the federal riding more closely with the municipal wards instituted in 2022. The section of Aurora bordering Orchard Heights, which is in the same Ward 2 as the section of Aurora below Wellington Street, is now placed in the same federal riding as well. By supporting the changed boundary proposed by the Redistribution Commission, I support the recognition of Aurora as a rapidly growing municipal and economic centre, which is reflected by the alignment of municipal and federal electoral boundaries. This also of importance in that the proposed boundary change brings the elementary feeder school of Aurora Heights into the same boundaries as the Aurora High School south of Wellington. In a similar fashion, the proposed boundary change in Richmond Hill ensures that the section of Richmond Hill below Elgin Mills Road remains part of Ward 3 in that municipality. The movement of schools such as Redstone Public School and Michaelle Jean Public School will be of some impact, and may allow for a shift in transit for students to access high schools that are closer and, as a result of the proposed changes, to be in the same federal riding. The alignment of municipal wards with federal electoral ridings ensures the consistency of electoral communities, and fosters an important aspect of local community networks and their integration with multiple levels of government.

I wanted again to thank the members of the Commission for the work that they have done on this important task, and to express my support for the changes proposed to the federal riding of Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill. My submission is designed to provide local community insight to the macro-level analysis of federal redistribution, and to support the changes I believe keep local networks together. I look forward to speaking on the proposal at the upcoming virtual hearing.

Sincerely,

Leah Taylor Roy, Member of Parliament for Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill