Comment 57 – comments and feedback

Brenda Gignac

I am writing today to express my extreme opposition to the proposed changes to the Federal Electoral Boundaries.

As a bit of a background, I live in the northern, rural community of Red Lake, Ontario. An isolated community with a population of 4,100 people. We are located at the end of Highway 105 - 175 km north of the Trans Canada Highway 17. Red Lake is a small yet thriving town blessed with an abundance of rich natural resources making our region a popular tourist destination and a significant contributor to the logging industry. The main industry in Red Lake is gold mining. The gold deposits in our region have produced over 26 million ounces of gold since the 1930's and gold continues to be a major economic influencer with new deposits continually being discovered.

Northwestern Ontario as a whole is already underrepresented in Canadian parliament. The proposed riding is vastly large geographically, spanning the entire province! It encompasses a large number of communities all with very different needs and priorities, which make it difficult to ensure appropriate representation of all members of the proposed riding.

We have been witness to the effects of this underrepresentation since Ontario's boundaries were changed prior to the 2018 provincial election. We have seen the challenges faced by our members of parliament to effectively work for their constituents in such a large area with such distinctively different needs. There are many resources required to travel to our communities as a result of our rural and northern location in the province. Transportation costs and time are two key factors that significantly reduce the opportunities for members of parliament to engage with their constituents.

For these reasons and more I am requesting serious reconsideration be given to the proposed changes to the electoral districts.

Sincerely,

Brenda Gignac