Comment 134 – comments and feedback

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Deborah J Ewald, Mayor, Town of Rainy River

Please find attached two resolutions passed by the Town of Rainy River on September 12, 2022 in response to the call for input from the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario.

Thank you for your consideration.

PO Box xxx xxx xxxxxx xxxxx Rainy River, ON xxx xxx

Office Phone: (xxx) xxx-xxxx Clerk Phone: (xxx) xxx-xxxx Fax: (xxx) xxx-xxxx Email:xxxxx@xxxxxxx.xxx Website: www.rainyriver.ca

Town of Rainy River Resolution

Moved by M. Kreger

Date: September 12, 2022

Seconded by D. Bulle

Resolution: 22-014

Whereas the Corporation of the Town of Rainy River has been represented since 2004 by the MP for Thunder Bay-Rainy River;

And whereas the riding of Thunder Bay-Rainy River has a rough length by road of 440km, measured from the intersection of the Harbour Expressway and Fort William Road in Thunder Bay to the Rainy River-Baudette Border Crossing in the Town of Rainy River;

And whereas the riding of Thunder Bay-Rainy River currently contains 16 municipalities and 10 First Nations;

And whereas the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario has proposed the elimination of the riding of Thunder Bay-Rainy River and the creation of a Kenora-Thunder Bay-Rainy River riding;

And whereas the Kenora-Thunder Bay-Rainy River riding would contain 20 municipalities and 21 First Nations, with a rough length by road of 541km, measured from the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Island Drive in Thunder Bay to the intersection of Shoal Lake Road and Highway 17 near Kenora;

And whereas this expansion in size and number of communities would dilute the representation of the Corporation of the Town of Rainy River;

And whereas the Kenora-Thunder Bay-Rainy River riding would dramatically limit the amount of time it's Member of Parliament could spend in the Town of Rainy River due to the extraordinary scale of the riding and distance between communities, potentially harming the community's access to federal services;

And whereas the MP for Kenora-Thunder Bay-Rainy River riding will have to manage the complex and unique urban interests of Thunder Bay with the complex and unique interests of an equally important, but dramatically expanded, rural region composed of smaller communities;

Now therefore be it resolved that this Council urges the Federal Electoral Commission to withdraw its proposal to eliminate the Thunder Bay-Rainy River riding and replace it with the Kenora-Thunder Bay-Rainy River riding;

And further that the Thunder Bay-Rainy River riding be kept geographically similar to its current boundaries within the Rainy River District and the Thunder Bay District, so as to protect the Corporation of the Town of Rainy River's representation and access to federal services."

Abstain

Ayes

Carried ✓

Defeated

Nayes

Deborah J. Ewald

Mayor or Acting Mayor

L. Armstrong

D. Ewald

B. Helgeson

N. Ivall

M. Kreger

G. Pasloski

P. White

in the heart of Ontario's Sunset Counts

PO Box xxx xxx xxxxxx xxxxx Rainy River, ON xxx xxx

Office Phone: (xxx) xxx-xxxx Clerk Phone: (xxx) xxx-xxxx Fax: (xxx) xxx-xxxx Email:xxxxx@xxxxxxx.xxx Website: www.rainyriver.ca

Resolution

Moved by D. Bulle

Date: September 12, 2022

Seconded by (not legible)

Resolution: 22-015

Whereas, the proposed Electoral Boundary Commission has proposed to remove one electoral district from Northern Ontario;

And whereas, the proposal to diminish Northern Ontario's voice in Parliament will have a detrimental effect on participatory democracy and regional development as the issues in Northern Ontario are significantly different than the issues facing the urban south;

And whereas, the Federal Boundary Commission proposal to cut representation in the north is contrary to the 2017 electoral boundary changes for Ontario that recognized the need to add two seats to ensure fair participation for northern residents;

And whereas, many of the existing ridings in Northern Ontario are already larger than many European countries, a situation that will only be worsened by the addition of massively new regions to service;

And whereas, the proposed new super ridings will force municipalities to compete for a limited amount of riding funding which will further exacerbate inequities in the north;

And whereas, Northern Ontario's population per riding is already much higher than many other rural and isolated regions in Canada's north;

And whereas, any changes to electoral boundaries should be based on the principles of maintaining communities of interest within boundaries that are equitable in terms of population and geography;

Now, therefore be it resolved that this Council calls on the Electoral Boundary Commission to maintain the electoral representation of Northern Ontario and ensure that any boundary changes are done in a manner that responds to regional and local need."