Comment 157 – comments and feedback

Carolyn Thain

Submission on the Inadequate number of Northern Ontario federal electoral Districts

I strongly disagree with the proposed reduction in the number of electoral districts in Northern Ontario and make the following comments to the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario

Northern Ontario residents are diverse – both in demographics and geographic location, including rural, remote, urban and First Nations communities.

We are separated by large distances and limited road access, many communities without other transportation, access to airports, train service or even reliable bus service. Severe winter road conditions further limit access during these months.

Inadequate northern communications infrastructure can be spotty at best and expensive where it does exist. Internet is nonexistent in some areas, and many neighbourhoods receive only low speed DSL or equivalent which is spotty and inadequate for much communication. Even telephone – Bell or cellular - is intermittent and unavailable in areas.

Representation Requires Reasonable Access by and to Members of Parliament and their Constituents. It is crucial for adequate representation that Members of Parliament have a physical presence in all of their communities, to understand the issues and concerns of their constituency. They need the ability to reasonably travel and meet with taxpayers. The huge size of the proposed ridings and reduced number of MPs result in underrepresentation. This is not acceptable.

The current electoral ridings already are too large. The current boundaries impose tremendous difficulty for MPs and their staff to be able to connect with our communities. Further reduction in the number of MPs in the north and increasing the geographic size of our ridings further compounds the disparity between north and south. A short drive in Toronto or Ottawa will traverse multiple ridings, while in the north, it is difficult to cover even a small portion of the riding in a day?s drive. Add to the geographic distance, the inadequate infrastructure limits ability to video call or participate in remote meetings.

Downward spiral of funding and growth and representation. Reduced representation in Ottawa by area MPs reduce opportunities for Federal funding, further negatively impacting the economies and growth in the north, with a downward spiral.

To approach adequate representation, the new electoral map must, at a minimum, retain the current number of ridings, or at best, increase the number.

Thank you for considering these views in your review of the electoral boundaries.

Respectfully submitted

Carolyn Thain