Comment 197 – comments and feedback
Back to all comments and feedback from the public
Joanne Savage
On behalf of Mayor Joanne Savage, please see attached.
September 23, 2022
Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario
Ms. Paula Puddy
Commission Secretary
PO Box 37018 Southdale
London, Ontario N6E 3T3
Dear Ms. Puddy
As Mayor of the Municipality of West Nipissing it is my duty to provide this letter of support for the resolution brought forward by the Sudbury-East Municipal Association (SEMA).
At a special meeting of council on September 22, council unanimously voted to support a resolution brought forward by SEMA; calling on the Commission not to reduce the number of MPs for Northern Ontario and the current geographical boundaries for those in Nickel Belt.
The proposal by the Federal Electoral Boundary Commission would create a number of disadvantages for our community as well as our neighbouring municipalities, by fragmenting, diminishing, and reducing access to federal representation for area residents.The municipalities within SEMA work together under the umbrella of the Sudbury-East Municipal Association for the betterment of each other.
The Municipality of West Nipissing would advise the commission to consider the uniqueness of these municipalities including the difficulty in competing for limited amounts of funding and accessing federal services.
We put forward that the commission did not take into consideration that the current Sudbury-East boundaries include a substantial francophone community. The Municipality of West Nipissing has a rich francophone history with approximately 67.6% of residents fluent in both French and English. Our muncipality's slogan "Joie de vivre" is a driving force in building our community and distinguishing itself from other regions within Ontario.
By removing West Nipissing and our neighbouring municipalities from Nickel Belt, it would make it extremely difficult to advocate for our francophone population and would be detrimental for those municipalities being forced into mostly anglophone ridings.
Therefore, the Municipality of West Nipissing calls on the Electoral Boundary Commission to not reduce the number of MPs for Northern Ontario and to respect the current geographical boundaries for those in Nickel Belt. We thank you four your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Joanne Savage
Joanne
Savage Mayor
cc: MP Marc Serré
Member of Parliament for Nickel Belt and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Official Languages