Commentaire 124 – commentaires et rétroaction

Jason Koivisto

Ms. Paula Puddy

Commission Secretary

Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario

PO Box 37018 Southdale

London, Ontario N6E 3T3

September 20, 2022

Re: Proposed Redistribution for Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing

Dear Ms. Puddy,

The Algoma Federation of Agriculture represents the interests and needs of over 150 farm families in the region. We oppose the proposed federal riding redistribution boundaries, specifically those that will dissolve the existing riding of Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing. Due to the adverse impact this will have on ensuring residents can access constituency services and the potential for further population shifts to rural areas, we request that the existing AMK riding be retained.

These proposed changes could result in several detrimental impacts to residents, including:

• Inadequate delivery of constituency services in rural areas
• Reducing access to federal funding programs throughout the area
• Diluting the voices and needs of rural residents/areas by amalgamating with larger centers
• Inequitable consideration of rural/agricultural and urban concerns, an important future consideration as people migrate into smaller communities within Algoma (noticeable increase in farms and homesteaders in areas of Algoma).

The Commission can draw boundaries to account for communities of interest or make exceptions for extraordinary circumstances and we ask that the Commission retain the existing boundaries for AMK. This will ensure that the riding remains a manageable geographic size while allowing the MP to equitably represent the general needs of area residents. The opportunities in Northern Ontario are significant, especially with respect to agriculture, secure food production and economic growth, and we need to ensure that our federal representation can equitably represent this area.

Sincerely,

Jason Kovisto

Jason Koivisto, Chair – Algoma Federation of Agriculture