Comment 72 – comments and feedback

Philip Matthews

I am writing to say that I disagree with the proposal to separate West Carleton from Kanata (e.g. the current Kanata-Carleton riding) and associate it with Renfrew etc. I would like to see West Carleton remain in a riding with Kanata as I feel there is a much stronger community of interest between West Carleton and Kanata than between West Carleton and Renfrew.

The residents of West Carleton have a strong association with Kanata, as most of them work and shop in Kanata or elsewhere within Ottawa. Further, they have both been part of the City of Ottawa now for over 20 years. In fact, at the time of amalgamation, the northern part of West Carleton had the choice to join with either Ottawa or Arnprior and chose Ottawa by a large margin. Though West Carleton had an identity distinct from Kanata at the time of amalgamation, that has mostly eroded away over the past 20 years.

By contrast, there is virtually no community of common interest between West Carleton and Renfrew. Residents of West Carleton rarely visit Renfrew and have little knowledge of what goes on there, and similarly residents of Renfrew rarely visit West Carleton and little knowledge of what goes on here. I feel the two communities are being grouped together just for the sake of an abstract number and not because there is any sense of commonality.

Philip Matthews