Commentaire 67 – commentaires et rétroaction

Phil Sweetnam

When Ottawa was formed there was a vote as to whether they wanted to join Ottawa.

The new proposal has significantly changed the electoral district which formerly included all of West Carleton. The new proposal excludes the part of West Carleton that is north of Vaughan Side Rd. and follows Craig's Side Rd. through Berry's Side Rd which eventually goes to the Ottawa River.

The newly proposed area is 175 km along the Ottawa River. Deep River, the most northerly major town, is 133km north. The proposed Electoral District of Algonquin Renfrew Pembroke (ARP) is sparsely populated, and it is understandable that the Redistribution Committee is trying to increase the population by extending the Electoral District to part of West Carleton that includes Constance Bay, Marathon Village and Kinburn.

The mandate of the Redistribution Commission (as copied below,) “is obliged to also consider communities of interest or communities of identity in, and the historical pattern of, electoral districts.” The commission has only looked at population equalization but has certainly not considered a community of interest in the redistribution boundaries.

The kind of challenges faced by this section of West Carleton are those of an urban area. The challenge is to find a place for all those who wish to live in West Carleton and meet the City of Ottawa standards. In contrast, the challenge of an area like Deep River is to hold the existing population and encourage people to settle in that community.

The area proposed to join ARP usually gets all of its services such as education, library, recreational facilities, police and fire service, snow ploughing, garbage collection from Ottawa. In addition, area residents who do not work from home travel to Ottawa for work and medical appointments and some recreational services.

With the exception of a few residents who live close to Arnprior, few constituents have much contact with the cities and towns of Renfrew. The expectations and the needs of this part of West Carleton have little in common with the needs of the Renfrew - Pembroke area. For example, the internet service in Constance Bay needs a substantial investment in high speed service delivered by fire optic cable. Presently, some Constance Bay residents receive service from Luskville, Quebec across the Ottawa River to receive reasonable speed.

It is my belief that it would be best if the balance of West Carleton, (east of the 417) including Constance Bay, stays with Kanata as the residents of both areas face similar challenges.

Regards,

Phil Sweetnam