Comment 61 – comments and feedback
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Valda Manninen
Since only ten years ago in 2014 I have been a member of the riding of Kitchener South-Hespeler. Prior to 2014 my Kitchener South city neighborhood was part of Kitchener Conestoga which was primarily a rural riding where it felt there was very little in common between the voters of Kitchener South and the large sprawling riding of rural Kitchener Conestoga. Our needs and ambitions as citizens were at odds.
So being paired with Hespeler in 2014 as Kitchener South-Hespeler, a new riding, allowed our citizens the opportunity to advocate with our MP for the many industries and businesses contained in both Kitchener South and Hespeler. We are a unique and proud riding. As I see it, Kitchener South-Hespeler's population is currently within the numbers that the commission recommends. So why is there a need to change what has worked well in our new young riding?
Therefore I'm requesting that the commission allow the riding of Kitchener South-Hespeler to remain our riding as it is now. Hespeler itself is and always has been very different from Cambridge and it's citizens are proud of their own unique identity and are also proud to have their village named as part of Kitchener South-Hespeler. The physical proximity of the two cities also allows for easy access between both.
Breaking up the proud flourishing village of Hespeler and placing part of it with Cambridge and part of it with Kitchener Conestoga seems to be a negative move and disruptive to the entire Hespeler community. Hespeler operates right now as a cohesive whole and the commission is about to split the community. The sense of being one community will be destroyed.
Kitchener South, my community, has nothing in common with North Dumfries. We are a city, not a rural area. It seems this pairing is for no other reason than adding up numbers. It's not an acceptable reason to divide two communities, Kitchener South and Hespeler that have been together for only ten years. How can Kitchener South's suburban electoral needs be met when its needs are totally different than the needs of rural North Dumfries?
Thank you for allowing me to advocate for keeping our young riding Kitchener South -Hespeler together.
Valda Manninen