Requested Name Changes of Electoral Districts – Ontario
Seven Members of Parliament raised objections regarding name changes of specific electoral districts. The Standing Committee endorsed all of these objections.
Northern Ontario
Marc Serré (MP for the existing district of Nickel Belt) raised an objection to the name Manitoulin—Nickel Belt. Mr. Serré has requested that the name be changed to Sudbury East—Manitoulin—Nickel Belt based on the feedback from residents, the name of the public health unit, the name of the upper tier municipality, and the inclusion of the municipalities making up the Sudbury East Municipal Association (SEMA).
The Commission finds these arguments persuasive and declares that the name of the district will be SUDBURY EAST—MANITOULIN—NICKEL BELT.
City of Toronto
Robert Oliphant (MP for the existing district of Don Valley West) requested the restoration of the existing name Don Valley West instead of the Commission's proposed Don Valley South. The Commission accepts Mr. Oliphant's submission that Don Valley South is not an entirely accurate descriptor as the Don River continues to flow south of this district. The Commission declares that the name of this district will be DON VALLEY WEST.
Salma Zahid (MP for the existing district of Scarborough Centre) objected to the new name of Scarborough Centre—Don Valley East, preferring the name to be simply Scarborough Centre. The Commission does not share this view. Fully 45% of the population of this revised district comes from the existing district of Don Valley East. The Commission believes it is important for this population to feel represented in the name of the new district. The Commission has placed Scarborough Centre before Don Valley East in light of the fact that Scarborough makes up the majority of the population. The district will be named SCARBOROUGH CENTRE—DON VALLEY EAST.
Central Ontario
Doug Shipley (MP for the existing district of Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte) acknowledged that he and John Brassard (MP for the existing district of Barrie—Innisfil) requested in their initial submissions to the Commission that Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte become North Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte and that Barrie—Innisfil become South Barrie—Innisfil. The Commission implemented this request and, pursuant to the naming convention for purposes of translation, the district was named "Barrie North—Springwater—Oro-Medonte" instead of "North Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte" as requested.
Mr. Shipley now indicates in his objection that, as a result of the naming convention, there is confusion as to whether "North" applies to Barrie or to Springwater. Mr. Shipley requested that we retain the current name of the district. The Commission agrees with this request. The name of the district will be BARRIE—SPRINGWATER—ORO-MEDONTE.
Northern Greater Toronto Area (GTA)
Melissa Lantsman (MP for the existing district of Thornhill) opposed the new name, Vaughan—Thornhill, for the district she currently represents, and requested retention of the existing name, Thornhill. As she noted, while the adjacent district of Markham—Thornhill is entirely in the City of Markham, the district of Vaughan—Thornhill crosses the municipal boundary so some constituents live in Markham, not Vaughan. As a result, the name Vaughan—Thornhill is not inclusive for the constituents who live in Markham and could also create confusion. The Commission is persuaded by this argument and declares that the name of this district will be THORNHILL.
Hamilton and Niagara
Tony Baldinelli (MP for the existing district of Niagara Falls) requested that the district he represents be renamed as Niagara Falls—Niagara-on-the-Lake rather than Niagara North. We agree with his submission that Niagara North could be misleading since most of the Niagara Peninsula's north shore is not in the district. Further, as he noted, the name Niagara Falls—Niagara-on-the-Lake is preferable because it accurately represents the only two municipalities in the district. The Commission declares that the name of the district will be NIAGARA FALLS—NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE.
Southernmost Ontario
Irek Kusmierczyk (MP for the existing district of Windsor—Tecumseh) requested that the name of Windsor—Tecumseh be changed to Windsor—Tecumseh—Lakeshore, reflecting the fact that parts of the Municipality of Lakeshore have been added to the district. The Commission agrees with this reasoning. The name of this district will be WINDSOR—TECUMSEH—LAKESHORE.