All of Wellington County could be part of a single riding under a revamped proposal to alter federal electoral boundaries announced last week.
But one local MP isn’t happy about the changes, which would see Mapleton, Minto and Wellington North – currently in the Perth-Wellington riding – join the rest of the county in a new configuration to be called Wellington-Woolwich.
“I’m not at all in favour of this proposal,” said Perth-Wellington MP Gary Schellenberger, adding he intends to fight the changes to his riding, which he called “ridiculous.”
“I guess I’m going to have to get my boxing gloves on,” he added.
In August, the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission (FEBC) published a proposal for a new electoral map.
The commission stated public feedback led it to consider significant changes to the electoral districts of Perth-Wellington, Kitchener-Conestoga, Wellington-Halton Hills, Brant, and the proposed riding of Kitchener South-North Dumfries-Brant.
In the commission’s original proposal, the electoral districts of both Perth-Wellington and Wellington-Halton Hills were to remain unchanged.
However, the new proposal, posted on the FEBC website on Nov. 9, would remove Mapleton, Wellington North and Minto from Perth-Wellington and to add them to Wellington-Halton Hills.
In addition, the commission is now proposing to remove the townships of Wellesley and Wilmot from Kitchener-Conestoga and add them to Perth-Wellington, which would be renamed Perth-Wellesley-Wilmot.
The current proposal would see the Township of Woolwich removed from Kitchener-Conestoga and added to the electoral district of Wellington-Halton Hills, with the result that the originally proposed electoral district of Kitchener-Conestoga would be eliminated.
In Wellington-Halton Hills, which was originally slated to remain unchanged, the FEBC is now proposing the addition of Wellington North, Mapleton, Woolwich and Minto, as well as the removal of the Town of Halton Hills. The riding would then be renamed Wellington-Woolwich.
The FEBC for Ontario has scheduled an additional public hearing in Cambridge on Nov. 20, “to engage citizens in a discussion on possible changes,” states the notice on the FEBC website.
“We want to give citizens who would be affected an opportunity to express their views,” Justice George Valin, chair of the commission, said in a press release. “The new hearing is simply a matter of due process, transparency and ensuring full public participation.”
However Schellenberger questioned how much public participation will be possible, given the short notice provided for the changes.
“I am in shock,” he told the Wellington Advertiser, indicating he was unaware of the new proposal until his office received a call from this Newspaper on Nov. 13.
“And the timelines don’t make any sense,” he continued. “Here we are just hearing about this today and if you want to make a proposal you have to have it in by next Tuesday? I can’t believe what’s going on here.”
Schellenberger said he had to return to Ottawa early next week, but said his riding association would be “working feverishly,” to get a presentation together.
“I guess they’ll have to fight it from here and I can fight it from there,” he said.
The boundary changes are the result of new population figures determined in Statistics Canada’s 2011 census. The number of seats in the House of Commons allocated to each province and territory was recalculated based on new population numbers and a formula set out in the Constitution. Ontario’s population has increased significantly since the previous census, and the number of electoral districts allocated to the province has increased from 106 to 121.
Wellington-Halton Hills MP Michael Chong said the commission hearing is meant to allow voters to have their input on which option they prefer when it comes to his riding.
Chong said the commission is an independent body and has two proposals for the public on the riding he has held since 2004. As an MP, Chong does not get involved in the commission process.
He said if the commission goes with restructuring his riding to include Minto, Mapleton, Wellington North and Woolwich it would mean Wellington County would be represented in one riding.
“The commission bases its decision on public input,” Chong added. “Option B is not necessarily going to happen. It will depend on the public’s input.
“It’s a privilege to represent people in the federal House of Commons regardless of how the boundaries shape up.”
Chong said his current riding has about 115,000 residents, while the possible new Wellington-Woolwich riding would have about 110,000 residents. Chong said the boundary changes would be in place for the next federal election.
Schellenberger said the changes in the proposal amount to “just shuffling things around.
“It doesn’t make any sense. All the numbers add up,” he said, pointing out that Perth-Wellington’s current population of approximately 107,000 fits within the typical range for federal ridings.
Schellenberger believes the boundary changes should be taking place in major urban centres, where the population changes are more significant.
“I don’t believe we in rural Ontario should have to suffer again from what happens in Toronto,” he said.
“We are a rural riding and I was very happy (under the original proposal) that we would be staying as is. I really like representing Wellington North, Minto and Mapleton.”
The Nov. 20 hearing will take place at 9:30am in the Cambridge City Hall council chambers at 46 Dickson Street.
Citizens may attend the hearing or share their views by emailing a written submission to ontario@rfed-rcf.ca or by calling 1-855-747-7224.
For more information visit www.federal-redistribution.ca.
