Potential Absence Makes The Will Much Stronger

There’s nothing like the threat of reducing your importance to get the wheels of government ready to spin. With the possibility of North West ridings being reduced by expansion, there is a move afoot to ensure that the representation in Victoria doesn’t change from the present set up.
Yesterday we provided details of the Provincial Electoral Commission’s mandate every eight years, to go over the population charts and Legislature seating charts and see where rep by pop is falling short. Presently if following the current formula, the Northwest is over represented, while heavily urbanized areas of the Lower Mainland and Okanagan are not receiving the true representation that should be provided.

It’s a hard task ahead for the Commission, having to decide where to reduce representation in areas that have suffered population declines while adding to those on the provincial fast track to population growth. While it may seem selfish from the northwest perspective, the prospect of losing a voice in Victoria is something that would not go over well. Sometimes the population base should be considered as only part of the equation, the already vast distances between towns in the various ridings and nature of the geography should make up a good portion of the seat distribution as well.

Another point that the Commission may wish to ponder is the anticipated economic development of the region over the next eight to ten years. With a number of projects on the design table, the prospect of dwindling populations would see to be coming to an end, with an expected increase over the next number of years. Perhaps the status quo in the Legislature would be the most prudent decision over the short term as the population shift re-addresses itself over the next decade. Making the need to go through the exercise all over again not necessary.

Plus, with the always constant drum beat of electoral reform being sounded (remember the citizens assembly?), which included such things as the transferable ballot and double riding representation among the goodies considered. Perhaps just leaving the status quo in place is the wisest course, until all issues are explored and either dismissed or put into place.

The Daily News had the reaction of the local politicians to the debate in its Wednesday edition.

POLITICIANS UNITED IN RESISTANCE TO RIDING CHANGES
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Pages One and Two

If the provincial electoral commission decides to expand the geographic region of the North Coast riding, it will dull down the voice of the people at the provincial level; say both Prince Rupert’s mayor and the North Coast MLA.

“We are pretty sensitive to the geography of the region being expanded at all. We have to work hard to ensure we have a voice in the decision making processes as it is and we don’t want to see our voice watered down,” said Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond.

The province’s electoral boundary commission is currently touring the province to decide how many MLA’s there should be, what the boundaries of electoral districts should be and how many people MLA’s should each represent.

The last electoral boundary commission, which took place eight years ago, decided there should be 79 ridings, each with an electoral quota of 47,146 plus or minus 25 per cent.

But the commissioners were concerned that several seats in northern B. C. and in the Kootenays would disappear if the quota was rigidly enforced. They therefore exempted five ridings in the North – Bulkley Valley Stikine, Skeena, North Coast and Peace River North and Peace River South, as well as Rossland Trail, from the electoral quota, allowing each to have a population of less than 35,359.

Since then, the population of the North Coast riding has dropped by 11.6 per cent, from 31,678 to 27,982 in 2001.

However, Pond, the mayor of the largest city in the North Coast riding said any suggestion of expanding the size of the riding to increase its population would be a bad idea.

“It’s a huge piece of country for any MLA to try and cover, it’s huge and not well connected. It’s not like you can just drive down the highway and be in the Queen Charlottes. You have to put energy to getting there,” he said.

North Coast MLA Gary Coons said he will be appearing before the boundary commission where he will speak against the idea of increasing the size of the riding because of the transportation, communication and geographic challenges.

“As I did with the Minister of Health, I will also be encouraging the commission to come and travel the North from down where he is from in order to realize the challenges we face.

The North Coast riding covers 65,972 square kilometers. It covers the region from Bella Bella in the south, the Queen Charlotte Islands in the west, Prince Rupert in the centre and north to the Nass and Stewart.

In the past, provincial ridings in the north have been made larger.

For example, the Atlin riding was made part of the Skeena riding in 1986 because of its small population.

“I will be working really hard to ensure rural representation continues and that we have a voice and that the electoral commission recognizes the challenges in the north,” said Coons.

The Commission will be in Prince Rupert to hear from the public on Oct. 17 from 6:30 to 9:30 p. m. at the Crest Hotel. There will also be a hearing in Masset Oct. 18 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. with the venue to be announced.

Anyone who wants to present to the commission should visit http://www.bc-ebc-ca/ for information on how to register.

The concern about expanding ridings is not only one at the provincial level. At the federal level the Skeena Bulkley Valley riding is one of the largest in the country.

It was expanded west to Vanderhoof in 2003 in order to increase the population within its borders.

“The federal thing is absolutely unjust when you contemplate there are MP’s in Toronto who can walk their riding in a day and are an hour or two from Ottawa and here whoever represents us spends a day or two getting to and from the riding and then they have one of the biggest ridings in the country,” said Pond.