| Aug 30, 2012


The federal and provincial riding of Lanark-Frontenac-Lennox and Addington would be eliminated under a proposed riding redistribution that was released this week, and a northern and a southern riding would take its place. The northern riding would be called Hastings-Frontenac-Lanark. It would include Stirling-Rawdon, Centre Hastings, Tweed and all Hastings townships to the north, Addington Highlands, Central and North Frontenac and all of Lanark County, including Mississippi Mills and the Town of Carleton Place. Lanark County would dominate the riding in terms of population.

South Frontenac would become part of the new riding of Belleville-Napanee-Frontenac, which would also include the City of Belleville and Tyendinaga township from Hastings County, Stone Mills, Greater Napanee and Loyalist from Lennox and Addington County.

While Lanark County would be intact in one riding, Hastings and Lennox and Addington Counties would each be in two ridings, and Frontenac County in three (the Township of Frontenac Islands would remain in the riding of Kingston and the Islands.)

“Under the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act, the commission's main aim in redrawing boundaries is to divide the province into electoral districts as close to the average population as reasonably possible. The population of a district should remain within 25% of the average once consideration is given to communities of interest or identity, and historical and geographic factors. A commission can depart from the 25% guideline to deal with extraordinary circumstances,” said a release from the Federal Electoral Boundaries commission on Monday, which accompanied the release of the proposed boundaries. The changes would take effect in the next federal election in 2015.

Public hearings about the proposal will take place this fall. Twenty-three hearings are scheduled, one of which is will be in Kingston on November 7 and another in Belleville on November 8. There are no meetings scheduled for Frontenac, Lanark, or Lennox and Addington County.

Those wishing to make a presentation at one of the hearings must notify the commission by October 1.

One of the commitments made by Lanark-Frontenac-Lennox and Addington MP Scott Reid in the most recent election was to advocate for Lanark County to be located in a single riding under riding redistribution.

The Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario is a three-member non-partisan commission, chaired by Mr. Justice George Valin, Mr. Douglas Coulbourne and Dr. Leslie Pal.

It received submissions this spring from the public.

Under the revisions, Ontario would see an increase from 106 to 121 ridings, while the federal Parliament would increase from 308 to 338 MPs.

Once the ridings are in place federally, they would come into effect in Ontario in subsequent elections.

 

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