Fears that time was too short to make a reasonable appeal against a proposed change to the boundaries of the local federal riding have been alleviated as area municipalities, business associations, and residents alike have risen up to be heard.
“It’s clear they want their MP to represent them in this, and we will,” pledged Kenora-Rainy River MP Robert Nault, adding that a week ago he wasn’t sure how Rainy River District residents felt about the proposed change, which would see Rainy River joined with Thunder Bay instead of Kenora.
“I am surprised it has been so unanimous,” he added. “People are satisfied that the riding is structured properly [as it is currently].”
Almost a month ago, a federal riding boundary committee tabled a report in the House of Commons proposing changes across the country. This is a process that is undertaken by the government every decade to reflect changes in population distribution, among other criteria.
In that report, it was recommended the Kenora-Rainy River riding be split so that the Rainy River Valley was added to the current Thunder Bay-Atikokan riding to form the Thunder Bay-Rainy River riding.
This proposal would leave the Kenora riding as a massive, under-populated riding. In turn, it would link the more rural Rainy River District with the more urban Thunder Bay portion of the new riding.
Objections were to be made by those opposing the proposition within 30 days from the date the report was released. That deadline is this Friday (April 25).
In response to letters, petitions, and phone calls from business groups, municipalities, and concerned citizens (well over 40 by yesterday), Nault has drafted a Notice of Objection to submit to the parliamentary standing committee by Friday – along with the support of 9 other MPs, which he has already secured.
The standing committee then will have 30 sitting days to review the recommendations and pass their own on to the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for a final decision.
In the draft document, obtained by the Times late yesterday, Nault outlines four points in an effort to convince the committee that the proposal is flawed.
He also addresses two alternate recommendations on how to deal with the riding.
The four areas in the draft Nault cited in his argument are: community of interest, population, geographical size and the role of the MP, and linkages to other northern electoral boundaries.
The community of interest probably is the strongest argument, explaining that communities in Rainy River District are linked historically, economically, socially, and geographically to communities in the Kenora half of the riding—and are of similar size and share similar economies (forestry, mining, and tourism).
“We’re so similar, all the towns,” said Alberton Coun. Bill Morrison, who spearheaded a petition against the proposed riding change. “The forest product industry brings it all together.
“We have so much in common with all the areas.”
Nault’s draft argument goes on to cite the distance from Thunder Bay and the urban nature of the city as contrasted with the more rural Rainy River District as ways the two ends of the proposed Thunder Bay-Rainy River riding would not be a good fit.
It specifically mentions the fear that any political voice the district has now would be lost when added to the more populated Thunder Bay.
The population issue directly attacks the logic in creating a special exception for the new Kenora riding, allowing it to be well under the prescribed provincial quotient.
Currently, the Kenora-Rainy River riding is 26.83 percent below the provincial quotient (where 25 percent) is the maximum preferred variance. By the same token, the current Thunder Bay-Atikokan riding sits 29.39 percent below the quotient.
Though adding Rainy River District to the Thunder Bay riding would bring the quotient above the allowable variance for that new riding, it also would put the new Kenora riding 43.73 percent below the quotient.
Nault fears that by making the exception, it could mean that down the road things get changed back merely to right a mistake.
“One of the concerns I have with this process in making an extreme exception is that another committee [in the future] will say, ‘How did this happen?’” he said, adding that it probably would get changed back 10 years from now.
“To some extent, you have to be careful to get this far from the quotient.”
“They’re not going to leave a riding at 40 percent below,” agreed Dryden Mayor Sid Wintle, adding it probably would get changed back so “it doesn’t make a whole pile of sense to change it [in the first place].”
Dryden council joined a number of other municipalities, including Fort Frances, Alberton, Chapple, and Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls to pass resolutions against the proposed riding change.
“My concern is we’re trying to improve north-south traffic,” said Mayor Wintle, adding that by splitting the ridings as proposed would mean going to two MPs for funding to upkeep roads like Highway 502.
“We realize our tourism is not going to come from southern Ontario. It’s going to come from the six states south of the border,” he added, suggesting that tourism camps don’t want to have to deal with an MP in Thunder Bay when it’s the Fort Frances port of entry they’re using.
“We’re working well with the Rainy River District. We want that to grow.”
Nault’s third argument attacks comments made by the riding committee that by expanding the Kenora-Rainy River riding to include Atikokan (as was originally expected), it would make it even more difficult for an MP to serve the various communities in the district.
“I took exception to the commission’s comments that the riding would be too large,” he said. “I’ve been doing it for 15 years.”
He explained that technological advances in communications and improved transportation have allowed him to serve the riding efficiently.
The final point he makes in the draft addresses the possibility that the exception was made for Kenora so that the commission would have more flexibility to change other northern boundaries.
Nault’s argument pleads with the commission not to change the existing Kenora-Rainy River boundary just to make their job easier in other ridings, adding there is no public support for the Rainy River District to join the Thunder Bay nor for Kenora to go it alone.
Nault also takes the opportunity in his Notice of Objection to make a case for adding only Atikokan to the Kenora-Rainy River riding, citing community of interest and population quotient as fair reasons for making the change, which he pointed out, was in the original draft proposal from the commission before the current proposal was released.
To conclude, Nault is recommending that the commission—based on his four-point argument, either add Atikokan to the current Kenora-Rainy River riding or, if that is rejected, leave the riding as it is.
This recommendation would be supported by Beth Logue, the administrative assistant for the Township of Alberton and the person manning its petition, which had 26 names as of Tuesday.
“I’d like to stay the way we are,” she said. “I’m afraid we’ll lose our identity.”
(Fort Frances Times)
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
