City of Powell River officials will be submitting a presentation to the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for British Columbia about proposed changes to the riding.
Currently, Powell River Regional District is part of West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country. The commission has proposed placing the entire regional district, except for Lasqueti Island, into Vancouver Island North.
At its August 16 meeting, council passed a motion to submit a presentation to the commission “opposing the inclusion of the Powell River Regional District in the Vancouver Island North federal electoral district.”
Councillor Chris McNaughton explained council’s intention is to make a presentation at a public hearing on October 15 in Courtenay. People interested in making a presentation have to notify the commission in writing by August 30.
Councillor Maggie Hathaway said the commission’s proposal would split the Sunshine Coast. “The Lower Sunshine Coast goes in one riding and Powell River goes in another,” she said. “We support keeping the area together, because we’ve been promoting it as one tourist destination, arts and culture, all the projects we’ve worked on have been in one area and [the proposal] will somewhat divide [it].”
Federal ridings are regularly redrawn to reflect population shifts and growth. BC is gaining six new ridings due to population increases.
According to a statement from the commission, its 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 per cent 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 per cent guideline to deal with extraordinary circumstances.
West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country has a population over 129,000. The commission’s proposal would reduce the population to 106,174. North Vancouver Island, currently sitting at a population of 113,356, would be 110,769 in the proposed reconfiguration.
According to 2011 census statistics, Sunshine Coast Regional District has a population of about 28,600 so including it in Vancouver Island North would put the proposed reconfiguration over 138,000.
Regional district directors also discussed the proposed change at the committee-of-the-whole meeting on August 16. Board chair and Electoral Area C Director Colin Palmer pointed to the fact that Powell River is part of Vancouver Coastal Health, which ties the area into the Lower Sunshine Coast and West Vancouver, “traffic wise, socially, medically and all the rest of it.”
Still, there is a “huge amount of traffic” going over to Vancouver Island, Palmer added, saying he was ambivalent about the proposed change.
Area A Director Patrick Brabazon said he thought it “wasn’t a bad idea.”
Brabazon said he had “great sympathy” for electoral boundary commissions.
In the end, the consensus of the committee was that it had no comment on the proposal.
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