North Island-Powell River Riding Expanding?

If new proposed electoral boundary maps are approved, the North Island-Powell River riding will be a bit bigger next time Canadians head to the polls.

If new proposed electoral boundary maps are approved, the North Island-Powell River riding will be a bit bigger next time Canadians head to the polls.

According to a new map proposed Monday by the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for British Columbia, the riding will include parts of Courtenay on the north east side of the Puntledge River. The reason for the shift is increasing population in Nanaimo, which has led it to be under-represented.

After the change, the North Island-Powell River riding will represent  approximately 126,000 people, and the Courtenay-Alberni riding will represent approximately 124,000..

The commission was mandated in November by the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act to start the reconfiguration process. Reconfiguration is required by the Canadian constitution to take place every 10 years after the census. Part of that process included adding one riding to the province, which would bring it up to 43. Vancouver Island was one of two possible regions to get that new riding, but the commission decided that the region was already well-represented, and a new riding has been proposed for the Southern Interior.

The commission will be holding 27 public hearings about the proposed map.