Electoral boundary changes for Barrie, Springwater, O-M, Innisfil

by Laurie Watt Barrie Advance February 28 2013

For years, Barrie wanted to be big enough to be a riding by itself.

Now, it’s so big, it’s being split again,

It was only in 2004 when Barrie voters got a unified voice in sending representatives to the House of Commons. Provincially, the new Barrie riding went into effect with the 2006 election.

Now, the Federal Electoral Districts Ontario Commission is drawing a line along Tiffin Street to split the city in two.

“We are joining the ranks of bigger cities across the country who will have multiple voices in Ottawa and Queen’s Park, and that should mean that many more voices for our interests as a community,” said Mayor Jeff Lehman.

Barrie MP  Patrick Brown said Barrie’s riding is currently “almost double the size of other ridings”.

“We deserve enhanced political clout in the Commons,” he said.

Both Lehman and Brown recognized the diversity in and outside Barrie.

“One of the challenges is that the two ridings are really not comprised of communities of interest. I’m not sure someone living in the northernmost part of Oro-Medonte will feel they have many of the same local issues as a residents in downtown Barrie, or vice versa. This will make the job of representing the area more difficult, although not impossible,” Lehman said. “Most ridings around the country have some degree of difference in the communities they compromise.”

Originally Dunlop Street was to be the dividing line between Barrie-Innisfil and Barrie-Oro-Springwater.

Last fall, the commission hosted public hearings, including an October day in Barrie, at which politicians of all stripes urged Dunlop Street not be the dividing line – including Lehman.

“It didn’t make much sense that downtown Barrie and the waterfront would be split between two ridings. While Tiffin still means the waterfront is partly in the south riding, most of the city centre is intact in one riding and I think that the boundary makes more sense in terms of the realities of Barrie’s geography,” he added.

Oro-Medonte Mayor Harry Hughes wasn’t impressed the plan includes some of urban Barrie, Springwater Township and Oro-Medonte to Line 9 North.

“Our municipality will be split, part will get chopped up,” said Hughes, who was equally unimpressed with the new riding name – which chops off Medonte.

Oro-Medonte dates back a series of township amalgamations in the 1990s, and ever since, residents have been keen to keep both names as they merged.

“We’re one municipality and we never mention Oro without Medonte and Medonte without Oro,” he said. The new riding “will not go well with our council or our residents.”

Innisfil’s voice was heard in the naming of the new riding that was originally proposed as Barrie South. Innsifl Mayor Barb Baguely suggested including Innisfil in the name.

“Geographically, the Town of Innisfil will represent approximately 80 per cent of the total area of the new riding. Failure to recognize that would be a failure to our community and all of our residents,” she told the commission when it held hearings in Barrie Oct. 17.

Innisfil is now part of York-Simcoe, which is a U-shaped riding that wraps around the bottom of Lake SImcoe, including Georgina and East Gwillimbury.

Ontario grew from 11.4 million to 12.85 million in the 2011 Census; that meant the province merited 15 more MPs and MPPs.

Georgian Bay, Barrie and Simcoe County

population: 741,871

now: six MPs and six MPPs

need for one more, totalling seven

To create seven ridings of about 100,000 people each

Problem:

Populations in Barrie, Simcoe-Grey and Simcoe North were all too high.

Solution:

* Bruce-Grey-Simcoe remains unchanged; population 106,465

* Dufferin-Caledon remains unchanged; population 116,341

* Simcoe-Grey, current riding minus Springwater Township: population 116,307

* Simcoe North: current riding minus Oro-Medonte southwest of Line 9 and Moonstone Road East; population 108,672

* Barrie-Oro-Springwater: Barrie north of Tiffin Street, Springwater Township, and Oro-Medonte southwest of Line 9 and Moonstone Road East; population 97,876

* Barrie-Innisfil: Barrie south of Tiffin Street, plus Innisfil Township (previously part of York-Simcoe); population 101,584

* York-Simcoe: current boundaries minus Innisfil and East Gwillimbury south of Green Lane and west of Highway 404; population 94,616

source: Report of the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for the Province of Ontario, pages 3, 17 and 18 ‘

 

By Roberta Bell, Orillia Packet & Times February 26, 2013 

ORO-MEDONTE – The Federal Electoral Boundary Commission for Ontario has redrawn the border of the new riding proposed in Simcoe County, and it goes right through the middle of Oro-Medonte Township.

Last August, the commission released a new electoral map for the province that included 15 new electoral districts as a result of the population increase from 11,410,046 to 12,851,821 as revealed in the 2011 census.

While the region is currently comprised of four ridings — Simcoe North, Simcoe-Grey, York-Simcoe and Barrie — the commission suggested dividing Barrie in two.

The area south of Dunlop Street would be combined with the Town of Innisfil to make up Barrie South, while the area north of Dunlop Street as well as the townships of Springwater and Oro-Medonte would make up Barrie North. Oro-Medonte is currently part of Simcoe North, which also includes the City of Orillia, Town of Penetanguishene, Town of Midland, Ramara, Severn, Tay and Tiny townships as well as Rama and Beausoleil First Nations.

A number of Oro-Medonte residents, including Simcoe North MP Bruce Stanton, voiced concerns over the impact the boundary changes could have on residents in the northeastern part of the township who associate themselves more with Orillia than with Barrie.

In October, the commission held a public hearing at Barrie City Hall seeking input on the changes, which was attended by representatives from the local Liberal party, including Simcoe North Federal Liberal Association president Ryan Barber.

“People who live immediately outside Orillia or in Warminster don’t consider themselves part of a Barrie riding and they wouldn’t be as well represented,” said Barber, who, with Simcoe North Provincial Liberal Association president Fred Larsen, made a submission recommending the boundary be adjusted to leave the part of Oro-Medonte along Highway 12 outside of Orillia in Simcoe North.

The second draft of the electoral map released this week by the boundary commission sees the portion of the township southwest of Line 9 and Moonstone Road amalgamated into the new riding — renamed Barrie-Oro-Springwater — but leaves the portion to the northwest in Simcoe North.

“I certainly appreciate the participation by people — especially by people in Oro-Medonte — who gave their opinions on this,” said Stanton, who would have found himself living in the new riding had the original proposal gone ahead.

While MPs will have a chance to submit concerns when the boundary commission report goes before the standing committee on procedures and house affairs, which is the next step, Stanton does not plan on making a deputation.

“I’m satisfied with the boundary commission’s proposal,” he said of the second draft. “In fact, I’m not just satisfied; I’m pleased.”

If the second draft of the map is approved, Simcoe North will have a population of 108,672, which is 2.32% above the provincial quota. Barrie-Oro-Springwater will have a population of 97,876, about 7.85% below the provincial quota.

According to the commission’s report, the “one common thread” at the public hearing in October was that people were significantly more concerned about community of interest and historical attachment than correspondence with the provincial quota.

What it will come down to, said Oro-Medonte Mayor Harry Hughes, who will be a resident of Barrie-Oro-Springwater, is the quality of the people selected to represent the township in the House of Commons.

Stanton, he said, currently does the job “very well.”

When asked whether he was concerned Barrie, with its much denser population, could monopolize the MP of the new riding, he simply responded, “Anyone who gets elected would be very foolish to try and concentrate their support in one area.”

“The part of it that will not go down very well with our council and our municipality is the fact that they called the riding Barrie-Oro-Springwater,” Hughes said, noting a portion of the former Medonte Township, which extended to Moonstone (Horseshoe Valley Road was the divide), is included in the new riding and a piece of the former Oro Township remains in Simcoe North.

The two municipalities were amalgamated in 1994.

“We don’t have Medonte anywhere,” he said. “That will be something that will not go over very well with a lot of people.” 

 

Barrie Advance Feb 28 2013

EDITORIAL: Barrie is bursting at the seams and it’s about time we have a second riding.

But outlying communities now wrapped into Barrie’s arms may see things differently.

The city’s population has, according to the Report of the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for the Province of Ontario, “increased dramatically, and this growth is expected to continue.”

The population, then, is too high for one electoral district. Barrie MP Patrick Brown says Barrie’s riding is currently “almost double the size of other ridings”. It’s a lot of work.

“We deserve enhanced political clout in the Commons,” he told The Advance, by way of saying having two MPs representing the city would be a good thing. Together, their voices will be louder, their representation of us stronger.

So having two ridings in Barrie will be a good thing.

Mayor Jeff Lehman says we’ll have stronger voice at Parliament, but he also raises a sticky point.

In doing this, parts of Oro-Medonte, the Town of Innisfil and the Township of Springwater will be included in the Barrie ridings.

“I’m not sure someone living in the northernmost part of Oro-Medonte will feel they have many of the same local issues as a residents in downtown Barrie, or vice versa,” he said. “This will make the job of representing the area more difficult, although not impossible.”

This will be the biggest element to watch as the boundary shift unfolds.

Barrie has not been in touch with its rural roots for years. That’s not to say having rural communities included in the city MPs’ purviews would be a bad thing, however. It could (and should) lend perspective.

Nevertheless, Oro-Medonte Mayor Harry Hughes isn’t as impressed with the idea as Lehman.

“Our municipality will be split, part will get chopped up,” said Hughes, who was equally unimpressed the new riding name chops off Medonte. “We’re one municipality and we never mention Oro without Medonte and Medonte without Oro.”

When this boundary shift rolls out, it’s clear not everyone is going to be singing its praises.

It will take strong leaders in these two seats to bring these diverse communities together.

It can be done, though, and, with the right representation, could be to the benefit of us all.