Electoral Boundaries Commission begins tours

Mar 23, 2022 | 3:44 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – When the census numbers came out in February, they show Prince George’s population has risen by 3.7 percent, from 74,003 to 76,708. But other Northern BC communities saw declines. Population is the major factor in determining electoral boundaries.

“With diminishing population numbers, that might give ammunition to the Commission to say maybe we need to cut some ridings out of the North and put them in the Lower Mainland, where the population is growing.”

And that’s concerning to the MLA who represents some of those communities.

“We have been concerned ever since the NDP government removed protections from smaller, rural ridings across British Columbia. We absolutely understand the need to accommodate areas of growth but I think we have to ask ourselves the question: What does effective representation look like?,” said Prince George-Valemount Liberal MLA Shirley Bond.

“The Electoral Boundaries Commission began touring the province on March 7. This week they are touring Vancouver Island, from Victoria to Port McNeill.” There is no date for the tour to arrive in Prince George. Those will be determined at a later date. And there are other ways to be heard and, given what’s at stake.

“It’s really important for Northerners, people in Prince George, and other Northern communities to get out and talk to the Commission and tell them what it’s like. You know as well as I do, if you live in Vancouver your whole life, you really don’t know what it’s like to live in the North and the challenges with geography, with the weather, with access to services.”