MANITOULIN—There’s going to be more Algoma in Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing (AMK) when new constituency boundaries come into effect for the next federal election. That is the verdict of the Ontario Boundary Commission’s final report which was made public earlier this week.
The new riding is virtually the same as the commission’s second proposal which sees Echo Bay, St. Joe’s Island, and Bruce Mines added to the southwestern corner of AMK while in the north west Manitouwadge and Pic Mobert First Nation have been removed and placed into Thunder Bay Superior North. The only addition on eastern boundary is Foliet, while the remainder of the constituency is unchanged. Communities had to be added to increase the number of electors so that the constituency falls within the range of acceptable variance for an Ontario riding.
“I think the commission had a tough job balancing geography with population requirements,” said AMK MP Carol Hughes. “They have maintained the identity of Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing as a rural constituency with a variety of different sized communities, but no bigger city.”
While Manitouwadge and Pic Mobert will be voting in a different constituency in the next federal election, Ms. Hughes said the report changes nothing for this parliament and she plans to continue working for the communities and people she was sent to parliament to represent.
“I am in Manitouwadge this week and it will be business as usual,” said Ms. Hughes.
The MP noted that the only real problem she sees is the placement of Pic Mobert and White River into different constituencies.
“I think this should be addressed by the commission when they do this exercise next,” said Ms. Hughes. “The one item that should be fixed is to keep White River and Pic Mobert in the same constituency since they are connected on so many fronts that it only makes sense.”
