A plan to redraw the federal political map on the North Shore is raising hackles in West Vancouver.
Under the changes proposed by the federal electoral boundaries commission, a sizable chunk of Ambleside will be carved out of the West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country riding and added to North Vancouver’s.
Liberal MP Patrick Weiler opposes the change, describing it as “cutting the heart out of West Vancouver.”
We agree that at first blush it makes no sense for a key part of West Van to be lumped in with North Van. West Vancouver is what’s known by Elections Canada as a “community of interest,” distinct from North Vancouver.
But the electoral boundaries commission also has a mandate to keep ridings relatively similar in population size.
The West Van riding already sprawls through several disparate communities, giving it one of the most unwieldy names in B.C. It’s also oversized, made up of 131,000 people rather than the target 116,300. And while there is provision for going over population targets, in recent years that’s not what boundary commissions have chosen.
Unlike the creation of Burnaby North-Seymour, which spans Burrard Inlet, North Van and West Van constituents are at least more likely to cross paths in their daily lives. And notably, provincial ridings on the North Shore already cross municipal boundaries.
The alternative is for West Vancouver residents to have a lesser voice in Parliament.
Is that a bigger concern than keeping “communities of interest” together?
It’s arguable, but the folks drawing the boundary maps seem to think so.
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