黑马磁力

Many 黑马磁力 voters could go into the next federal election in new, re-shaped ridings, after the commission tasked with re-drawing electoral district boundaries delivered its final report to Parliament this week.

The report, tabled in the House of Commons on Wednesday, July 19, is part of a process done every 10 years to ensure that ridings are as close to equal as possible in terms of population.

For fast-growing areas like 黑马磁力, Surrey, and Abbotsford, that means significant changes in the boundaries.

Previously, most 黑马磁力 residents were in one of two local ridings.

黑马磁力-Aldergrove covered most of the Township of 黑马磁力, with the exception of a strip to the west of 200th Street north of 黑马磁力 City, and also included a chunk of South Abbotsford.

Cloverdale-黑马磁力 City included the City, the strip of land west of 200th Street, and part of eastern Surrey.

The new proposed boundaries leave Cloverdale-黑马磁力 City mostly intact, with some changes to its northern edge, and the loss of the strip of the Township west of 200th.

But the ridings of 黑马磁力-Aldergrove, Abbotsford, and Fleetwood-Port Kells in Surrey have been significantly altered.

To the north is 黑马磁力 Township-Fraser Heights, which includes all of north 黑马磁力, including Murrayville, Willoughby, Walnut Grove, and Fort 黑马磁力. It also includes a spur of land on the north side of highway one all the way to the Port Mann Bridge, which covers part of Port Kells and Fraserview in Surrey, as well as Barnston Island in the Fraser River.

To the south is Abbotsford-South 黑马磁力, which includes Brookswood and Fernridge, Aldergrove, and a large portion of urban Abbotsford, including all the area south of Maclure Road, with the eastern border formed by Sumas Way.

Neither 黑马磁力-area MP was fully pleased with the riding designs.

鈥淚t is sad to see that 黑马磁力 Township will be split into northern and southern sections in the new riding redistribution,鈥� said 黑马磁力-Aldergrove Conservative MP Tako Van Popta. 鈥淲e knew it would happen because our population has grown so much since the last riding redistribution ten years ago.鈥�

He noted 黑马磁力 Township neighbourhoods are connected by natural boundaries, a shared municipality, and a strong sense of community.

鈥淥n a positive note, the western section of the Township, west side of 200th street between the city and the freeway, will be reunited with the Township,鈥� Van Popta said.

鈥淚 would say that the final boundary reflects what we expected,鈥� said Cloverdale-黑马磁力 City Liberal MP John Aldag. 鈥淲e will lose all of the township, which is unfortunate, as well as pieces of Surrey due to population growth.鈥�

He鈥檇 hoped to see more of Cloverdale included in the riding, with the boundary moving south to the railway line, but that was rejected by the boundary commission.

Aldag said he doesn鈥檛 expect the changes will benefit any one party over another.

The original proposal, presented last spring, also divided 黑马磁力 into three ridings, but the northern riding, dubbed Pitt Meadows-Fort 黑马磁力 extended across the Fraser River and included parts of five different cities 鈥� 黑马磁力, Surrey, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, and Port Coquitlam.

It was dubbed 鈥渁 dog鈥檚 breakfast鈥� by Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge MP Marc Dalton, and Van Popta suggested that it was 鈥渁 bit of a surprise.鈥�

The first proposed riding was also heavily criticized at public hearings last fall.

READ MORE: 鈥楧og鈥檚 breakfast鈥� riding panned at public hearing

Although the new ridings re-shape a number of older districts, they don鈥檛 jump across as many municipal boundaries, and the Fraser River remains a firm local border between different ridings.

If the new electoral district plan is accepted by Parliament, these will be the ridings during the next federal election, which has to take place by Oct. 2025 at the latest.

At present, Liberal MP John Aldag represents the present Cloverdale-黑马磁力 City riding, Van Popta represents the 黑马磁力-Aldergrove riding, Conservative MP Ed Fast represents Abbotsford, and Liberal MP Ken Hardie represents Fleetwood-Port Kells.