New federal map has been proposed … Residents’ Associations take notice
Toronto’s 25 Wards are to be reduced to 24 Wards … What?
The federal government modifies electoral boundaries after every 10-year census to reflect shifts and growth in the population. If the current federal proposal is accepted, Toronto will have 24 Federal and Provincial ridings, and 24 instead of 25 wards. HOW COME YOU SAY?
The provincial government’s decision in 2018 to change the ward boundaries to align the city’s wards with riding boundaries reduced the number of wards from 47 to 25 wards.
Proposed Changes
Redistribution of federal electoral boundaries is governed by the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act, which sets out rules to be applied in redrawing boundaries.
The legislation mandates that each electoral district shall, as close as reasonably possible, correspond to the Provincial Electoral Quota. This quota is the total population divided by the number of districts. In addition, the Commission is obliged to also consider communities of interest or communities of identity in, and the historical pattern of, electoral districts, and a manageable geographic size for districts in sparsely populated, rural or northern regions of the province.
The plan for consultation and final drafting of the Order will be completed by September 2023.
Details of the proposed changes across the province can be found HERE.
Public Participation
The Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario is holding public hearings, in person and virtually, to gather comments and feedback on the proposed boundaries and electoral district names. There will be two hearings in Toronto beginning with a virtual hearing on September 29, 2022 and followed by an in-person hearing on October 19, 2022.
Details on how to participate can be found HERE.
City residents’ associations will need to review the particulars to assess the impact on their catchments. In some cases, theses catchments are now split across two or more wards. In other cases, split catchments are now joined together in a single ward.
Find the Missing Ward
While you are reviewing the City map, please help our mascot Wardo to the find the missing ward. When you find the missing ward, send us your thoughts and ideas to our general email HERE.
We encourage all residents’ organization to review the proposed changes and participate in the hearing process either with a written submission or a deputation.
You can also share your comments with FUN and other federations to help them prepare their submissions. Toronto residents’ organizations can also provide their comments directly to us with the following link.