Map showing proposed boundary changes (in purple) to federal electoral districts in North Okanagan and Lake Country. (Submitted image/EBC)

By Pete McIntyre

Changes opposed

Green Party calls for ‘local knowledge’ in Vernon-Lake Country riding changes

Sep 22, 2022 | 9:53 AM

The federal Green Party would like to see some “local knowledge” be considered in deciding changes to the electoral districts in the North Okanagan and Lake Country areas.

Due to population growth, a federal electoral boundaries commission is recommending a new riding be created between Vernon and Kelowna, called Vernon-Lake Country, using portions of the current North Okanagan-Shuswap and Kelowna-Lake Country electoral districts (ED).

The commission is accepting feedback from the pubic until Oct. 3.

The Green Party says the proposal would carve Vernon and part of Coldstream out of the existing North Okanagan-Shuswap (NOS) electoral district and form a new Vernon-Lake Country ED, which would include the City of Vernon, part of Coldstream, Lake Country, and a narrow strip of Kelowna through Glenmore and all the way to the Okanagan Lake bridge (Click here to see map).

The new NOS ED would include the remainder of Coldstream, the areas surrounding Vernon (areas B, C, D, E and F), Salmon Arm, Revelstoke, and extend west to take in east Kamloops.

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“This is a non-partisan issue that affects all of us,” said Heather Clay, CEO, North Okanagan-Shuswap Federal Green Party Electoral District Association. “The addition of a new Vernon-Lake Country electoral district will have huge implications and we want to ensure that voters have the opportunity to have their voices heard.”

The North Okanagan-Shuswap Green Party presented their proposal at a hearing in June. It not only reflects the population growth in the area but also took into consideration communities of interest and identity, as well as historic and geographic factors.

“We feel quite strongly that separating the City of Vernon from the immediate surrounding area is a bad idea. At the Commission’s local hearings in mid-June, we proposed an alternative for the new Vernon-Lake Country ED which would include the entire Regional District of North Okanagan (RDNO), as well as
Falkland and the area between Falkland and Vernon, the north west side of Okanagan Lake as far south as Fintry, and Lake Country without any part of Kelowna.”
North Okanagan Shuswap Federal Green Party Electoral District Association

“It is our view that electoral district boundaries need to be fair in terms of population, geographically logical, and historically informed. They also need to be as socially cohesive as possible, both for the election process and for subsequent representation,” added Clay. “We believe a little local knowledge could help improve the decision on where boundaries are drawn. We encourage everyone to participate in the process.”

Full information on the group’s proposal is available on their website.

Under the changes, Vernon-Lake Country would represent 111,205 residents and North Okanagan-Shuswap would have a population of 109,971.

With the proposed new riding, B.C. would have 43 electoral districts, an increase of one over the current allotment, which the commission says is needed to reflect population growth.