The Electoral Boundaries Commission gathered input during hearings around B.C. (Submitted image)

By Pete McIntyre

call for more ridings

Provincial boundary report suggests splitting parts of Vernon

Oct 4, 2022 | 5:00 AM

Parts of Vernon will be in separate provincial ridings if recommendations by an electoral boundaries commission are accepted by the B.C. government.

The commission held hearings around the province to get input on proposed changes to ridings for the next two general elections to better reflect population changes.

The three-person panel is suggesting in a preliminary report B.C. needs six more electoral districts, which would raise the total from 87 to 93.

One of the new ridings would be in the Central Okanagan with a new Kelowna Centre riding, along with Kelowna-Lake Country, Kelowna Mission and West Kelowna-Peachland.

Other new electoral districts are proposed for growth areas in Langford, Burnaby, Langley, Surrey and Vancouver.

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“British Columbia is a growing province,” said Justice Nitya Iyer, chair of the commission. “The population has increased by more than 300,000 people over the last five years. Our recommendation to increase the number of electoral districts in B.C. reflects that growth.”

Vernon-Monashee currently includes Vernon and Coldstream and also extends east to include Lumby and Cherryville.

The commission said it looked to reduce the population of the riding which is currently near the top of the usual deviation range and growing quickly.

“We considered that the close ties between the communities along Highway 6, Vernon and Coldstream support keeping them in the same electoral district,” the report stated. “We propose moving Beachcomber Bay, Okanagan Landing and East Bella Vista Highlands into Kelowna-Lake Country. This reduces the population of Vernon-Monashee, bringing it in line with that of Kelowna-Lake Country,” stated the panel’s preliminary report to the province.

Proposed boundary changes to Interior ridings. (Submitted image)

The current Shuswap riding would change its name to Salmon Arm-Shuswap.

“We propose reducing the size of this electoral district so that its population is similar to those of other Interior area ridings. Our proposal keeps Enderby, Armstrong, Salmon Arm and Sicamous in this district, moving a portion of North Shuswap Lake and Seymour Arm to Kamloops-North Shuswap,” said the report.

The commission will now begin a final round of public consultations, and will consider changing its recommendations based on the input it receives. Its final report must be released by April 3, 2023.

The Legislative Assembly will then decide whether to accept all, some or none of the recommendations.

Public hearings will begin this month in communities throughout the province. British Columbians can also provide input by completing the website survey or by writing to the commission directly by email or post.

All public input must be received by Nov. 22, 2022.

To read the preliminary report, click here.