The B.C. Electoral Boundaries Commission released a preliminary report with recommendations for new electoral boundaries and names on Wednesday (Aug. 15), and most electoral districts saw changes, including West Vancouver- Garibaldi.
"Our goal was to propose electoral districts that provide effective representation in the legislative assembly for all British Columbians," said commission chair Justice Bruce Cohen in a statement.
The proposed changes to the current electoral system include some minor boundary shifts for West Vancouver-Garibaldi, which would be renamed West Vancouver- Sea to Sky, with one major chunk in the south-east corner of the district going to a riding in the Fraser Valley that would be called Chilliwack-Hope.
"I don't think you'll find anyone lives up in that particular part," said commissioner Stewart Ladyman. "We've tried to follow geographical, we've also tried to follow regional district boundaries and off the top of my head I'd think that's a regional district boundary."
The proposed West Vancouver- Sea to Sky electoral district would have less citizens per MLA than some districts, a decision Ladyman says reflects the commissions expectation for growth in the area.
The report also made recommendations for new electoral districts under the proposed B.C. single transferable vote system (BC-STV), which will be part of a referendum that will coincide with the next elections held in May of 2009.
Under that new system, West Vancouver-Garibaldi would be combined with the three southern North Shore districts, including North Vancouver, to create the North Shore electoral district with 4 MLAs. Citizens would then rank multiple candidates on the ballot.
"When it came to what we call the North Shore it seemed that would have a fit of 4 MLAs and that would be appropriate in terms of magnitude," said Ladyman.
The legislative assembly currently has 79 MLAs, a number that would change under the new boundaries.
"The net effect is an overall increase of two electoral districts being the proposed number, so the number MLAs changed to 81," Cohen said during a press conference.
He added that the proposed boundaries for the BC-STV system create 20 electoral districts with between two and six MLAs for each district, for a total of 81 MLAs.
The commission used Census 2006 data and a special mapping system to test the effects of proposed boundaries. They also used Google Earth to give a 3D view to the changes. Among the commission's challenges were B.C.'s 10.4 per cent population increase since the 1996 census and the growing urbanization of the province.
The commission will hold 27 public hearings throughout the fall, similar to those that were conducted prior to the writing of the preliminary report.
The meeting closest to 樱桃视频will be held Monday, Sept. 10 in North Vancouver.
"I think the citizens will probably look at it and if they wish they can come to our public hearing and let us know how we should change our proposal," said Ladyman.
The final report will be submitted February 15, 2008, and, if accepted, will be implemented for the May 2009 elections.
