Commission recommends new Okanagan federal riding
Global News
Thanks to its growing population, the Okanagan may soon have a little more political clout on the national stage.
Thanks to its growing population, the Okanagan may soon have a little more political clout on the national stage.
An independent federal electoral boundaries commission, which reviews the electoral map every 10 years, has recommended B.C.’s one new electoral area be placed in the Okanagan because the population per riding is high and growing.
The three-person commission suggested the creation of a new Vernon – Lake Country riding.
“We put it right smack dab in the middle of the dense population and then we have tried to spread out the effect of that over all of the other ridings around which is why…in the Southern Interior, I think every single riding will have some change made to it accommodate the growth and making a new riding,” said Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for B.C. chair, Justice Mary Saunders.
The proposed new riding would use parts of the North Okanagan – Shuswap riding and Kelowna- Lake Country riding. Along with parts of Vernon and Lake Country, the new riding would also include a substantial part of Kelowna north of Highway 97.
It also means the current North Okanagan – Shuswap riding shifts to include a larger area from Kamloops to Revelstoke.
“I personally think that it is kind of exciting to get a new riding in the Interior,” said Saunders.
So far local political leaders and riding associations seem hesitant to weigh in on the proposal, many either did not respond to requests for comment or sent non-committal statements.