ontario electoral boundaries commission

Bellamy, David J., Pammett Jon H., Rowat, David Cameron, “The Provincial political systems: comparative essays” 1976 Toronto: Methuen, Government of Ontario, “Far north of Ontario” June 2017 , Government of Ontario, “About Ontario” June 2017 , Grand Council Treaty #3, “History: Treaty #3 Territory” June 2017 , “History of the Vote in Canada: Chapter 2 from Privilege to a Right 1867 – 1919” Elections Ontario 2016 , Immigration North Western Ontario: Pickle Lake, “Town of Pickle Lake” June 2017 , Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, “Treaty Guide to Treaty No. The FNEBC believes that taking concrete action to improve representation of Indigenous peoples in the provincial legislature is not only part of the FNEBC’s statutory mandate – it is also a vital step on the path toward reconciliation. He is of Ojibwe heritage from the Wabaseemoong First Nation. 2016, c. 33, s. 36 (1). All rights reserved. Participants expressed an interest in contiguous and non-contiguous PEDs, as well as boundaries that followed the treaty lines. [35] Daniels v Canada (Indian Affairs and Northern Development), 2016 SCC 12. the City of Timmins itself. Departures from voter parity are acceptable only if justified by the need to provide effective representation. Individuals noted that Eabametoong First Nation should not be added to a potential northeastern PED given the differences in language. [78] Section 67(6) of the Legislative Assemblies Act, RSO 1990, c L10 treats Kenora—Rainy River and Timmins—James Bay the same as most other Northern Ontario PEDs in this respect. As noted above, the PEDs of Kenora—Rainy River and Timmins—James Bay remain defined by the Representation Act, 2005, which did not change the boundaries of the eleven Northern Ontario PEDs from the Representation Act, 1996.18 The 2016 Statistics Canada Census, adjusted by the INAC on-reserve population as of April 2017, estimates that the total population of Kenora—Rainy River and Timmins—James Bay is 156,734.19 This is an increase from the 2011 Census total population of 149,387, meaning the growth rate is 4.9% as compared to the general growth rate for Ontario of 4.6% during this period.20, The PED of Kenora—Rainy River has a population of 85,105, 40% of whom are Indigenous.21 According to the 2017 INAC on reserve data, there are 98 reserves and 52 First Nations.22 The Timmins—James Bay PED has a population of 71,629, 17% of whom are Indigenous.23 INAC’s on-reserve data reports that there are 10 reserves and 8 First Nations within the geographic area of Timmins—James Bay.24 The Indigenous population in the PEDs increased by about 9.7% between 2006 and 2011.25. This was unavoidable. 38C; thence generally northwesterly and southerly along the north and west limits of The Dalles I.R. Ms. Campbell favoured the creation of two additional PEDs in Ontario’s Far North as a three-PED solution would create one large PED that would be extremely difficult to service. The township of Ignace has a population of 1,202, with 7.5% of its residents identified as francophone. We propose that two should be added. The Far North Electoral Boundaries Commission (“FNEBC”) has been established pursuant to provincial legislation to make recommendations to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario regarding the creation of at least one, and no more than two, new provincial electoral districts (“PEDs”) from the geography of the current PEDs of Kenora—Rainy River and Timmins—James Bay. Matters to be considered (8) In making its recommendations, the Commission shall take into account. Based on this report and its recommendations, the House of Assembly, through its Select Committee, appointed the 2018-19 Electoral Boundaries Commission (the Commission) and established its Terms of Reference (TOR). First, this is the proposal that leads to four PEDs that is most respectful of representation by population. Timmins shall encompass the City of Timmins itself. It was noted that the northern portion of the present PED of Timmins—James Bay is a large geographical area to cover, with no roads to the communities. Gilles Bisson, MPP for Timmins–James Bay, was the only MPP to attend, though others sent staff members. Ms. Campbell emphasized the importance of representation of Indigenous people in the provincial legislature, and that this would be best achieved with a four PED option. Non-Indigenous Canadians must respect traditional Indigenous knowledge, political practices, and cultures regarding how to participate in public life. This variation in population density had no impact on the final recommendation of the Far North Electoral Boundaries Commission. We return to potential future ways to enhance representation of Indigenous peoples in Section 10. One participant commented that Indigenous representation should be considered as important as voter parity. Prior to 1960, Status Indians as defined by the Indian Act could vote in federal elections only if they chose to forfeit their Indian status and met other specific qualifications.13 Prior to 1954, Ontario was one of three provinces to impose racial restrictions on voting eligibility where only “enfranchised Indians” living off reserve and owning real property were permitted to vote.14 After this was statutorily changed, s. 3 of the Charter enshrined all citizens’ right to vote, including First Nations, Métis, and Inuit, in 1982. Its mandate was to review the electoral district boundaries of Kenora—Rainy River and Timmins—James Bay and make recommendations about the creation of one or two more electoral districts in that geographic area by August 1, 2017. Seventh, the FNEBC requests that consideration be given to further steps to increase Indigenous representation and political participation in Ontario. Preliminary and final reports (9) The Commission, after holding public hearings and performing any other consultation it considers appropriate, shall release a report containing its preliminary recommendations, and, after holding further public hearings and performing any other consultation it considers appropriate, shall produce a report containing its final recommendations. The 1962 Commission, for example, had free reign to determine the extent that PEDs should be of equal population size.6 The terms of reference of the 1983 Commission remained similar to those of the previous two commissions. The Indigenous population of Mushkegowuk will be primarily Cree while Kiiwetinoong will be primarily Oji-Cree and Ojibwe. anything else that the Commission considers appropriate. No feedback – negative or positive – was received from Indigenous organizations after the release of the Preliminary Report. ^ Proposed Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act, 2003 Archived 2012-06-16 at the Wayback Machine. The limited road infrastructure in Ontario’s Far North also intensifies the costs, uncertainty, and availability of northern traveling, food and other goods, and professional services, as well as impacting the ability to travel for medical purposes.55 In addition, other factors including physical terrain, environmental conservation, differing perspectives and varying degrees of consensus among communities, and complications arising from multiple funding sources further exacerbate the difficulty of Far North communities to optimize existing and build new transportation infrastructure.56 In addition, challenges exist with respect to sustained multi-year funding, which in turn makes long-term planning challenging. However, with one exception, our conclusions were ultimately reinforced, not only by the feedback we received during the second round, but also by updated data we received regarding the populations of the proposed new PEDs. Individuals commented that having the two additional PEDs would lead to more effective representation of northern communities and Indigenous peoples. Treaty 9, also known as the James Bay Treaty, covers almost two-thirds of Northern Ontario. 9 (1905 – 1906)” , Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada “On Reserve Population” April 2017, Johnson, Larry, “Frozen Districts: The Status of Electoral Redistribution in Ontario” Legislative Library and Research Services June 2014, Kaye, Philip, “Redistribution of electoral Districts in Ontario: Current Issue Paper 24” Legislative Research Service September 1996, Ladner, Kiera L., and McCrossan, Michael, “The electoral participation of Aboriginal people” 2007 Elections Canada, Leslie, John F “Indigenous Suffrage” June 30, 2017, The Canadian Encyclopedia Métis Nation of Ontario, “The Métis Nation” June 2017 , Ministry of Transportation, “Towards a Northern Ontario Multimodal Transportation Strategy, Discussion Paper” October 2016 , Nishnawbe-Aski Nation “About Us” June 2017 , Niemczak, Peter, “Aboriginal Political Representation: A Review of Several Jurisdictions” Library of Parliament, 27 October 2008, , Northern Policy Institute “Weathering winter roads – what is the best route?” April 7 2017 , Office of the French Language Services Commissioner of Ontario “Francophones in Ontario” , Statistics Canada, “Aboriginal Peoples: Fact Sheet” March 14, 2016 , Statistics Canada, “Aboriginal Peoples in Canada: First Nations People, Métis and Inuit” September 2016 , Statistics Canada, “Census of Population” , Statistics Canada “Census Profile, 2016 Census” May 2017 , Statistics Canada “French and the francophonie in Canada” December 2015 , Statistics Canada “Land and Freshwater area” June 2017 , Statistics Canada “NHS Profile 2011” November 16 , Statistics Canada, “Population size and growth rate, Canada, provinces, and territories, 2006 to 2011 and 2011 to 2016” March 2017 , Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, “The Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Canada’s Residential Schools: Reconciliation” 2015 , Case Law Daniels v Canada (Indian Affairs and Northern Development), 2016 SCC 12 Reference Re Provincial Electoral Boundaries (Sask. Some also understood participation in provincial politics as eroding the relationship with the federal government and the move for self-government. However, there are many problems facing the development and maintenance of winter roads including: poor signage, minimal cell phone coverage, and limited real-time information on road conditions. It would be difficult to effectively represent such a PED, much less be effectively represented in it. the availability and accessibility of means of communication and transportation in the geographic areas, Achieve the goals, objectives, and deliverables set out in the, Come to an agreement with the Chief Electoral Officer and/or the Ministry of the Attorney General on the provision of administrative and operational support to the. Those against the proposed “Timmins alone” PED noted that Ontario’s northern communities have unique needs and require a candidate from that area that will be able to both understand and effectively represent them in Queen’s Park. The statutory mandate explicitly required us to consider representation of Indigenous peoples (s. 4(8)(b)). Specifically, she is required, among other things, to: The 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission (“TRC”) called attention to Canada’s long and destructive history of colonialism in relation to Indigenous peoples. Traditionally, the people of Eabametoong First Nation are connected to the communities near Lake Nipigon which are part of the Thunder Bay—Superior North PED. 9, represents the 49 First Nation communities encompassed within the Treaty 9 territory as well as the communities within Ontario’s portion of Treaty 5, an area totalling 543,897 km².30 NAN describes its mission as achieving self-determination through advocating and representing the social, economic, and political aspirations of its First Nation communities.31, Totalling 142,000 km², Treaty 3 encompasses the geographic area west of Thunder Bay, from the international border with Minnesota in the south to north of Sioux Lookout, and as far west as the provincial border with Manitoba.32 GCT #3 is the traditional government of the Anishinaabe Nation within Treaty 3 territory and works to represent the 28 First Nations communities covered by Treaty 3 territory. Its mandate was to review the electoral district boundaries of Kenora—Rainy River and Timmins—James Bay and make recommendations about the creation of one or two more electoral … Use our Voter Information Service to find your electoral district and Member of Provincial Parliament. 2016, c. 33, s. 36 (1). On September 12, 2017, the government introduced a bill that, if enacted, would amend the Representation Act, 2015 and implement the Commission’s recommendations. This report responds to Council’s request and comments on the FEBC for Ontario’s proposal. thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/indigenous-suffrage/>. First Nations make up more than 90% of the population in the Far North, with most living in remote, fly-in communities.48 The communities rely on 29 remote airports to provide vital access to the rest of the province, as well as to transport people and goods.49 Weather issues frequently affect airplane travel in the Far North, due to conditions such as fog, storms, floods, fires, etc. This respects the statutory criteria of communities of interest and representation of Indigenous people, in addition to the constitutional principle of representation-by-population. It increased the number of Ontario electoral districts from 107 to 122. Such justification to part from a strict understanding of voter parity was similarly articulated by Nova Scotia’s Provincial Electoral Boundary Commission in 2012, wherein the Commission concluded that the “fair and nonpartisan drawing of constituency boundary lines, based around areas of minority group population concentration, was the best method for encouraging the effective representation of [minority] groups in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly”.70 This approach allows for “sufficient flexibility to meet the practical difficulties inherent in representative government in a country such as Canada”.71.