A three-person commission looking at redrawing federal ridings in B.C. heard from about a dozen presenters last week in Coquitlam.
Many of the speakers - associated with the NDP federally and provincially - told the panel they would prefer a redistribution of the New Westminster-Coquitlam riding to "hug" the Fraser River: that is, a New West-Maillardville-south PoCo alignment.
Under the proposed boundary, as rejigged by the commission earlier this year, the New West-Coquitlam riding would exclude the Royal City and would extend up to Lougheed/Barnet Highway with more Coquitlam homes - a redesign that would be unfavourable for the NDP.
As well, the draft realignment calls for splitting up the city of Port Coquitlam in three ridings.
Should the changes recommended by the commission take effect, the Tri-Cities would have three MPs for the new ridings of: Coquitlam-Port Coquitlam to the north; Port Moody-Coquitlam to the south; and Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge to the east, by the fall 2015 general election.
Currently, the region has two ridings: Port Moody-Westwood-Port Coquitlam (held by Conservative MP James Moore) and New West-Coquitlam (held by NDP MP Fin Donnelly).
At the commission hearing last Thursday, Donnelly joined NDP MLA Diane Thorne and Coquitlam Coun. Neal Nicholson to plea for a boundary that would include New West.
They argued having one MP represent New West and south Coquitlam, especially on transportation matters such as the United Boulevard bailey bridge, rapid transit and North Road congestion, is beneficial. As well, the southern areas are historically linked by CP Rail.
As for PoCo, all speakers - including NDP MLA Mike Farnworth and his constituency assistant, Glenn Pollock, a PoCo city councillor - opposed the city being cut up in three.
PoCo Mayor Greg Moore was at the Union of B.C. Municipalities' convention last week but during a presentation last month before the commission in Maple Ridge, Moore said such a split would "unacceptable" and suggested the city be kept intact federally.
The commission's realignment is in response to the region's massive population boom over the past five years. New West-Coquitlam has seen a 10% population hike, from 111,231 to 122,899 people; with the riding spread over 52 sq. km, that translates to 2,353 people per square kilometre.
By comparison, PoMo-Westwood-PoCo saw an 11.3% population surge, with 129,706 people calling the riding home last year versus 116,553 in 2006; the riding takes up 647 sq. km, translating to 199.7 constituents per square kilometre.
According to the commission, the ideal population per riding would be around 104,000.
The commission wants to add six new electoral districts in B.C., translating to the Lower Mainland holding 26 of British Columbia's 42 ridings - up from the current 21 of 36.
The commission will submit its report to Ottawa after a series of public hearings this fall (the last stop is in Burnaby on Oct. 18 at the Holiday Inn Express Metrotown). For more information, visit federal-redistribution.ca.
