There is no wall separating the cities of Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody, and the villages of Anmore and Belcarra.
But make no mistake, there are differences between these communities and that's why it's important candidates reside in the municipalities in which they are running.
In the Tri-Cities, we have four examples of candidates in the Nov. 15 election running outside of their home community, the most egregious being that of Gail Alty, who is seeking re-election as a school trustee in Coquitlam even though she lives in Sooke, on Vancouver Island.
While there is currently no law requiring residency - let us be clear on this: there should be - common sense suggests a politician will do a better job of representing folks who live in the same neighbourhood.
This is especially important for the philosophy of representation and taxation to be meaningful, and maybe the line gets blurry for School District 43, where trustees make decisions as a whole, not for a single community, and provincial taxes foot the bill.
But elected representatives are speaking for a geographical community - and the voters from that community- and, therefore, should only run in the city where they live.
