Boundaries irk North Hill residents

Some residents on the North Hill are unhappy with the shape of the Spruce Woods riding, and that it includes their section of Brandon.

Residents say the North Hill, which is the northern part of Brandon, should be represented by a Brandon MLA, instead of being part of the mainly rural Spruce Woods district.

“I am not happy being in Spruce Woods. I’ve lived in Brandon for 50 years, and about four or five years ago, this end of the city got absorbed by Spruce Woods,” said North Hill resident Rob Johnson on Friday. “I don’t feel good about that.”

The riding was redistributed to include the North Hill ahead of the 2019 general election. The North Hill was previously split between Brandon West and Brandon East.

The riding includes towns as far as Oak Lake to the west, Rivers to the north, Souris to the south and Holland to the east.

Johnson, 73, said the different views between rural and urban voters is the main reason why he doesn’t like the current voting boundaries.

“The biggest reason I don’t feel good about that is the (Progressive) Conservative party all through that area is stronger than my vote.”

Fellow North Hill resident John Russell, 69, agreed, saying the needs of his neighbourhood are very different from those outside the city limits.

“What I envision I need from an MLA has got to be different than somebody who lives in the Sprucewoods area or the north Rivers area or Souris,” Russell said.

He said something that concerns him going into a byelection for the riding is that the representative will focus their attention on the rural needs of the riding, as that’s where most voters live.

Marlene Perlette, 75, said she believes her vote is moot, being part of Spruce Woods.

“I don’t want vote for bloody old PC, and my vote seems to be cancelled out all the time because of it,” she said at her home on Monday. “I want to be part of Brandon.”

Mike Ambrose, director of communications and public information for Elections Manitoba, said ridings are redistributed every 10 years as populations change. Ridings are made to represent regions as evenly as possible.

Ridings were last redistributed in 2018. Fifty-six of the 57 ridings across the province changed shape, with only Portage la Prairie remaining the same.

“Every person’s vote should count the same way, it should carry the same weight,” Ambrose said. “Making sure that the population of an electoral division is similar across the board, then similar across the province, that goes a long way to making sure those votes carry the same weight.”

All ridings are made to have similar populations, which in 2018 was about 22,427 people per riding, according to the Manitoba Electoral Divisions Boundaries Commission 2018 final report.

The report noted the change in Spruce Woods, Brandon West and Brandon East, saying it was due to the city’s growth.

“The City of Brandon has continued to experience considerable population growth. To accommodate this growth, the commission added part of the City of Brandon to an adjacent electoral division (Spruce Woods),” the report reads.

“This change recognizes current populations and allows for continued projected growth.”

The commission is made up of the chief electoral officer, the chief justice of Manitoba, and the presidents of Brandon University, the University of Manitoba and the University College of the North. They are an independent body made to keep all regions even.

“The commission also looks at other factors, like geography, population density and growth, the accessibility of a region,” Ambrose said.

“It’s very important that the entire process remains non-partisan. So, choosing people who have some expertise in the regions and can fulfil the job in a non-partisan fashion is very important.”

The commission also takes feedback from the community on how ridings are designed and hosts public hearings on the years of reviews to get public input.

The next time ridings will be reviewed in 2028. The next general election is scheduled for no later than 2027.

Reviewed ridings don’t immediately take effect. Last time they were reviewed, they didn’t officially change until the following general election.

» alambert@brandonsun.com