Change to Oakville’s electoral boundaries receives support by provincial commission
Published February 13, 2023 at 10:59 am
Oakville Mayor Rob Burton was “pleased” to hear proposed changes to the town’s two electoral boundaries suggested by he and Town Council are being supported by the province.
In a report by the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario, tabled Friday (Feb. 10) in the House of Commons, the Oakville and Oakville North—Burlington districts have been reorganized from their current north-south alignment into eastern and western halves, creating new Oakville East and Oakville West ridings.
The redistricting, says Burton, was also widely endorsed in submissions from residents.
“I would like to thank the Commission for listening to my submission and Town Council’s unanimous motion on the proposed electoral districts,” said Burton. “We advised the Commission to consider electoral boundaries that better reflect the interests of Oakville residents.
“And we are pleased that our suggestion for an east-west pairing of ridings in Oakville was taken into account and included in the report that was tabled in the House of Commons today.”
The three-panel commission’s report also stated that Sixteen Mile Creek serves as a clear natural boundary that divides Oakville neatly in half.
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“This solution offers at least two substantial improvements over the initial proposal: it better respects Oakville’s municipal boundaries with Burlington (to the west) and Milton (to the north); and it allows for a better blending of differential north/south population growth across both Oakville districts,” the Commission stated in its Report.
The report will be reviewed by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs.
The Report of the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for the Province of Ontario can be read here.
