SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO

WINDSOR AND CHATHAM-KENT

Despite the fact that the populations of current electoral districts in this area are quite high, the Commission sees no reason to disrupt existing communities of interest by making major changes.

The existing electoral district of Windsor–St. Clair includes only part of the new Town of Tecumseh. The Commission proposes to include all of Tecumseh within this electoral district and renaming it WINDSOR–TECUMSEH, bringing its population to 116,466. With a population of 117,041, WINDSOR WEST requires no change.

Except for the loss of part of Tecumseh to WINDSOR–TECUMSEH, the electoral district of ESSEX remains unchanged, with a population of 114,330.

With a population of 107,341, the City of Chatham-Kent is ideally suited to constitute an electoral district on its own. However, the Town of Leamington has too large a population (27,138) to be included within ESSEX. There is no alternative but to keep Leamington in an electoral district based in Chatham-Kent. Consequently, the Commission proposes that the electoral district of CHATHAM-KENT–ESSEX continue with its existing boundaries (population 106,144).

THE SARNIA AREA

The existing electoral district of Sarnia–Lambton has a population of only 88,331, or 17.94 per cent below the provincial quotient. Because this is an urbanized electoral district in southern Ontario, the Commission is not willing to accept that this level of overrepresentation is justified. Consequently, it proposes adding the municipalities of Plympton-Wyoming, Petrolia, Oil Springs, and Inniskillen to SARNIA–LAMBTON such that its population becomes 104,556.

The proposed addition to SARNIA–LAMBTON means that the existing electoral district of Lambton–Kent–Middlesex has insufficient population. In the Commission’s view, this problem can best be remedied by including in this electoral district all of the municipalities (except Thames Centre), thereby creating the electoral district of MIDDLESEX–KENT–LAMBTON with a population of 105,291.

LONDON, ELGIN, AND THAMES CENTRE

The three electoral districts wholly contained within the City of London (LONDON WEST, LONDON NORTH CENTRE, and LONDON–FANSHAWE) have populations that are extremely close to the provincial quotient. The Commission sees no reason to propose changes.

The existing electoral district of Elgin–Middlesex–London now contains parts of two recently amalgamated municipalities (Middlesex Centre and Thames Centre) within Middlesex County. The Commission proposes that all of Middlesex Centre be allocated to MIDDLESEX–KENT–LAMBTON and that all of Thames Centre be allocated to ELGIN–MIDDLESEX–LONDON.

OXFORD, BRANT, HALDIMAND AND NORFOLK

No change is required in the Oxford electoral district. The electoral district of OXFORD comprises the entire County of Oxford.

The existing electoral district of Brant currently comprises only part of the County of Brant, which, as a result of amalgamations, is now itself a single municipality. The Commission does not wish to divide this new municipality. It also proposes that all of the Indian reserves in the area all be attached to the new electoral district of BRANT, which has a population of 118,580.

The Commission proposes that the electoral district of HALDIMAND–NORFOLK comprise the cities of Haldimand and Norfolk. Both are the result of recent municipal amalgamations, so the new electoral district includes the territory of the former Town of Dunnville that is currently in the electoral district of Erie–Lincoln. The proposed new electoral district of HALDIMAND–NORFOLK no longer includes the territory of the former Burford Township (in Brant County), or the Indian reserves in the area, all of which is proposed to be in BRANT.

HURON, BRUCE, AND GREY

The existing electoral district of Huron–Bruce has a population of only 93,460, which is 13.18 per cent below the provincial quotient. This shortfall can be addressed by adding those parts of the recently amalgamated municipalities of Brockton and South Bruce that are not already contained within the electoral district. The proposed electoral district of HURON–BRUCE has a population of 104,063.

The territory added to HURON–BRUCE is currently within the electoral district of Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound. The Commission proposes that all of the remaining municipalities within Grey County be added to this electoral district to create the new electoral district of GREY–BRUCE–OWEN SOUND.

PERTH, WELLINGTON, WATERLOO, AND DUFFERIN

As noted above, all of the municipalities within the County of Middlesex have already been allocated to the proposed electoral districts of MIDDLESEX–KENT–LAMBTON, and ELGIN–MIDDLESEX–LONDON. This means that the existing electoral district of Perth–Middlesex has to be significantly restructured. The Commission proposes that the municipalities of Minto, Wellington North, and Mapleton (all within Wellington County) be combined with Perth County to create the new electoral district of PERTH–WELLINGTON.

The current electoral districts of Waterloo–Wellington, Kitchener–Waterloo, Kitchener Centre, and Cambridge all have populations significantly above the provincial quotient. By removing the municipalities of Minto, Wellington North, and Mapleton from Waterloo–Wellington (as described above), the population of the area is reduced such that it can comfortably comprise four proposed electoral districts.

The Commission proposes that the electoral district of WATERLOO–WELLINGTON be expanded within the City of Kitchener so as to include that part of the city currently within the electoral district of Cambridge as well as the part that is south of the Conestoga Parkway and west of Shelly Avenue (i.e. Alpine Village) and currently within the electoral district of Kitchener Centre. The population of WATERLOO–WELLINGTON is 110,454.

The proposed electoral district of CAMBRIDGE comprises the City of Cambridge and the Township of North Dumfries. Its population is 119,141.

Because the Commission proposes to remove some of its territory in the south, the Commission also proposes that the existing electoral district of Kitchener Centre be extended north of Highland Road West to include the neighbourhoods of Beechwood Forest and Highland West. The population of the proposed electoral district of KITCHENER CENTRE is 116,821. Except for the removal of the territory north of Highland Road West, KITCHENER–WATERLOO is proposed to remain as is, with a population of 116,359.

The population of the existing electoral district of Guelph–Wellington is 122,601, or 13.90 per cent above the provincial quotient. In the Commission’s view, this level of underrepresentation in this area of the province is unjustified. The Commission proposes to address the problem by attaching the Township of Puslinch to part of the City of Hamilton to create the electoral district of HAMILTON–PUSLINCH. The population of GUELPH–WELLINGTON is 117,344.

The population of Dufferin County is 51,013. By adding to it the Town of Erin in Wellington County and the northern portion of the municipality of Halton Hills (i.e. the Georgetown and Acton areas), the Commission proposes the electoral district of DUFFERIN–WELLINGTON–HALTON with a population of 98,255.

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