EAST HANTS: The three Corridor communities, along with a portion of Milford, could no longer be part of the federal riding of Kings-Hants if proposed federal boundary changes are approved.
The federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Nova Scotia released a proposed a new electoral map for consideration at public hearings this spring. The map introduces changes to Nova Scotia’s federal electoral district boundaries and has been developed through an independent and non-partisan process.
In the change, it would see Milford and Shubenacadie outward through Hants North be the lone parts of East Hants to remain with the Kings-Hants riding, which would extend from Coldbrook now to Berwick.
The Corridor communities of Enfield, Elmsdale, and Lantz and a portion of Milford would become part of the Central Nova riding, which would be renamed Pictou-Eastern Shore-Preston.
A release from the Commission said the proposal reflects Nova Scotia’s increase in population from 921,727 in 2011 to 969,383, as captured in the 2021 Census, and takes into consideration communities of interest or identity, and historic and geographic factors.
The proposal can be found at redistribution-2022.ca. It will be published in the Canada Gazette on April 30, 2022.
“The Commission has proposed a number of changes to not only the boundaries but also the names of several ridings. We look forward to receiving feedback from the public on our approach.” said the Honourable Justice Cindy A. Bourgeois, Chair of the three-member Commission.
Louise Carbert and David Johnson are the other members of the Commission who are responsible for the readjustment of the province’s federal electoral boundaries.
Under the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act, the Commission’s main aim in redrawing boundaries is to divide the province into 11 electoral districts that are as close to the electoral quota as reasonably possible, while taking into consideration the factors listed above.
The electoral quota for each district is 88,126 people, which is the number you get when you divide the total population of the province (969,383) by the number of electoral districts (11).
Kings-Hants MP Kody Blois sent a statement to the Commission echoing concerns he saw with the proposal, which would essentially see East Hants divided up. His full statement can be found: https://www.facebook.com/KodyBloisNS/posts/413271157291417
“The primary concern is the removal of the Hants County communities that are between Highway 102 and the Shubenacadie River and adding them to the proposed riding of Pictou-Eastern Shore-Preston,” said Blois. “These communities are inextricably tied to the rest of the Municipality of East Hants, including crucial community infrastructure (schools, fire halls, East Hants Sportsplex, community centres/legions) and a business community that is not divided by Highway 102.
“For the purposes of education and recreation, along with the natural connection of communities on a social and economic basis, the boundary has always been the Shubenacadie River.
“The proposed changes would take these communities of interest that are central to the Municipality of East Hants and include them in a proposed riding where there is no natural connection whatsoever.”
Blois said he has examined “the historical pattern of an electoral district in the province” and determined that since Confederation the communities of Enfield, Elmsdale, Lantz, and Milford have always been included with the rest of the Municipality of East Hants in their respective electoral boundaries at the provincial or federal level.
“The communities within the Municipality of East Hants have at various times been included in a federal riding with connection to the Annapolis Valley (Annapolis Valley-Hants and Kings-Hants), but also Colchester County (Colchester-Hants), and Halifax (Halifax-East Hants),” he said. “But, in every scenario, the communities of East Hants were never separated from the County of Hants.
He implored the commission to reconsider the boundary change for Kings-Hants and to keep all of the East Hants riding together.
“I submit that this historical precedent should carry significant consideration and that to maintain effective representation, these communities should remain within the federal riding of those communities they are inextricably tied to,” he said.
Public Hearings are set to be heard across N.S., however there is none scheduled for East Hants itself, a largely impacted area with the new proposal. He is hoping residents in the community will note that in any correspondence with the Commission and see that one is held in our area, pointing to the East Hants Sportsplex as a prime location to hold the meeting.
Local meetings for residents include The Best Western Glengarry on June 1 at 6:30 p.m. in Truro; Kentville Town Hall in Kentville on June 6 at 6:30 p.m. and Acadia Hall in Lower Sackville on June 14 at 6:30 p.m.
The Fall River/Beaver Bank area is also heavily impacted with the changes proposed. That will be looked at in a separate article. That riding will have its name changed to Shubenacadie-Bedford Basin.
If you wish to make a presentation at a hearing, please send a notice of representation to the Commission no later than May 23, 2022. You can do so by:
- mailing it to the Commission’s office
- emailing NS-NE@redecoupage-federal-redistribution.ca
- filling out the Public hearing notice form
- using the Interactive Mapping Tool
Notices of representation should include:
- your name, address, and contact information
- the organization you represent (if any)
- the date of the public hearing you wish to attend
- a short overview of the issue(s) you intend to address
- your official language of preference
- any accommodation you may need
If you wish to send comments and feedback to the commission without attending a public hearing, you can do so by email, by mail or by using the Interactive Mapping Tool.
Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Nova Scotia
Website: redistribution2022.ca
Email: NS-NE@redecoupage-federal-redistribution.ca
Mailing address
Ms. Carol Moulaison
Commission Secretary, Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Nova Scotia
PO Box 70071, RPO Cobequid
Lower Sackville, NS B4C 2N0
Telephone (toll-free): 1-855-726-4107
TTY (toll-free): 1-800-361-8935
