The days of Guelph being its own single federal riding has come to an end.
According to a final report submitted by the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission, south Guelph – south of Arkell Road – is being relocated to a larger, renamed rural riding with Wellington County and parts of Halton. It was announced on the commission's website Thursday.
The report was sent to the chief electoral officer, and tabled in the House of Commons Wednesday.
"In concluding this federal electoral district redistribution for the province of Ontario, the commission wishes to express its sincere gratitude to the many members of the public who took part in this undertaking that is such an important part of Canada's democratic process," said justice Lynne Leitch, the chair for the commission, in a news release.
The redistribution proposal was first made public last August. A revised map was published in February, and has since been reviewed by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, made up of several MP's.
In addition to verbal comments made at hearings, over 220 written comments were published earlier this year in regard to riding distribution options for Halton, Guelph and Wellington.
In February, the commission said as Guelph's population continues to grow, it isn't ruling out a more "natural" divide of the city in the future.
Ward 6 Coun. Dominique O'Rourke – who represents those in south Guelph – expressed concerns last year about "exacerbating the division by having the (boundary) line at Arkell Road because that was the previous annexation line."
She was also concerned about the community interest, considering "some of the issues are quite different" between south Guelph and the larger Wellington County.
But in the end, she said she respects the decision, and the panel of commissioners tasked to do the work.
"I recognize that it's exceedingly difficult work to do," O'Rourke said. "It's true, Guelph had one of the highest populations for an electoral district for a long time, so in terms of representation by population, there was a redistribution that was necessary."
She said she's looking forward to getting to know whoever is elected MP for the new riding, and ensuring concerns are heard. But O'Rourke admits it might be a little confusing for residents.
"I would've liked to see Guelph in the name, but I'll be working hard to continue to represent the folks in south Guelph, with either MP, and certainly the city," she said.
The commission said it worked to set boundaries "so that the populations of the electoral districts are as even as reasonably possible, while also taking into account communities of interest or identity, historical patterns and geographic size in sparsely populated regions."
The process is mandated by the Constitution of Canada to happen every 10 years, to reflect changes and movements in population.
For Wellington-Halton Hills North riding, while it does add voters in south Guelph, it is losing Georgetown and some land south of the town.
It is being absorbed into a new Milton East-Halton Hills South riding.
Otherwise, the current Wellington-Halton Hills boundary is staying intact.
The commission states the chief electoral officer must now use the boundaries in the report to draft a representation order, which should be made official in September.
The riding boundaries would become effective ahead of the next federal election.
You can view the interactive map on the commission's website, which details the current riding boundary and the boundary set in the final report.
It's unclear what implications the changes will mean for provincial riding boundaries, which usually mirrors the federal ridings, minus exceptions in northern Ontario.
"We don't yet know what direction the Ford government will take on this issue," a spokesperson for Guelph MPP Mike Schreiner said in an email.
Guelph MP Lloyd Longfield and Wellington-Halton Hills MP Michael Chong could not immediately be reached for comment.
