The Flin Flon and District Chamber of Commerce is weighing in on proposed changes to the Flin Flon provincial riding.
At the Sept. 25 meeting, chamber members in attendance voted to send a letter to the Manitoba Electoral Divisions Boundary Commission (MEDBC) advocating for the Flin Flon riding to remain the same for upcoming provincial elections.
The decision comes on the heels of a public meeting in Flin Flon on Sept. 12 with MEDBC members. Speakers came to discuss the MEDBC’s proposed changes to the Manitoba electoral map. The changes would decrease the number of ridings serving northern Manitoba from five to four, add one more riding in Winnipeg and combine Flin Flon and The Pas in the same riding for the first time in more than six decades.
Flin Flon MLA Tom Lindsey, who spoke at the Sept. 12 meeting to criticize the proposal, spoke at the chamber meeting, saying the proposed map would further marginalize northern Manitoba in provincial legislature.
“Part of the problem is that we lose one voice out of the north, which is somewhat important to beating down the wall around the perimeter in Winnipeg,” he said.
Lindsey also argued that the suggested population threshold for each provincial riding is subject to inaccuracies. According to the MEDBC, each provincial riding should have 22,427 people on average. The Flin Flon riding, currently the least populated riding in the province, is 30 per cent below that mark.
Lindsey said current legislation in Manitoba allows for a 25 per cent variance for northern Manitoba ridings and a 10 per cent variance elsewhere. He also mentioned discrepancies between population counts from the 2016 Census and statistics from Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC).
Newly acclaimed Flin Flon Mayor Cal Huntley, who also spoke out against the new boundaries at the Sept. 12 meeting, shared his thoughts with chamber members.
“The methodology is just bizarre,” he said.
Huntley added that, while Winnipeg city council has 15 seats, the city of Winnipeg has 32 separate MLAs serving ridings within city limits, compared to just five in the north. If the proposed map passes in its current state, the number of Winnipeg-based MLAs will increase to 33, while northern Manitoba will lose one seat, going to four.
“They don’t have that many city councillors. The way they use population, it’s the cookie cutter method. It’s wrong. It’s objectively wrong,” he said.
Dianne Russell, chamber past president, suggested having discussion with chamber members elsewhere in the north, hoping that presenting a unified front to the provincial government may increase the chance of a positive outcome.
“We request our northern chambers to lend their voices on the same issue – obviously, The Pas would be interested. Maybe we can send that request out – here’s a way we can make our voices heard. Here’s our issue.”
