The communities of Iron Bridge, east to Sudbury and Manitoulin Island could be absorbed into the federal boundaries of Nickel Belt while the communities to the west including Thessalon could be absorbed into the Sault Ste. Marie riding.
Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing MP Carol Hughes says she will fight the elimination of the riding proposed by the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission.
She says the riding has seen a loss of some 25 percent of its population, which is being used as the basis of changes proposed by the commission.
Hughes says the change would be devastating for the North in losing one voice in Parliament, as well as the effect on funding and potential jobs.
The current riding has a population of around 75,000 people and is one of the largest covering 93,000 square kilometres.
Hughes says she is working with the other parties to fight the change with hearings now underway across Canada.
Changes would not begin until April 1st of 2024.
The proposed expansion would add Bruce Mines, Thessalon, Wawa, most of Huron Shores, Chapleau, Dubreuilville, Hilton, Jocelyn, Johnson, Laird, Macdonald, Meredith and Aberdeen Additional, Plummer Additional, Prince, St. Joseph, Tarbutt, and White River, as well as Hilton Beach to the Sault Ste. Marie riding while the expanded Nickel Belt riding would include Iron Bridge, Spragge, Spanish, Blind River, Elliot Lake, east and including Sables-Spanish Rivers, Espanola, Baldwin and Nairn & Hyman Township, as well as the corridor to Manitoulin Island and include the entire Manitoulin District.
To review the details and the hearing process, visit Redistribution of Federal Electoral Districts – 2022 (redecoupage-redistribution-2022.ca)