Northern Ontario MPPs from different parties are coming together to fight a move to eliminate the Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing riding and reduce northern ridings to nine.
Sault-Ste. Marie’s MPP Terry Sheehan, says the MPPs will be writing a joint letter to the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario conveying the challenges and the need for more consultations to address the geographical and diversification of the riding.
The commission is calling for the absorption of the riding by Nickel Belt and Sault Ste. Mare.
Currently represented by Carol Hughes, she says it is important that the riding remains in place, not only to ensure fair representation but also because of the challenges enlarging the other two ridings would cause a potential loss of investments and funding.
The commission re-evaluates the population of ridings across Canada every ten years, and the current figures show that AMK has lost nearly 25 percent of its population over the last decade.