Report suggests riding change for Niagara
Fort Erie voters will likely cast their ballots with residents of Port Colborne, Welland and most of Thorold a result of riding boundary changes that could be in place by the time the next federal and provincial elections take place.
The Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission’s final report for Ontario is being reviewed by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, after the document that contains boundary changes for Niagara and across the province was tabled recently.
While plans for Niagara — they include making Fort Erie part of the former Niagara Centre riding, rather than Niagara Falls — were welcome news to Niagara Centre MP Vance Badawey, who would represent the largest riding in the region if re-elected, the report was a disappointment for Niagara Falls MP Tony Baldinelli.
Badawey said there are a lot of synergies between Fort Erie and other municipalities he represents.
“It’s not going to be new to me to work with the folks in Fort Erie, and really bring forward strategies that better the business and lifestyle in Fort Erie,” he said, adding the inclusion of Fort Erie to the newly named Niagara South riding aligns with work he has been doing towards developing a trade corridor in the region, as well as his Great Lakes strategy.
“It’s going to align quite well with everything we’ve been doing in this riding, and I’m extremely excited,” Badawey said.
He said he has contacted Fort Erie Mayor Wayne Redekop to discuss the town’s priorities and strategies.
Both Badawey and Baldinelli participated in a series of hearings held by the commission in the fall, after the late summer release of its initial proposal that would have added Grimsby’s waterfront to the Hamilton East-stoney Creek riding and added most of Thorold to Niagara West.
Badawey said the commission
“pretty well gave me what I asked for” during the hearings.
Baldinelli said he argued during the hearings to retain Fort Erie as part of the current Niagara Falls riding, emphasizing “our ridings shared communities of interest and history that connects Fort Erie closely with Niagara Falls and Niagara-onthe-lake.”
“These considerations include the Niagara River, Canada-u.s. border communities, our trade corridor at our four international bridge crossings and along the QEW, local Niagara tourism, including Niagara Parks, Black history, Indigenous culture, many historical sites from the War of 1812, and more,” Baldinelli said. “Unfortunately, the commission ruled otherwise.”
Baldinelli said the “difficulty the commission had when examining the current Niagara Falls riding was its population size, which was one of the largest in the country.”
“As a result, in our case, the Ontario commission prioritized riding population numbers over the important local considerations of shared communities of interest and history for our three communities along the Niagara River,” he added.
Despite the big changes originally proposed, Niagara West was left almost untouched in the commission’s final report.
Niagara West’s border with St. Catharines and Niagara Centre was moved slightly east to Twelve Mile Creek, adding Western Hill and Ridley Heights to the riding. The St. Catharines riding was extended further to the south, to include Brock University and Niagara Region headquarters.
The commission renamed the Niagara Falls riding Niagara North — an electoral district that would ironically include the site of the new south Niagara hospital to be built at Montrose and Biggar Roads.
Baldinelli disagreed with the name change, saying “it falls short in accurately identifying our communities, which make up a special part of Canada in many regards.”
“In the coming weeks, I intend on objecting to the Commission’s proposed name change at the Procedure and House Affairs Committee, and I will propose the riding name of ‘Niagara Falls–niagara-on-the-lake’ to properly recognize and honour our area, and all of the great residents who live here,” he said.
Badawey said the standing committee now reviewing the commission’s report will consider any remaining concerns and challenges. He said the new ridings boundaries are to be in place for an election in 2025, although if an election is called this year the existing ridings would continue to be used.