by Helen Hall
Kitchener Citizen
October 10, 2013
The Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission has submitted its final report, which adds a new fifth riding to Waterloo Region for the next federal election scheduled for 2015.
The number of seats in the House of Commons allocated to Ontario has been increased from 106 to 121 based on a census conducted in 2011. The commission looks at the federal boundaries every 10 years.
The new Kitchener South - Hespeler Riding is made up of the south end of Kitchener and the old Hespeler portion of Cambridge. It is bounded by Fischer-Hallman Road in the west, New Dundee Road and the 401 highway in the south, Townline Road in the east, and a jagged line that is made up of Kossuth Road, Fountain St. N., Zeller Dr., Fairway Rd. N. and follows the Expressway until it meets up with Fischer-Hallman in the north.
In addition to including South Kitchener and part of Cambridge, the new riding also includes a small portion of Kitchener in the east made up of the Chicopee neighbourhood and going south towards Freeport Hospital. This area was previously part of Kitchener-Centre and is bounded by the Conestoga Parkway in the west, the Grand River in the south, Zeller Drive in the east, and Fairway Rd. N. in the north.
The remaining four Waterloo Region ridings have been altered to help divide the population more evenly between ridings. The average riding size was set to be 106,000.
Kitchener - Conestoga Riding: This riding previously included three town-ships and the south part of Kitchener. It loses Kitchener South to the new Kitchener South - Hespeler riding, but picks up residents in the Forest Heights and Victoria South part of West Kitchener. These residents living in an area bounded by the Conestoga Parkway, Fischer-Hallman Rd., University Ave. and Trussler Road used to be part of the Kitchener- Centre riding.
Kitchener - Centre Riding: This riding trims its population by giving part of its west Kitchener area to Kitchener-Conestoga and some of its east Kitchener boundary to Kitchener South - Hespeler. It picks up some voters from north of Victoria Street N. and bounded by the Conestoga Parkway on the east, that used to vote with Waterloo in the old Kitchener-Waterloo Riding.
Waterloo Riding: This riding is the City of Waterloo and a small portion of Kitchener, which includes Bridgeport, north of the Canadian National Railway tracks and northeast of the Conestoga Parkway.
Cambridge Riding: This riding includes part of Cambridge and North Dumfries Township. It loses Cambridge’s former Hespeler portion located north of the 401 highway to the new riding of Kitchener South - Hespeler.
These changes will keep residents of the Region of Waterloo voting in five separate ridings all located within the region.
The Kitchener South - Hespeler riding currently has no representative so it will have no incumbent in the next election.
Kitchener-Conestoga MP Harold Albrecht was glad to see the final report keep Waterloo Region together. One of the previous ideas was to split up the region by abolishing the Kitchener-Conestoga riding, and hav-ing those residents vote federally in the neighbouring municipalities of Wellington and Perth.
“Having five ridings is an excellent result for Waterloo Region,” he said.
Now that his riding’s future is secure, Albrecht says he “fully intends” to run again in Kitchener-Conestoga.
With the new boundaries, the size of his riding will be reduced to about 94,000 residents, below the proposed average size of 106,000. However, because it includes the west side of Fischer-Hallman Road, which has several new suburban neighbourhoods under construction, he said its population will rise quickly to catch up with the other ridings.
Kitchener Citizen
October 10, 2013
The Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission has submitted its final report, which adds a new fifth riding to Waterloo Region for the next federal election scheduled for 2015.
The number of seats in the House of Commons allocated to Ontario has been increased from 106 to 121 based on a census conducted in 2011. The commission looks at the federal boundaries every 10 years.
The new Kitchener South - Hespeler Riding is made up of the south end of Kitchener and the old Hespeler portion of Cambridge. It is bounded by Fischer-Hallman Road in the west, New Dundee Road and the 401 highway in the south, Townline Road in the east, and a jagged line that is made up of Kossuth Road, Fountain St. N., Zeller Dr., Fairway Rd. N. and follows the Expressway until it meets up with Fischer-Hallman in the north.
In addition to including South Kitchener and part of Cambridge, the new riding also includes a small portion of Kitchener in the east made up of the Chicopee neighbourhood and going south towards Freeport Hospital. This area was previously part of Kitchener-Centre and is bounded by the Conestoga Parkway in the west, the Grand River in the south, Zeller Drive in the east, and Fairway Rd. N. in the north.
The remaining four Waterloo Region ridings have been altered to help divide the population more evenly between ridings. The average riding size was set to be 106,000.
Kitchener - Conestoga Riding: This riding previously included three town-ships and the south part of Kitchener. It loses Kitchener South to the new Kitchener South - Hespeler riding, but picks up residents in the Forest Heights and Victoria South part of West Kitchener. These residents living in an area bounded by the Conestoga Parkway, Fischer-Hallman Rd., University Ave. and Trussler Road used to be part of the Kitchener- Centre riding.
Kitchener - Centre Riding: This riding trims its population by giving part of its west Kitchener area to Kitchener-Conestoga and some of its east Kitchener boundary to Kitchener South - Hespeler. It picks up some voters from north of Victoria Street N. and bounded by the Conestoga Parkway on the east, that used to vote with Waterloo in the old Kitchener-Waterloo Riding.
Waterloo Riding: This riding is the City of Waterloo and a small portion of Kitchener, which includes Bridgeport, north of the Canadian National Railway tracks and northeast of the Conestoga Parkway.
Cambridge Riding: This riding includes part of Cambridge and North Dumfries Township. It loses Cambridge’s former Hespeler portion located north of the 401 highway to the new riding of Kitchener South - Hespeler.
These changes will keep residents of the Region of Waterloo voting in five separate ridings all located within the region.
The Kitchener South - Hespeler riding currently has no representative so it will have no incumbent in the next election.
Kitchener-Conestoga MP Harold Albrecht was glad to see the final report keep Waterloo Region together. One of the previous ideas was to split up the region by abolishing the Kitchener-Conestoga riding, and hav-ing those residents vote federally in the neighbouring municipalities of Wellington and Perth.
“Having five ridings is an excellent result for Waterloo Region,” he said.
Now that his riding’s future is secure, Albrecht says he “fully intends” to run again in Kitchener-Conestoga.
With the new boundaries, the size of his riding will be reduced to about 94,000 residents, below the proposed average size of 106,000. However, because it includes the west side of Fischer-Hallman Road, which has several new suburban neighbourhoods under construction, he said its population will rise quickly to catch up with the other ridings.
NEW RIDING ADDED
New federal ridings keep Waterloo Region together
New federal ridings keep Waterloo Region together
NEW FEDERAL RIDINGS
The new federal electoral boundaries for Waterloo Region are bordered in green. The new Kitchener South - Hespeler Riding is shaded in green. Map courtesy of the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission.
The new federal electoral boundaries for Waterloo Region are bordered in green. The new Kitchener South - Hespeler Riding is shaded in green. Map courtesy of the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission.