[URBAN NOTE] "Village preserved in final riding-redistribution proposal"

[rfmcdonald]

Xtra!'s Rob Salerno shares the good news that a proposed redrawing of borders for federal electoral ridings in downtown Toronto in response to a growing population will not bisect Church and Wellesley.

The Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario has listened to concerns from the community and maintained the integrity of the Church Wellesley Village in a single riding in its final report to be tabled to Parliament.

Previously, the commission had proposed that the part of the Village north of Wellesley Street would be swept into a new riding called Mount Pleasant that stretched up to Eglinton, capturing many wealthy neighbourhoods, such as Rosedale and Moore Park.

The old proposal had very little support and drew criticism from several people who appeared at a public hearing into the new boundaries last year. The new proposal leaves the Village entirely within Toronto Centre and leaves out the proposed Mount Pleasant riding.

Instead, the commission appears to have listened to the proposal made by several deputants, including several MPs and MPPs, that the new riding in downtown Toronto be created along the waterfront, capturing the booming new condo neighbourhoods that continue to grow south of the Gardiner Expressway.

The proposed new riding, called Spadina-Fort York, incorporates the section of the current Toronto Centre riding south of Front Street and The Esplanade and the section of the current Trinity-Spadina riding south of Dundas Street. The new riding currently has a below-average population, which should leave it room to accommodate the strong growth happening in the area.

Toronto Centre also loses territory to the proposed new University-Rosedale riding, mostly made up of the section of Trinity-Spadina north of Dundas, plus the section of Toronto Centre north of Charles Street East and the sections west of Bay Street that make up part of the University of Toronto campus and residences.

A precise description of the boundaries of Spadina-Fort York is here.