CRANBROOK EVENT DETAILS:

Event date:
Tuesday April 5, 2022 2:00pm MST
Event location:
Prestige Rocky Mountain Resort Cranbrook

***RSVPs are appreciated for this event. If you plan to attend, please let us know by emailing [email protected].

THE BACKGROUND:

Electoral districts are geographic areas defined in the Electoral Districts Act (British Columbia Electoral Boundaries Commission . These districts are represented by one Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) who is elected by the voters in that district. There are currently 87 districts in BC, but the Electoral Boundaries Commission may recommend up to 93.

In May 2021, the B.C. NDP proposed a new bill that would allow the Electoral Boundaries Commission to create new ridings in more densely populated areas and eliminate ridings in rural areas with decreasing populations. Combining ridings can impact both the MLA and the citizens of that district in many ways; for citizens, it can decrease the contact with the MLA due to the increased size of the riding, decrease the political power of rural areas, and contribute to the loss of Indigenous voices in rural areas.

For MLAs, it can increase travel time due to the increase in size of the district. This can decrease the amount of time an MLA can dedicate to meet with constituents, which can decrease the connection between an MLA and the citizens. While this bill may increase the number of ridings in more densely populated areas in our province, it is at the risk of decreasing political participation and representation in the rural areas of our province.