Commission proposes changes to SK electoral districts

The Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Saskatchewan is holding 15 public hearings, to gather comments and feedback on the proposed boundaries and electoral district names. One of these public hearings will be held at Kindersley on Wed., June 29 from 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. at the Legion Hall located at 118 - 2nd Ave. East.

The purpose of the hearings is to allow for public input into the Commission’s Proposal, which puts forward a suggested new electoral map for Saskatchewan’s federal electoral boundaries. In brief terms, the Commission is suggesting at this time that some change may be needed to accommodate the large geographical areas with less population in the province.

Saskatchewan’s representation in the House of Commons is 14 members, which means that the Province must be divided into 14 electoral districts. Between the 2011 and 2021 censuses, Saskatchewan’s population count increased from 1,033,381 to 1,132,505. This increase must be accommodated within Saskatchewan’s 14 electoral districts. The population of the Province, divided by 14, gives an electoral quota for each electoral district of 80,893.

By way of further recognition of the large geographical areas covered by Cypress Hills-Grasslands and, to some extent, Moose Jaw - Lake Centre - Lanigan, the Committee is proposing a possible reconfiguration of both of these electoral districts to establish two electoral districts running east and west rather than north and south. These districts would be named Kindersley - Rosetown, and Moose Jaw - Swift Current - Grasslands. The Commission is also proposing a reconfiguration of the Saskatoon electoral districts.

As with all of the proposed changes, the Commission seeks the public’s input. To attend a public hearing, you must send a notice of representation to the Commission Secretary. You can either mail it to their office to: Ms. Marlene Rodie - Commission Secretary, Saskatchewan Electoral Boundaries Commission, PO Box 21031 RPO Gardiner Park, Regina, SK S4V 0Y0. You can also email it to SK@redecoupage-federal-redistribution.ca or you may fill out the public hearing notice form, which is available online or use the Interactive Mapping Tool, also available online.

Everyone is invited to attend the hearings. The deadline to submit your notice of representation has been extended to one week prior to the public hearing at which you wish to appear.

Should you wish to only send comments and feedback to the Commission, without attending a public hearing, you can do so by mail or email to the addresses given previously. The deadline to submit your submission is July 15, 2022.

Your notice of representation should include: your name, address and contact information, the organization you represent (if any), the date of the public hearing that you wish to attend, a short overview of the issues you intend to address, your official language of preference, and any accommodations you may need.

After holding public hearings and receiving written and oral submissions with respect to the Proposal, the Commission will prepare a final report, which will be published in the fall of 2022. The Commission stresses the importance of public participation during this process.

A copy of the Proposal may be obtained from the Commission free of charge on request.

The Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for the Province of Saskatchewan (the Commission) is an independent, three-member body responsible for defining the sizes, boundaries, and names of the federal electoral districts within the Province of Saskatchewan.