The group charged with reviewing BC’s electoral map will hold public meetings in East Kootenay next week
The BC Electoral Boundaries Commission will stop at Radium Hot Springs Resort on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. and the Prestige in Cranbrook at 2 p.m. the same day.
There will also be a virtual public meeting for these regions on Monday, April 11.
“We are eager to hear from residents,” Justice Nitya Iyer, the commission chair, said in a news release. “Input from local community members is essential to the Commission process. We encourage you to share your thoughts with us on this important topic.”
The commission is an independent and non-partisan three-person panel with a mandate to review the area, names and boundaries of provincial electoral districts, and submit proposals to the Legislative Assembly.
The commission considers not only population but also geography, demographics, means of communication and transportation, the protection of communities of interest and special circumstances in developing its proposals.
To provide input to the commission, you can attend an in-person or virtual public meeting, complete the survey on the commission website, or contact the Commission directly.
The deadline for public input is May 31.
The Kootenay East riding has been around since 1966 when the Cranbrook and Fernie ridings merged. From 1966 to 2001 it was known as Kootenay, from 2001 to 2009 it was East Kootenay, and in 2009 it adopted its current name. It has seen a few small boundary changes in that time.
Columbia River-Revelstoke was created in 1991 out of parts of the Columbia River and Shuswap-Revelstoke ridings.
