ANTIGONISH: The Member of Parliament for Central Nova says this federal boundary review isn’t about a particular representative, as the boundary review has serious impacts on communities of interest within the geographical region.
A federal boundary review commission hearing took place at the Microtel Inn & Suites in Antigonish after it had to be moved from council chambers due to the number of people who registered to attend.
Mayor Laurie Boucher told The Reporter there were about 30 people in attendance, which saw 12 presentations, which was a very positive turnout for a meeting of that nature.
“Everybody hit the three points that determine where the boundaries go; one was population, the second would be communities of interest and the third one being the history,” Boucher said. “People were very clear that not only did they want Antigonish to stay with Pictou, but they also wanted the county to be put back with Pictou.”
In the last boundary review, she indicted part of the county was paired with Cape Breton-Canso.
“So that divides ridings,” Boucher said. “In the county does it not only divides the county in two, but it divides the St. Andrew’s district in two.”
The current proposed changes would see the Town of Antigonish and a portion of the Municipality of the County of Antigonish in Central Nova be paired with Guysborough and Cape Breton to create a new riding Cape Breton-Antigonish.
The commission chair, Justice Cindy Bourgeois told The Reporter the nine public hearings across the province was an opportunity to receive feedback from community members on the proposed boundary changes.
“The commission will meet over the summer to consider the different points of view that we heard and to then look at what we proposed and make final changes based on the alternate points of view that we heard,” Bourgeois said. “We heard some very strong themes. One of the biggest themes was to not separate Antigonish from Pictou. We heard there was a real community of interest and there’s a lot of commonalities of issues.”
The commission chair also advised they heard the proposed Cape Breton-Antigonish riding would be a geographically-large riding and there wouldn’t be effective representation by a single MP covering that distance.
Speaking on what he was impressed with, Central Nova MP Sean Fraser, who is also the federal Minister of Immigration, told The Reporter it was the amount of people that came out to the meeting.
“The second thing that stood out to me after the event was the near unanimity of those who spoke, that want to make sure Antigonish remains part of a federal district that’s on the mainland of Nova Scotia.”
Fraser said the reality was, there is a real community of interest betweeen the town and county of Antigonish and Pictou County based on similarity of economies, access to health services, traditional industries, and there is a long-standing historical connection between the two regions.
“When you think about what it’s like to be a MP in a constituency that’s made up of small towns and rural communities, people expect to have you on their doorstep, in their homes, and to be present at community events,” Fraser said. “So they can actually have access to you. In rural communities, it’s not fair for them to not be able to raise their concerns directly with their representative.”
The Central Nova MP suggested the community was heard loud and clear, and he’s looking forward to seeing how the submissions will be reflected in the potential revisions to the initial proposal.
In her response as to why she made a presentation on behalf of council, the mayor said it was in their best interests.
“I think it’s up to the community leaders to voice the opinion that will be best for the community,” Boucher said. “I love Cape Breton. I grew up there, but at far as communities of interests, we identify going west to the Pictou.”
The commission chair suggested based on the large number of written submissions, they have extended the deadline to June 28 for any written submission. Their goal is to have a decision made and the final report done by the end of the summer.