Wawa Municipal Council is expressing concern about a planned redrawing of Northern Ontario's federal electoral districts.
In their meeting earlier this week, Mayor Melanie Pilon brought up the final report tabled by the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for the Province of Ontario last month - which would see the province gain a seat but major changes to many current boundaries - as she notes concerns about the loss of a voice for this region.
Councillors expressed similar concerns during this week's meeting, and raised questions about whether provincial riding boundaries would follow suit.
While Mayor Pilon concedes there are commonalities with other communities within the riding - including Sault Ste. Marie - she emphasizes concerns the large urban centre of the city would "swing" votes, and note concerns that the new ridings would see the local Northeast Superior Mayors Group communities further split - as the Chapleau area's annexed into the new "Kapuskasing-Timmins-Mushkegowuk" riding - though she notes that has yet to be discussed by the group.
The proposed redrawing's in the "Objections from MPs" phase until May - Northern MPs including Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing New Democrat Carol Hughes have voiced opposition to the new riding boundaries - though Pilon's resigned to the proposal becoming reality.