Whither Minnedosa Tory MLA Leanne Rowat?
That's a question being pondered in provincial political circles with Wednesday's release of Manitoba's Electoral Divisions Boundaries Commission report, a report that erases Rowat's Minnedosa riding and redraws the boundaries of 54 other ridings.
Rowat and her Progressive Conservative Party say the boundary changes are an insult to rural Manitobans as it creates huge areas for a single politician to cover.
"It's going to be extremely difficult to be visible and to show that you care about these communities," she said.
Rowat said she'll encourage her constituents to speak out against the proposed boundary changes when public hearings start in September.
The new lines also radically alter the look of southwestern Manitoba's political landscape, reducing the number of constituencies outside of Brandon from six to five. The only ones that don't change are The Pas and Thompson. A new seat is proposed for the capital region called "Tache". The distribution of provincial ridings remains the same with 26 seats outside Winnipeg (including two seats in Brandon and four in the north) and 31 seats in Winnipeg.
The independent commission's job was to review the boundaries of Manitoba's 57 electoral divisions to determine whether they should change based on population shifts as per 2006 census figures. The last time boundaries were redone was a decade ago. The Tories say the changes punish western Manitobans and favour the New Democrats in Winnipeg.
"It creates 'Fortress Winnipeg' for the NDP," PC Party of Manitoba chief executive officer Doug Schweitzer said.
Schweitzer said the plans for Winnipeg ignore the planned population growth for the south of the city (Waverley West) and needlessly altered northern Winnipeg.
"This report essentially tells southwest Winnipeggers that their vote means less than their fellow Manitobans," he said.
NDP provincial secretary Sonia Kowalewich said she was not in a position to talk about the boundary changes, or Tory criticism against them, until she and the party study the proposed riding maps more closely.
"This is a complex process," she said, adding the New Democrats will speak to the redrawn maps when public hearings start in the fall. Written submissions are also accepted via the commission's website. For more details and hearing times go to www.boundariescommission.mb.ca.
bruce.owen@freepress.mb.ca
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