Commission to consider future of Memramcook-Tantramar and other provincial ridings seeking input
The commission that will decide New Brunswick’s next election ridings has announced a round of public consultations over the next month, but they won’t be targeted at communities where changed boundaries are likely to be proposed.
The Electoral boundaries commission will tour through 12 locations in the province, chosen to provide “the widest access possible to as many citizens who may wish to make a presentation to the commission,” according to an emailed statement from commission staff.
Mount Allison politics professor Mario Levesque says the level of consultation is not enough.
“They need to at least double the sessions they have across the province to get better input,” says Levesque. He says he understands the inclination to save time and costs in having less thorough coverage, “but this is something I think that’s significant enough, more would be better overall.”
The closest consultation happening for residents of Memramcook-Tantramar is in Moncton at the Delta Beausejour on September 1, from 6pm to 9pm. There are also two virtual sessions that require pre-registration, happening September 1 and 12.
The last time a commission looked at provincial riding boundaries was in 2012-2013, when the riding of Memramcook-Tantramar was created. And this riding could be up for another change before the next election in 2024.… Continue