Final Recommendations from the Electoral Boundaries Commission Would Add Six Ridings, but Leave Northern Districts Untouched

BC’s Electoral Boundaries Commission has submitted their final recommendations for changes to BC’s Provincial ridings.

Under the proposal, BC would go from 87 ridings to 93, but the North’s six ridings would remain untouched.

In BC, the Province is required to appoint a Commission to review electoral districts after every second provincial election.

They are directed to recommend electoral districts which are within 25 percent of the average district population, unless necessary to provide adequate representation.

This time around that population comes in at around 53,000, putting just one of the North’s six ridings within the target range.

But, the Commission ultimately determined that consolidating northern districts would deprive residents of adequate representation.

A pair of proposed name changes would see the Stikine become the Bulkley Valley-Stikine, and the North Coast become North Coast- Haida Gwaii.

Changes to the North Cariboo would see it extended into Prince George, taking a portion of the Prince George-Valemount riding, which would itself be extended south.

All of the other proposed changes, 72 in total, would impact more heavily populated districts in the south.

It now falls on the Province to determine whether or not to accept the proposal.