MP Powlowski is “ticked off” over the proposal for new NWO riding

NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO – The proposed changes won’t come into effect until April of 2024, but with the new riding, Northwestern Ontario will see a new riding in Kiiwetinoong-Mushkegowuk.

Under the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act, electoral riding is calculated by population and the number of Ontario ridings. Since Ontario has 122 electoral districts which serve a population of 12,223,942 each riding must be split into a population of 116,590. With a Kiiwetinoong-Mushkegowuk riding in place, the current Kenora riding will merge with Thunder Bay Rainy River.

However, not all think the proposed changes are a good idea for the north.

When asked what his thoughts are on the merging of Thunder Bay, Rainy River and Kenora, MP Marcus Powlowski said, “I’m ticked off. I think this is an assault on the democratic right of the people of Northern Ontario. We basically gone from nine seats to seven, well technically basically eight, but they carved off the very northern part of Northern Ontario, the NAN communities, as one riding. That’s a pretty small population which is what, 15,000. For the rest of us in Northern Ontario, we basically gone from nine seats to seven seats.”

For Powlowski, the new election ridings do not serve the interest of Northern Ontario. For one MP, serving the interest of the public between the vast geography of Thunder Bay and Emo is a tough endeavour. Although the populations in the Thunder-Bay- Rainy River are spares, the distance creates a level of complexity. Now with the addition of the Kenora district, the workload may leave some of the population underserved.

“Now as you add another 40,000 people out in Kenora, Dryden, that kind of area, and it doesn’t matter if you are working in the mill in Dryden or Thunder Bay, or you’re a farmer working outside Emo, or you’re a business person in Kenora, or your Indigenous in Couchiching, for all of you it’s going to be that much harder to get the attention of your member of parliament. Our office won’t become any bigger as a result of this. So, there is only so many people. There is only one MP to look after your interest, whether you’re a farmer or a labourer or you own a business, and to be stretched that much further is just going to make it in my mind ungovernable,” said Powlowski.

Powlowski goes on to describe the difference between the North and South ridings of Ontario where a riding change to the South’s riding line wouldn’t be as hard on a single MP representative because most of the cities and towns are near each, unlike the North.  In the south, the public can reach their MP office down the street, whereas in the North, Powlowski’s head office is in Thunder Bay and a person living remotely will need to travel to Thunder Bay to speak with him directly.

“We have enough work to do already without adding this large extra population in a distant part of the riding. I mean you will have two fairly large populations bases six hours apart by driving. That’s further apart than Toronto and Ottawa.”

Powlowski feels that this decision was made by those officials in Toronto who don’t have a grasp of what it is like to live in the North.  

However, before this proposal can come into effect, the Ontario commission must hold a public hearing to gather public opinion.

For those who wish to participate in these hearings, you must complete the Public Hearing Participation Form and submit it by September 25.

You can submit written comments if you don't want to appear at an in-person or virtual hearing by mail or email, or by using the Interactive Mapping Tool.

The Commission can be contacted at the following address:

Ms. Paula Puddy, Commission Secretary Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario Box 37018 Southdale London, ON N6E 3T3

[email protected]

Times, dates, and locations for each of these hearings are listed as followed: