6 New Provincial Ridings Recommended For B.C.

The province will be going over the list now that the BC Electoral Boundaries Commission has published its final report with recommendations for changing British Columbia’s provincial electoral districts.

“Our proposal to increase the number of electoral districts reflects our growing province,” said Justice Nitya Iyer, chair of the Commission.

“We do not recommend reducing the number of ridings in more sparsely populated areas of the province because doing so would undermine effective representation.”

The recommendations include a proposal to create six additional electoral districts in areas of rapid population growth, bringing the total number of provincial ridings to 93 from the current 87.

The Commission recommends adjustments to the boundaries of 72 electoral districts and changes to 41 electoral district names based on the geographic, demographic, and communication and transportation considerations set out in the Electoral Boundaries Commission Act.

The commission held 63 public meetings in 44 communities and received more than 2,000 submissions.

The government will now decide whether to accept all, some, or none of the Commission’s recommendations.