I was angry and sad to learn recently that under the configuration of the new federal riding changes, Nelson has been taken out of the former Southern Interior riding and joined to Kootenay Columbia.
This means that we lose Castlegar and Trail, and the north shore of Kootenay Lake, New Denver and the Slocan Valley, all traditionally part of our federal riding and close to us geographically. What do we gain? Well, Kaslo — that makes a bit of sense. But Cranbrook, Salmo, Nakusp?
I’m told it’s all about the numbers, that the 2012 Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for British Columbia tried to keep all federal ridings to a baseline population close to 105,000 people.
The Southern Interior riding was huge and unwieldy, granted, but this one really makes no sense. Maybe it’s not about politics, but what about community identity?
Sandra Hartline, Nelson