The Manitoba Electoral Divisions Boundaries Commission issued a report on Friday, May 18 outlining a series of proposed changes to provincial riding boundaries in advance of the next Manitoba general election, tentatively scheduled for October 2020. In particular, Niverville’s place in the region is set to undergo a major shift, which could be of concern to residents of the fastest growing community in the province.
Among the key changes are one less riding in rural Manitoba and one more in Winnipeg, necessitated by recent shifts in population. The Legislature will still have 57 seats total, with 32 Winnipeg seats and 25 rural seats.
The report proposes to eliminate the Dawson Trail electoral division, although most of its communities will remain together under a new name—Carillon. Carillon is actually an old name for the electoral division in that area, last used in 1969.
“Boundaries have been adjusted to ensure population balance and, to the extent possible, respect the designated bilingual areas,” reads the report. “Accordingly, the rural municipalities of Ritchot, Taché, and De Salaberry have been grouped together and an old electoral division name has been revived.”
What Happens to Niverville
Niverville has shifted between several constituencies over the years. Prior to 2008, Niverville had been located in the La Verendrye riding. When the boundaries were redrawn in 2008, the town was redistricted into Morris, a riding that primarily comprised communities on the west side of the Red River and as far north as St. Francois Xavier and Poplar Point, to the northwest of Winnipeg.
It has now been proposed that Niverville shift into a new electoral division: Sandilands, which occupies a broad and sparsely populated region stretching to the southeast corner of the province. Niverville, at the extreme northwest corner of this new riding, would be its largest population center by a wide margin. Other communities would include Kleefeld, Grunthal, Vita, and Buffalo Point. New Bothwell, previously in the Steinbach riding, is also set to be included in the new Sandilands district.
A key line in the report says that the Commission, as described by The Electoral Divisions Act, “has striven to respect municipal boundaries and communities of interest in the same electoral division.”
It may be difficult to understand how separating Niverville from its nearest neighbours in the Winnipeg capital region meets that directive.
Niverville Mayor Myron Dyck says that he found out about the proposed boundary the same day that the report was released and immediately began the process of finding out more information about what it means. He spoke with our current MLA, Shannon Martin, and asked for two things: a detailed map of the proposed boundaries along with specifics about how the town might go about questioning, or even appealing, the decision.
“At first glance, my reaction would be, we don’t really have anything to do with the rest of that constituency,” he says. “My initial thought is, well, we’re just going to be lumped in with rural—and we are urban, we’re not rural.”
On the other hand, he has considered that there may be some advantages when it comes to competing for government funds. There are certain things that a primarily rural constituency would have little use for, such as daycare spots, which Niverville does require. Currently Niverville has to compete for government resources with other growing communities in the Morris riding, such as La Salle, Oak Bluff, and Headingly. In Sandilands, Niverville might not have to compete as fiercely to gain the resources it needs.
“Niverville has been fortunate so far, in that whether it was NDP or PC [in government], we have been able to find favour,” says Dyck. “But one thing, at first glance, would be the fear that we are now kind of off the radar, if you will.”
Right now, Niverville is a going concern, an active member of the Winnipeg capital region. The worst case scenario might that, politically, the province starts to consider Niverville to be, in Dyck’s words, “in the back corner of nowhere.”
Consultation Process
The town has since learned about the consultation process and how they can participate in it. On September 18, delegations will be allowed to make ten-minute presentations to the Commission at the Mennonite Heritage Museum in Steinbach.
“The town of Niverville has decided to register, so on September 18 we’ll have the opportunity to present our rationale for what we believe should occur,” Dyck says. “So we’re still gathering information.”
Dyck adds that members of the public who would like to weigh in on what they think should or shouldn’t happen are invited to reach out to the town office in the coming days and weeks. In the town’s presentation, they need to provide potential solutions for how the boundaries could be shifted in order to still respect the population balances that go into these decisions.
“Right now we’re leaning towards perhaps not staying in this riding, and moving,” Dyck adds. “Nothing’s formalized yet. As I said, we’re just gathering information.”
The Manitoba Electoral Divisions Boundaries Commission, an independent and non-partisan body, convenes every ten years for a regular review. The boundaries last shifted in 2008.
The five-member commission is comprised of Richard Chartier, Chief Justice of Manitoba; David Barnard, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Manitoba; Steven Robinson, Interim President and Vice-Chancellor of Brandon University; Harvey Briggs, Dean of Arts, Business, and Science at University College of the North; and Shipra Verma, Chief Electoral Officer of Manitoba.
