Yukon commission proposes new electoral boundary adjustments ahead of final report

The Yukon Electoral District Boundaries Commission has changed its mind about some of the recommendations included in an earlier report looking at how the territory's electoral map should be altered.

The commission is now suggesting that the Vuntut Gwichin riding, which includes Old Crow, and the Klondike riding, which includes Dawson City, remain as two separate ridings. In its interim report, released earlier this year, the commission had recommended the two be merged into a new riding called Yukon North. 

The Yukon currently has 19 electoral districts. Eleven of them are in Whitehorse, and eight in rural communities.

The commission's interim report in May proposed that the territory increase the number of ridings in Whitehorse from 11 to 13, while merging rural ridings from eight down to six. The commission proposed more ridings for Whitehorse due to a growing population. 

Now the commission is proposing to increase the total number of electoral districts in the territory from 19 to 21. Thirteen of them would be in Whitehorse, and eight in rural communities.

Another change from the interim report is a new recommendation to divide the current Mount Lorne-Southern Lakes riding into two districts.

The new Southern Lakes district would then include the communities of Carcross, Tagish, and Teslin, while the Mount Lorne and Marsh Lake district would now include Golden Horn, which is currently part of Copperbelt South.

The commission is proposing relatively minor changes to electoral districts in the City of Whitehorse to reflect population changes and the removal of Golden Horn. Those recomendations will be detailed in its final report, which must be submitted to the Legislative Assembly next month.

Chief Justice Suzanne Duncan, the commission's chair, said drawing up electoral boundaries is not just about population.

"Part of effective representation is also taking into account things like geography, community history, community interest, minority representation and so on," Duncan said.

"When we reflected on all those other factors in more detail, that's why we came up with the proposed changes."

Some recommendations staying the same

The proposal to have two new electoral districts created in Whitehorse's growing Whistle Bend neighbourhood — Whistle Bend North and Whistle Bend South — will remain the same in the commission's final report.

The proposed Yukon East riding which would involve merging the ridings of Watson Lake and Pelly-Nisutlin (which includes the communities of Ross River and Faro) is also a recommendation in the final report.

The commission is still accepting written submissions on its proposed changes until Sept. 27 and a public meeting will be held online on Sept. 25. That will be the final opportunity for Yukoners to provide feedback on the proposed changes.

Duncan said despite the next set of public feedback sessions she doesn't think the commission will make any further changes to their final recommendations.

A final report will be submitted to the Legislative Assembly by Oct. 9. MLAs will then decide whether to move on the recommendations. 

"I'm hoping that our MLAs will appreciate the work that we've put into this," Duncan said. "I'm hoping that it will successfully get passed.

"We've been privileged to have the input from a large cross-section of people from across the territory. We've had some very thoughtful, insightful comments provided to us from all parts of the territory and we've seriously considered those comments."