Saanich voters can be forgiven if they’re somewhat confused about just what candidates they will be voting for in the coming federal election this October.
While many Canadians may be undecided on their preferred candidate, some Saanich residents might still be up in the air on which riding they’re in.
The electoral boundaries commission added another riding to Vancouver Island for the 2015 election, bringing the total to seven.
The commission decided to consolidate all of Nanaimo into a single electoral district. That decision “resulted in a number of boundary alterations in the South Island area.”
Those changes included some shifts to the boundaries of the three ridings that Saanich is split into: Saanich Gulf Islands, Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke and Victoria.
“There have been some modest but necessary alterations to the boundaries of the Saanich Gulf Islands electoral district out of regard for the electoral quota,” according to the commission, adding that the area around Saanich municipal hall would now be included in the Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke riding.
The Saanich Gulf Islands riding (with a population of 104,285) includes the areas of Saanich east of the Patricia Bay Highway to Quadra Street, then following along Quadra to Cook and down to the municipality’s southern boundary. The riding then generally follows the municipal boundary east to Shelbourne before cutting back north to McKenzie Avenue which it follows east to Finnerty Road and then north to Arbutus Road, along to the end of Hollydene Place, then northeast to the eastern shores of the riding.
The Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke riding (population 113,004) includes the parts of Saanich west of the Patricia Bay Highway until it reaches Quadra in the south, then along to Cook and southeast along that street to the municipality’s southern boundary.
The Victoria riding (population110,942) includes those parts of Saanich generally east of Shelbourne and south of McKenzie including Cadboro Bay, the area that lies south and east of the Saanich Gulf Islands riding.
If you are unsure of what riding you are in, you can find out at the Elections Canada website at elections.ca. The site also has other useful voting information such as how to register or change your address. You can also call Elections Canada toll-free at 1-800-463-6868.