Vernon-Lake Country, in purple, is proposed to be the newest federal electoral riding of BC in 2024. The proposed redistribution of BC federal constituencies will add a ride to Thompson-Okanagan and split Penticton and Kamloops between districts. Canada’s constitution requires that electoral thresholds be restructured every decade. Last year ‘s census showed that Kelowna was the fastest growing big city in Canada, so an independent committee decided that the Central Okanagan should host the new BC riding. The proposed new ride, called “Vernon-Lake Country”, will include everything in Kelowna north and west of Highway 97 at the north end of Swan Lake in Vernon. The “Kelowna” ride will include the rest of Kelowna, Joe Rich and parts of Lake Country and Oyama east of Highway 97. The ride will not include the Big White Ski Resort, despite requests from the resort’s property. The Big White would remain at the helm of the South Okanagan-West Kootenay, the only non-conservative seat of the BC Interior owned by Richard Cannings of the NDP. This location will see significant changes to its westernmost boundaries. It is proposed to divide the Penticton into two areas, which will be divided between the South Okanagan-West Kootenay riding and a horse currently owned by Dan Albas, which is proposed to be renamed “Coquihalla”. Albas’s already great riding would be even greater geographically, extending from the Upper Similkameen Valley to Hope and the Lower Fraser Canyon to West Kelowna and to the west side of Lake Okanagan. Lake Logan will be removed from horseback riding. New electoral boundaries are also being proposed to separate Kamloops, using the Trans-Canada Highway and the South Thompson River. Shuswap North-Okanagan riding will add parts of the Kamloops, such as Juniper Ridge and Valleyview. Riding the recently renamed “Kamloops-Thompson-Lytton” would now end at about 70 Mile House and add Lake Logan and the Upper Fraser Canyon. The new maps were created by a BC Court of Appeals judge and two academics. “In formulating this proposal for British Columbians, the committee sought to reduce disparities between constituencies, influenced by historical role models and a community of interest and identity, and with a view to fair voting and effective representation. . “The result was a significant reduction in over-representation and under-representation,” the commission said in a statement accompanying the maps. The suggested limits are exactly that at this point – suggested. Public hearings on the new riding are expected to take place in the autumn and MPs will have the opportunity to object in early 2023. The new limits will not be officially set in April 2024 at the earliest. An interactive map of the proposed new boundaries is here.
