Rural Manitoba won’t lose any seats in the provincial legislature under proposed changes to electoral boundaries.
The Manitoba Electoral Divisions Boun-daries Commission released its preliminary proposal July 15.
Although most ridings will be reshaped, the new political map would still see rural Manitoba with 26 out of 57 seats. Winnipeg would hold the balance.
The electoral boundaries are reviewed every 10 years by an independent commission.
Based on 1996 census figures, the commission proposes boundary changes to 55 of Manitoba’s 57 ridings to reflect population shifts. The proposed changes would see the Gladstone riding erased from the political map. It would be absorbed by the Turtle Mountain riding and a newly formed Carman constituency.
The 1996 census by Statistics Canada showed the Manitoba population at 1,114,207 people. The boundaries commission set out to create ridings with a population average of 19,547.
Public hearings will be held in late August and early September to gauge sentiments about the proposed boundary changes.
The commission expects to have its final recommendations complete by the end of 1998.
