The City of Burnaby wants the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for B.C. to divide the city into two ridings - north and south - instead of dividing it into three and sharing one riding with North Vancouver.
A 10-page staff report prepared by Burnaby's planning and building department states that the best answer for Burnaby is ridings within its own borders.
"In the interest of equitable representation, community identity and federal-municipal initiatives, Burnaby would ideally be represented by two federal electoral districts contained solely within Burnaby's borders," the report by Lou Pelletier, director of planning and building, stated.
The established electoral quotient for ridings is 104,763, with populations in each riding staying within 25 per cent of the average, according to the report.
In 2011, the population in Burnaby North was at 105,565 and in Burnaby South it was 117,655.
The commission is redrawing the electoral boundaries in B.C. to accommodate the growing population in the province. This would add six federal seats for B.C., bringing the number of B.C. members of parliament to 42.
There will be 338 seats in the House of Commons in the next election, up from 308 currently, the report stated. Commissions in each province are adjusting electoral boundaries to add ridings.
The Burnaby districts proposed by the B.C. commission are Burnaby North-Seymour, Burnaby South-Deer Lake, and New Westminster-Burnaby East.
The current ridings are Burnaby-Douglas and Burnaby-New Westminster.
Regarding the proposed North Vancouver and North Burnaby riding, there is no significant community link between the two areas, the staff report stated.
"The two communities are geographically, demographically and economically distinct," Pelletier wrote.
The proposed riding shared with New Westminster could see the interests of southeast Burnaby overshadowed by New Westminster, he added, but the two communities have more in common and a riding shared with New West is preferable to one shared with North Vancouver.
Mayor Derek Corrigan will be speaking as a delegate at a public hearing on ridings Thursday. The hearing is taking place in Burnaby at the Holiday Inn Express Metrotown at 7 p.m.
"I look at this, and I continue to be utterly amazed," Corrigan said of the proposed ridings at Monday night's council meeting.
It is an attempt to expand the Conservative vote, he added.
Conservative MP Andrew Saxton currently holds the North Vancouver riding, while New Democratic Party MP Kennedy Stewart holds Burnaby-Douglas.
Corrigan also expressed dismay at comments made by one of the commissioners working on the electoral district boundaries.
"What worries me is the chair of the commission said he doesn't really care what people say," he said.
Corrigan said he would need to clear up the issue with the commissioner when he speaks at the public hearing.
Burnaby councillors also expressed concern at the meeting about the proposed riding with North Vancouver, pointing out such a riding was created in 1976 and then abolished in the '80s.
"History's going to repeat itself," Coun. Dan Johnston said. "These are two different communities with a large body of water between them."
Corrigan said he hoped citizens and community groups with concerns about the new ridings would send letters to the commission.
The commission is accepting written submissions until Thursday, Oct. 18, according to the staff report.
The commission can be contacted by email at [email protected], or by mail at 1095 W. Pender St., Suite 301, Vancouver, B.C. V6E 2M6.
The commission is expected to submit an interim report to the House of Commons on Dec. 21, the Burnaby staff report stated, and a final report is due next June so that the proposed changes can take effect in 2014, before the next federal election on Oct. 19, 2015.
