Church fights to save riding

Susan Church went to New Liskeard for a social visit, but ended up agreeing to try to help save the Timiskaming-Cochrane federal riding.

Church, who’s seeking the federal Liberal Nipissing nomination, was in New Liskeard Monday “to meet people,” she said, and ended up meeting four members of the local riding association, including president Carol Lonsdale.

By the end of the meeting she had agreed to go to Ottawa with Lonsdale, and attempt to convince prime minister in waiting Paul Martin to retain the riding.

A federal boundaries commission recommended eliminating Timiskaming-Cochrane, and having it redistributed among the Nipissing, Timmins-James Bay and Nickel Belt ridings. Nipissing would absorb the Tri-Towns and be renamed Nipissing-Timiskaming.

Window of opportunity
The boundary changes would likely come into effect in time for an anticipated spring election, reducing Northern Ontario federal ridings to 10.

But the legislation stalled in the Senate when parliament adjourned near the end of October. It must now be returned to the House of Commons once parliament adjourns.

“That provides us with our window of opportunity,” Church, above, said.

“We have Prince Edward Island with four MPs and a miniscule population, so the precedent is there to maintain 11 seats in the North.”

Church said the new configuration for the riding doesn’t make sense.

“It splits the clay belt farming area in half and no one in Timiskaming is happy about it.”

Church added constituents feel they were “blindsided” by the process because eliminating the riding was not on the table when the boundaries commission held its hearing.

“Also it makes no sense to have West Nipissing join Nickel Belt, when Sturgeon Falls is only 20 minutes from North Bay.

Fingers crossed
Lonsdale said she and Church don’t have an appointment with Martin yet but were “waiting” for confirmation.

“I’m not too sure what’s going to happen now that he’s going to be prime minister, but I’ve kind of got my fingers crossed,” said Lonsdale, who drove Martin around the riding earlier this year and says she has "strong connections" to him and his staff.

Two dates for a meeting have been suggested, Lonsdale said, Dec. 11 or Dec. 13.

Lonsdale has sent briefing packages to Martin and to Ontario senators Isobel Finnerty and Lorna Milne, who have expressed sympathy to the riding’s plight.

Terrible job
Timiskaming-Cochrane MP Ben Serre, who will lose his seat under redistribution, isn’t too optimistic the riding can be saved.

“If you do it for one riding you’ve got to reopen the whole ball of wax, and then it will look like we’re manipulating the ridings to suit us politically,” Serre said.

“And then if we interfere, it puts the independence of the boundaries commission in jeopardy, although I think in this case it did a terrible job.”

Serre has made "no decisions" yet about his future, but said his options include running in Nickel Belt, Timmins-James Bay or Nipissing.