Some changes could be coming to Guelph's federal riding boundary.
An interactive map has been released by Federal Redistribution, which deals with the electoral boundaries commission, showing a proposed new look to federal ridings across Ontario.
If approved as currently proposed, residents living in neighbourhoods south of Arkell Road and west of the Hanlon Expressway, up to as far north as Wellington Rd. 124, would be absorbed into a renamed Wellington-Halton riding.
The proposed southern boundary line for Guelph straddles Arkell Road, goes west through a section of Preservation Park to the Hanlon Expressway, just south of Kortright Road West. It then runs north on the expressway, up to Wellington Rd. 124, then wraps around to just south of Fife Road, before merging with the current boundary.
This means the Kortright Hills neighbourhood would become part of Wellington-Halton.
Wellington-Halton would also take on parts of the current Milton riding, as well as a section of the Dufferin-Caledon riding to the north.
Georgetown would end up leaving Wellington-Halton, and would be a part of the newly-formed Georgetown-Milton East riding.
The redistribution process is mandated under the Constitution of Canada, and required every 10 years "to reflect changes and movements in Canada's population."
According to the map, the riding population for the revised Guelph riding would be 118,686. The riding's population was 121,688 when it was last redistributed in 2011.
For Wellington-Halton Hills, the 2011 redistribution listed a population of 115,880. The new Wellington-Halton riding would have 111,375.
Elections Canada said there were 105,863 eligible voters in the 2021 federal election in Guelph, and 101,212 in Wellington-Halton Hills.
The next step in the process is public hearings, before a report is completed by the end of the year.
Federal MP's then can file objections, which get reviewed by the commissions.
The entire process would not be complete until at least April 2024.
Click here to see the full interactive map.
