Electoral boundaries: fun for the whole family!

Like Curtis, I haven’t really had the chance to digest the proposed provincial boundary changes yet, but here’s a few early thoughts:

• I find it odd that the constituency of Fort Garry contains almost no portion of what most people would call Fort Garry. Why not rename it Fort RIchmond or University?

• Speaking of this area, I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Kerry Irvin-Ross run in Pembina-Jubilee rather than Fort Garry if McGifford decides to retire. It takes in most of her existing seat, and seems like a safer bet. BTW, Pembina-Jubilee is the worst constituency name in the province.

• I’d be shocked if Ron Lemieux didn’t run in Tache instead of La Verendrye. LV is looking much more competitive for the Tories, and should offset the loss of a seat in the southwest part of the province for them.

• Erin Selby can’t be too happy to see Southdale lose its existing piece of Windsor Park. She trounced Jack Reimer in this area in 2007, accounting for nearly 500 votes of her 1,279 vote margin of victory.

• The Tories should theoretically have a better chance in St. Norbert, which swaps out Fort Richmond — and its large population of university staff and students — in exchange for Richmond West.

• Fort Rouge is probably worth a closer look at some point. While I don’t think the Hack’s dream of running there is any brighter, Liberal leader-in-waiting Paul Hesse might stand a slightly better chance if he takes another run. The proposed new boundaries drop a good-sized piece of south downtown in favour of some additional real estate in Crescentwood.

UPDATE: What’s with this defeatist attitude the Tories have displayed lately? First it was Bill 37, which they called “election rigging”, when it actually made it more difficult for the government to coast to re-election.

Now, the party CEO says the proposed boundary changes create “Fortress Winnipeg” for the NDP? While I’m sure they hoped things might be shuffled around a little more radically in south Winnipeg, the changes certainly don’t help the NDP. And as for Waverley West, it is accounted for, through a one-third reduction in the population of Fort Whyte. While WW will start to fill up over the next several years, there’s like 11 people living there now.

This “cry wolf” routine is growing tired in a hurry. And at what point does “we can’t win under these conditions” become a self-fulfilling prophecy?