B.C. News

A three member panel looking into electoral boundaries in British Columbia will release its initial report Wednesday.

The panel, which includes Justice Bruce Cohen, Chief Electoral Officer Harry Neufeld and retired school district administrator Stewart Ladyman, was established in December, 2005.

Its mandate is to review the area and boundaries of electoral districts to identify any boundaries needing adjustment due to population changes. The commission can recommend increasing MLA's from the current level of 79 to a maximum of 85.

The commission has been asked to prepare to boundary reports, one for the current electoral system and a second for a proposed Single Transferable Vote system.

A referendum on switching to a BC-STV system will be included in the next provincial election in May, 2009.

Once the initial reports are submitted Wednesday, a series of public hearings will be held around the province before the commission's final report February 15, 2008.