Federal riding boundaries look much different this election

Who is representing you?

Photo: Elections Canada New Electoral Map

If you are confused as to which candidate you will be voting for in the upcoming federal election, you’re likely not alone.

Changes to the federal electoral map were unveiled two years ago but, because there wasn’t an election looming on the horizon, the news may have gone un-noticed by many.

So, as the federal election campaign gets underway, here’s what you need to know for your particular riding.

First of all, because of increased populations, the six previous federal ridings across the Thompson-Okanagan-Kootenay regions have now become seven.

The new riding, simply called Kelowna, includes much of the city north of Mission Creek as well as the Highway 33 corridor, Big White, Beaverdell and the Christian Valley.

Some of the major changes occurred in Vernon and Kelowna.

The rest of Kelowna has been included within the newly named Okanagan Lake West-South Kelowna riding.

Lake Country, formerly part of the old Kelowna riding, is now lumped in with the new Vernon-Lake Country-Monashee Riding. That riding now includes a portion of the West Kootenays and only stretches north to Armstrong.

The rest of the North Okanagan has now been swallowed within the boundaries of Kamloops-Shuswap-Central Rockies.

The Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo riding has been renamed Kamloops-Thompson-Nicola. Much of the Cariboo has been removed, replaced by a large portion of the Nicola region.

South Okanagan-West Kootenay is now Similkameen-South Okanagan-West Kootenay and includes much of the Similkameen and just the southern portion of the West Kootenays.

The boundaries of the new Columbia-Kootenay-Southern Rockies riding now stop short of including Revelstoke and Golden.

Some MPs have also changed ridings. Conservative MP Tracy Gray is running in Kelowna while Mel Arnold is seeking re-election in the new Kamloops-Shuswap-Central Rockies riding.

Conservative MP Dan Albas is running in Okanagan Lake West-Kelowna South, Frank Caputo in Kamloops-Thompson-Nicola and Rob Morrison in Columbia-Kootenay-Southern Rockies.

Photo: Elections Canada Old Electoral Map