Burlington’s Member of Parliament,  Karina Gould, will be leading a public consultation on Electoral Reform at the Mainway Recreation centre in the auditorium on Saturday September 10th at 12:30.

She wants to hear what her community has to say about the changes Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to deliver in the way of electoral reform. During the election campaign Trudeau said that election was the last that would be run under the First Past the Post (FPTP) process Canada has been using since Confederation. What we choose to use as an election process is now a question the public needs to answer.

By Jay Fallis

September 1, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

This is the 3rd of a 3 part series on electoral reform.

I have explained the First Past the Post (FPTP) system of electing the members of the House of Commons that we use today.

I explained Mixed Member Proportional system, or MMP.

In this system, MMP,  each voter receives two ballots. One is used to select the local candidate of their choice, while the other is used to select the party of their choice. The ballots selecting the local candidate are tallied up in each riding, and the candidate with the most votes wins. This is the same in our current system, except that constituencies would be bigger.

With MMP, once the candidate for the constituency is decided, the ballots, which indicate party preference, are tallied and the popular support of each party is determined.

The MMP process  distributes a percentage of the seats to each political party based on the percentage of the vote they got; the problem for many people is who, which person, would sit in that seat?  Would the political party give the seat to one of its members?

In this article I am going to cover two other possible electoral systems. The first is called Alternative Vote (AV); the second is called the ABC approach to electing people to our House of Commons.

Under Alternate Vote, a voter continues to vote for their local candidates. However, instead of selecting a single candidate with an X, voters order each of the candidates 1-2-3 etc., from their most preferred selection to their least preferred.

When first place selections are counted, a candidate with more than 50% of the popular vote wins. If however no candidate receives more than 50%, then the candidate with the least number of votes is eliminated. The ballots that selected the last place candidate are redistributed using the second selections. This process continues until one candidate receives more than 50% support.

Voter turnout has often been low for the past decade; many people feel the current method of electing members to the House of Commons results in an un-representative form of government.

Although this system maintains regional representation as it exists under our current system and allows voters to cast a more accurate ballot, this system has its problems. There is a significant chance it would be advantageous for the Liberal party, as voters on each side of the ideological spectrum have a tendency to select Liberal as their second choice. This could allow Liberal candidates to win in tight ridings more often than not.

Furthermore the method for counting is complex. It would either require days to count by hand or require electronic counting systems. Either method ensures a high probability for error and would be expensive.

Finally, this system would be detrimental for independent candidates and smaller parties. Currently, it is difficult for these candidates and parties to win seats. However, introducing this system would make their advancement even more difficult. This seems unfair when considering that there can be strong independent candidates and viable small parties.

There is another approach – it is referred to as ABC – Alternative Borda Count; developed by French mathematician Charles de Borda.

It is described as easy as ABC (Alternative Borda Count). In this system voters are able to make up to 3 selections: a first, second, and third choice. If voters wish, they can choose to select only a first and second choice, or only a first choice. Each first choice selection is worth 4 points, each second choice selection worth 2 points, and each third choice selection worth 1 point. When the points are tallied and the local candidate with the most points wins.

Members of the House of Commons have been determined by First Past the Post elections since confederation. The current government has determined it is time for a change.

Although this system does not guarantee perfect representation of votes to seats in the legislature it does represent an obvious improvement from Alternative Vote.

The first advantage is that this system is simple when compared to Alternative Vote. The calculation method and ballot can easily be explained to voters. Additionally, counting can be done relatively efficiently by hand and results could be posted on election night without the use of electronic counting.

This system maintains our country’s current regional representation. All ridings would remain as they are. However, in order to win ridings, candidates would require support from approximately 70 to 80% of the riding’s population. This is much higher than Alternative Vote which would often produce winners with just over 50% of support.

As for independent candidates and smaller parties, this system encourages their advancement. If a candidate or party receives few first place selections, but many 2nd and 3rd place selections they still have some opportunity to win. This will not mean the advancement of many, but it would mean that more independents and small party candidates have the opportunity to win.

Finally, this is a system that has the capability to be popular amongst Canadians. Although it has yet to attract the attention of reform advocates, a preliminary study has shown very high support for the system amongst the voting public. The study I refer to is a paper I did while earning my Master’s degree at the University of Toronto.

Not only does it attract those who support reform, it also attracts many who don’t, because it is simple and offers them the ability to vote as they do under the current system (by choosing to make only a first selection).

ABC is a system that meets many different needs and has the potential to bring about positive change to Canada’s political system when compared to Alternative Vote. To learn more about the ABC system or sign the petition you can go to:    abcvote.ca.

I have given readers a quick overview of the different systems that are being considered.  The government is now asking Canadians which system they would like to see.  It’s an important decision – make a point of getting out to the public meetings and do some research.

Links:

CBC ran a very interesting piece – worth reading.

First of the 3 part series

Second of the 3 part series

Jay Fallis is a graduate of the University of Toronto where he earned a Master’s Degree that focused on electoral reform.

He writes a column for a daily newspaper in Ontario, the Orillia Packet and Times,

By Pepper Parr

August 31st, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

The Conservation Authority is going through a change – they are calling it a metamorphosis which they define as a “biological process of transformation, differentiation and growth that many species go through as they transition from one life stage to the next.

That is a mouthful.

With a new CAO in place, Conservation Halton, now wants to hear from the public – they want feedback on their strategic plan which includes their Promise, Purpose, Ambition, Guiding Principles and Themes, that frame their priorities and commitment to the environment, communities and customers.

Tucked into that plan are the Key Objectives, Key Enablers and Key Service Targets. These are the changes that Conservation Halton wants to make as an organization and the goals that we will work toward.

They won’t get much in the way of disagreement on any of the above – what they are getting however is a wry look from a public that feels it was not  listened to during the reign of the previous CAO.

Conservation Halton is the community based environmental agency that protects, restores and manages the natural resources in its watershed. The organization has staff that includes ecologists, land use planners, engineers, foresters and educators, along with a network of volunteers, who are guided by a Board of Directors comprised of municipally elected and appointed citizens.

Conservation Halton is recognized for its stewardship of creeks, forests and Niagara Escarpment lands through science based programs and services.

Hassaan Basit, Chief Administrative Officer of Conservation Halton.

Hassaan Basit wants to transform Conservation Halton. Vice chair John Vice sees it becoming “a modern organization known in the community for innovation, collaboration, efficiency and service delivery.” They want to position Conservation Halton to deliver effective natural resource management, ultimately leading to improved well-being of our communities.”

“A crucial part of this Metamorphosis is for us to listen to people we serve in the community and find out ideas and thoughts they may have on how we can achieve this transformation. This is why we have embarked on a multi-faceted public engagement between now and the end of September where we hope to connect with people in different ways,” John Vice continues.

The planned public engagement give significant depth to the phrase “multi-faceted public engagement”; there is hardly a base they don’t cover.

What happens to the watershed in Burlington is job #1 for the Conservation Authority. There are 16 creeks that the Authority keeps a constant eye on – daily.

“Owing to our unique position and technical expertise in local watershed science, conservation authorities play a critical role in helping achieve a number of provincial and municipal goals and objectives related to natural resource management, preserving natural and cultural assets, green infrastructure, sustainability and climate change,” says Hassaan Basit, Chief Administrative Officer of Conservation Halton. “As we mark our 60th anniversary later this year and look back at the role conservation authorities have played in the province, it is a reminder of the need to constantly evolve.”

“Conservation authorities respond to natural resource management needs and challenges, even when they change, evolve and intensify, as they have since the Conservation Authorities Act was created. We anticipate that these needs and challenges will continue to change over time, so we must have the strategic agility to continue to adapt,” Hassaan Basit continues.

There are five ways for people to engage with Conservation Halton on Metamorphosis.

1. Attend a Public Open House

The Conservation Authority will be hosting two open houses, where members of the community will have the opportunity to learn more about our strategic directions, comment on our strategic priorities and share ideas for initiatives. Community members interested in attending one or both of the public open houses are asked to register here.

Tuesday September 13
6:00 – 8:00 PM
Conservation Halton Office
2596 Britannia Road, Burlington

Saturday, September 17
10:00 – 12:00 PM
Crawford Lake Longhouse
3115 Conservation Road, Milton

2. Have Your Say in a Survey

We have also created a series of short surveys, which we hope will help us understand the issues that are most important to our community and collect ideas for initiatives regarding these issues. The four survey areas are Sustainable Communities, Environmental Conservation, Climate Change and Outdoor Recreation. Each survey should only take a couple of minutes and responses will be used to shape many of our priorities and efforts. The surveys can be found here.

3. #chlistens on Facebook and Twitter

There will also be many opportunities to engage with us on social media. We will be hosting three open thread discussions on Facebook on September 9, 16 and 23 at 2:00 PM and two live chats on Twitter on September 21 and 28 from 7:00 – 8:00 PM. Look out for the #chlistens hashtag and tune in to chat with us about conservation, climate change and sustainability.

4. Share Your Lunch and #tableyourthoughts

Keep an eye out in the parks for our bright, painted picnic tables! Each picnic table has two chalkboards with the phrase “Conservation to me is…” written on them and park visitors are encouraged to complete the sentence, take a photo of their response and share it on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #tableyourthoughts. It is our hope that this campaign will inspire real conversations around environmental conservation, climate change, sustainable communities and outdoor recreation.

5. Email Us

Comments can also be sent to web@hrca.on.ca with “Metamorphosis” as the subject line.

Tucked away in a building that needs some serious upgrades – the staff work at monitoring the watersheds – all 16 of them – and running an extensive educational program and at the same time working at developing the tourism potential of some of the their properties.

Conservation Halton staff will also be meeting with key community stakeholders, including our municipal partners, environmental organizations, recreational groups, builders, developers and other members of the business community, in the coming weeks.
For those who live north of Dundas and tried to get permits to do some work on their property all this is close to exciting. The proof of course is in the pudding – but it does look pretty enticing.

Conservation Halton is the community based environmental agency that protects, restores and manages the natural resources in its watershed. The organization has staff that includes ecologists, land use planners, engineers, foresters and educators, along with a network of volunteers, who are guided by a Board of Directors comprised of municipally elected and appointed citizens.

Conservation Halton is recognized for its stewardship of creeks, forests and Niagara Escarpment lands through science based programs and services.