Riverview, N.B., residents grapple with riding changes ahead of federal election

New Brunswick has a newly-redefined boundary for a federal election riding.

The federal election has caused changes to the electoral map in some New Brunswick communities, namely the province’s largest town.

Riverview has moved to Fundy Royal and is no longer part of the Moncton-Dieppe riding.

The change was made two years ago by a federal riding boundaries commission.

St. Thomas University political scientist Jamie Gillies said the main reason is because of the population growth in Moncton and Dieppe over the past decade or so.

“As a result of that, the three communities were simply just too large for one federal riding so the easiest thing to do was to drop Riverview because it’s across the river and add it to Fundy Royal,” said Gillies. “There’s just simply too many people in the federal riding there.”

While part of Riverview was already in Fundy Royal, many residents think moving the whole municipality to the larger in size but smaller in population riding is beneficial.

“I think it’s good news because it’s not as big a riding so we’re going to have more eyeballs on the government and more voice with whoever gets elected in this riding,” said Jeanette Arsenault.

Roy Rose also sees it as a positive.

“If I’m not mistaken, the incumbent in Moncton is a Liberal and I prefer the Conservatives, so the incumbent here is Conservative so that works for me,” said Rose.

The move has had a domino effect throughout the province, according to Gillies, as it impacts parts of Saint John and Quispamsis as well.

“It kind of changed the traditional community boundaries that we had adhered to for so long in New Brunswick,” said Gillies.

As for what impact it has on people in Riverview, Gillies said they are now in a predominantly rural riding that goes all the way basically to Saint John city limits to the coast.

“It doesn’t necessarily fit the character of basically a Moncton suburb,” said Gillies. “There’s always some community, regardless of what year they’re redistricting, that kind of gets left out in the cold where they used to be and I think Riverview is the exception this time.”

At Steve’s Diner in Riverview Tuesday, people already living in Fundy Royal who are not affected by the move shared their thoughts on the change.

“I think we should keep everything within our own boundaries,” said Barbara Douthwright. “As a family we should stick together. Riverview, Dieppe and Moncton should stick together.”

Harold Jones from Cambridge Narrows doesn’t think the change means much to people who already live within the Fundy Royal riding.

“It’s probably more of the Riverview people would probably be against it,” said Jones. “I’m not sure if they would or not, but I don’t think it makes any difference to us one way or another.”

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