It's about time that Delta be designated as a single federal electoral riding.
For too long Delta has shared MPs with neighbouring communities which has perpetuated the feeling of separation between North and South Delta, while also fragmenting and diluting the attention from Ottawa.
What is currently being considered by the Electoral Boundaries Commission is making Delta whole, with one representative in the nation's capital.
Right now, Delta is carved into two sections with federal ridings for Delta-Richmond East, and Newton-North Delta.
While the respective MPs presently serve their respective constituents well, the division has done little to help create a united community that already has to deal with geographic and ethnic divides.
Based mostly on population increases over 10-year intervals, the re-drawing of electoral boundaries is proposing a single riding that encompasses all of Delta, except Annacis Island, and the lands belonging to the Musqueam and Tsawwassen First Nations.
A new, stand alone, Delta riding is one of six new electoral districts being considered for British Columbia. With a population of just over 100,000 in Delta, the time is more than right to have a single representative at the federal level.
Someone speaking for the overall community—both North and South Delta—can only create a sense of unity sadly lacking now. A single, elected voice can help provide residents with a better understanding of the challenges faced and successes achieved in the town centres of Ladner, Tsawwassen and North Delta.
And the better we know that the more we can all define what it is to be a resident of Delta which can, in turn, lead to a more effective pitch to Ottawa for assistance in areas where federal help is welcomed.
Local residents will get their chance to voice their opinions on the matter two months from now (Sept. 13) when the British Columbia Commission will hold a public hearing in Tsawwassen.
Chances are that the message from those attending will be to move ahead and make Delta whole. And that is a shift in the right direction for all Deltans.