Federal officials propose carving the riding of Nepean-Carleton, currently held by Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre, into two seats, according to data published Monday.
A new riding of "Nepean" would include Bells Corners and Barrhaven and be generally bounded by Richmond Road on the west, Brophy Drive and Bankfield Road in the south and the Rideau River to the east. The northern boundary is Highway 417 on the west side of Highway 416 and the Ottawa Central Railway line on the east side.
The new Nepean riding has a population of 104,775 residents, according to the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario.
Nepean-Carleton would be left with a population of 91,550 residents in the mostly rural areas of south Ottawa as well as Manotick.
The proposed changes are part of a wider redrawing of Canada's electoral boundaries.
According to the electoral boundaries commission, the number of electoral districts and related boundaries are revised every 10 years, following the census, to reflect population shifts and growth.
The federal body says the number of electoral districts allocated in Ontario has increased to 121 from the current 106. Media reports say many of the new seats were expected to go to the suburban areas outside Toronto, Hamilton and Ottawa.
A map showing the proposed changes for Ontario was published on the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission's website on Monday without fanfare. A spokesperson for Elections Canada was quoted by The Globe and Mail as saying the map was posted in advance of an official release for technical reasons, to ensure it functioned properly.
Other changes affecting Ottawa include an adjustment and a new name for Carleton-Mississippi Mills in the west end.
The old riding extended well west of the City of Ottawa's boundaries. The commission appears to propose renaming the riding Carleton-Kanata and align its boundaries with those of the municipality.
Areas outside Ottawa would become part of Lanark-Frontenac-Hastings, which is itself proposed to evolve from the previous Lennox-Frontenac-Lennox and Addington.
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