The federal electoral boundaries commission is no longer recommending the Thunder Bay-Rainy River and Kenora ridings be combined.
The commission's report was tabled in the House of Commons and made public on Friday.
The commission had proposed reducing Northern Ontario's riding count to nine from 10, which included combining the existing Thunder Bay-Rainy River and Kenora ridings. The final report maintains three ridings in the Northwest, while subtracting one riding in the Northeast.
Federal politicians in Northern Ontario across all three major parties opposed the proposed changes, as did several municipal and First Nations leaders.
The commission noted that feedback expressed concern about the geographic distance of a merged riding, which would have round trip driving distances of more than 1,000 kilometres.
The commission's final plan leaves the Thunder Bay-Rainy River riding with its existing boundaries, while redrawing the Thunder Bay-Superior North and renamed Kenora-Kiiwetinoong ridings.
The boundaries between the existing Kenora and Thunder Bay-Superior North ridings were altered to have all Matawa First Nations communities included in the Thunder Bay-Superior North riding.
The Kenora-Kiiwetinoong riding would include the municipalities of Kenora, Dryden, Sioux Lookout, Red Lake, Ignace, Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls, Ear Falls, Pickle Lake, and Machin, which form the Kenora District Municipal Association. The commission said the redrawing of that riding also respects the coverage areas of the Kenora District Services Board and the Northwestern Health Unit.
All three ridings were designated as having "extraordinary circumstances," allowing them to have population totals below the established riding quotas.
