Local News

2026-02-17

  With rumours of a spring federal election in the air, MP Aaron Gunn is holding a series of town hall meetings to hear from constituents in North Island – Powell River.

  On Saturday, Feb. 21, Gunn will host a meeting at the Sportsplex in Campbell River. It starts at 6 pm, with doors opening at 5:30.

  Next month, on Monday, March 16, Gunn will host a meeting in Port McNeill at the Community Hall, and a meeting in Powell River on Thursday, March 19, at St. Joseph’s Hall. Both events start at 6 pm, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m.

  Gunn is holding a meeting in the Comox Valley this evening at the Native Sons Hall – part of the northern end of the valley was added to the Vancouver Island North riding before the 2025 election.

  Elections Canada tries to keep each riding representative of roughly the same number of people, with a target of 116,300 people per riding. Thanks to population growth in recent years, Vancouver Island’s seven ridings are the most populous in BC, with an average of 123,052 people per riding.

  Population growth in Nanaimo over the last decade prompted the northern part of the city to be transferred to the Courtenay-Alberni riding. That addition prompted the northern part of the Courtenay-Alberni riding to be transferred into the North Island-Powell River riding, so populations within the three riding boundaries would be roughly the same.

  The end result has Vancouver Island MPs representing some of the largest ridings, geographically speaking, in Canada.