The B.C. Liberal government introduced Bill 42, Electoral Districts Act, last week to adopt the Electoral Boundaries Commission's final report.
When the act is passed, the new electoral map would see changes in 48 electoral districts for the 2017 provincial election.
It maintains the number of electoral districts in rural and northern British Columbia, and creates two new districts in Surrey and Richmond/New Westminster,
The goal of last year's province-wide consultation process, and the new changes to the Electoral District Act, was to ensure there is effective representation for British Columbians.
The act also preserves current districts in the North, Cariboo-Thompson and Columbia-Kootenay regions to ensure citizens in less-densely populated – geographically large – districts can be effectively represented by their MLAs.
Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Donna Barnett's electoral district will be changing and she calls it a good decision.
While she will still be covering close to the same geographical area – some 44,000 square kilometres, Barnett says she will be picking up around 3,000 new constituents – up to 33,000.
The increase comes from taking in all of the Williams Lake population up to the airport in the north and includes 150 Mile House. Her new district will also take in all of Highway 97 from Williams Lake south to 85 Mile.
"The boundary change [in the north] is a good move because of the citizens who we are supposed to serve in that area do all of the business in Williams Lake ... and it's convenient because I have an office in Williams Lake."
Barnett notes that she has worked with most of the new constituents all many years.
"Because of where my office is [in Williams Lake], they come in and use my office, which is great because that is what it's there for.
"I doesn't matter to me whose riding you're in, because if you need help and we can help you, we're going to help you."