About the Map Viewer
The Map Viewer is a Web tool developed for the 2012 Redistribution of Federal Electoral Districts website. The main objective of the Map Viewer is to improve access to information by showing changes to proposed boundaries at various stages of the redistribution process.
The Map Viewer allows users to view the proposed electoral districts and names as well as the existing electoral districts (based on the 2003 Representation Order). It also allows both to be viewed simultaneously as an overlay.
The inclusion of the Map Viewer on the 2012 Redistribution of Federal Electoral Districts website makes the site more interactive for users. It allows users to easily identify where changes have occurred and the extent of such changes. Descriptions of the current and proposed electoral districts are available on the 2012 redistribution web pages and can also be viewed through the Map Viewer.
Note: The masculine gender is used throughout this document, without bias, in the interest of simplicity and ease of reading.
Map Viewer Functionalities
Accessing the Map Viewer
The user can access the Map Viewer through the 2012 Redistribution of Federal Electoral Districts top navigation bar and from all provincial sections of the site.
Finding an Electoral District
The user enters his province and address to find his existing electoral district.
After selecting the province, the user enters his address, postal code or place name information and then clicks on Find Electoral District.
The result on the map will show the location of the address (
) and the existing electoral district.
Important Note: If the user enters an address, the balloon will indicate its correct location on the map, but if the user enters a postal code, the balloon will be placed at the centre of the area for that postal code. To enter another address, click on the Find Electoral District button on the top of the screen.
This will bring the user back to the Enter your address window.
Map Navigation
The user can navigate within the map window by:
- Using the pan function
- Zooming in or out
- Locating an electoral district based on address, postal code or place name using the Find Electoral District tool
- Selecting another electoral district within a province by clicking the electoral district name on the Electoral District Name list located to the right of the window
- Viewing the electoral district boundaries description by selecting the information button (
)
Viewing the Redistribution Stages
The user can view the electoral boundaries commission's proposed boundaries at each stage of the redistribution process:
From the top menu bar, select the desired stage.
"Existing": By selecting the Existing button, the user is able to view the existing boundaries (2003 Representation Order). The colour representing the existing boundaries is grey.
"Proposal": By selecting the Proposal button, the user is able to view the new boundaries proposed by the electoral boundaries commission. Each commission develops a boundaries proposal for its province. It is published in the Canada Gazette and at least one newspaper of general circulation and includes the time and place of public hearings. The colour representing the proposed boundaries is gold.
"Report": By selecting the Report button, the user is able to view the boundaries that are included in the electoral boundaries commission's report. The colour representing the report boundaries is teal green.
Legend
Note: The button for each stage is only available when the stage has been completed. At the beginning of the process, the Existing button will be the first one available, followed by Proposed and Report .
Creating a PDF File of the Map
This icon allows the user to save a PDF file of the map selected. The user can title the map (optional) by entering a name in the Map Title field, or enter a comment (optional) in the Comment box. The PDF file is saved on the user's desktop.
Map Display Management
The user can display or remove the names of the electoral districts on the map. The user can view the electoral district names when the Display Electoral District Names box is checked. The electoral district names will not appear if the box is not checked.
The user can display or remove the existing boundaries of the electoral districts on the map. The user can view the existing electoral district boundaries when the Display Existing Boundaries box is checked. The existing electoral district boundaries will not appear if the box is not checked.
Please note that this application does not work correctly in Internet Explorer 8. Please use a newer version of Internet Explorer or another browser such as Firefox or Chrome.