With new riding map out, Sask. politicians start planning

Just a dayafter Saskatchewan's new federal riding map was unveiled, several politicians have started talking about their future plans.

The new map, which will apply in the 2015 election, still has 14 seats but includes some major changes, such as a number of all-urban ridings.

That may be significant in a province where the New Democrats have traditionally fared better in cities than in rural areas. The party was shut out in the 2011 election.

Regina lawyer Noah Evanchuk, a New Democrat, lost by about 800 votes in the last election in the riding of Palliser, an area that includes Moose Jaw and part of Regina.

Evanchuk plans to seek his party's nomination in the new urban-only riding of Regina-Lewvan.

Meanwhile, the Tory who defeated Evanchuk will not run again in 2015.

Ray Boughen's office said Thursday he will not seek re-election and that Boughen believes two terms ought to be enough.

New Democrat Nettie Wiebe, who lost to Conservative Kelly Block by about 500 votes in the riding of Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar, didn't say if she would run again but was pleased with the new map.

"I think that what it takes into account is that things have changed in this province. That there are people who have migrated to this province who no longer come from the pioneer era of Saskatchewan," she said.

The Saskatoon portions of Wiebe's riding are going into an all-urban seat, while the other sections will be part of a large rural riding.

Kelly Block, the woman who won the Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar, now says she will run again, in that rural riding, which will be named Humboldt-Warman-Martensville-Rosetown.

Saskatchewan's 13 Conservative MPs argued against the changes, saying split urban-rural ridings were better than all-urban ones.