Northern Ontario is getting two more Members of Provincial Parliament at Queen's Park, now that two new ridings have officially been created in the far north of the province.

Earlier this year, the government said it wanted to improve representation for Indigenous people in the Ontario Legislature.

Following community consultation, the independent Far North Electoral Boundaries Commission made recommendations in August.

The legislation became official this week, carving four ridings out of the territory currently covered by Kenora-Rainy River and Timmins-James Bay. They will be in place in time for the provincial election in June, 2018.

The change means the total number of provincial ridings will increase from 122 to 124.

In the northwest, the two ridings will be Kenora-Rainy River and Kiiwetinoong.

In the northeast, Timmins-James Bay will be split in two. The City of Timmins will form its own riding, while Hearst, Kapuskasing and the James Bay Coast will form the new riding of Mushkegowuk-James Bay.

The latter will only have 30,000 voters, five times less than some Toronto ridings.

Attorney General Yasir Naqvi says his government's primary goal in creating new far north ridings was to better represent the region, not necessarily Indigenous people.

"By creating four ridings out of two, we are, we believe creating stronger representation for people who live in those communities."

However, the new northeast riding, of Mushkegowuk-James Bay, will be 60 per cent Francophone, with Kapuskasing and Hearst as the largest centres.

"That should not prevent us from making sure that those individuals who at times live in very difficult circumstances by way of geography and climate and the socioeconomic conditions as well, have effective representation at Queen's Park," Naqvi says.

Naqvi also brushes off criticism that these ridings are traditional strongholds for the New Democratic Party, and now might be easier for the Liberals to win.

Breaking up family

The current M-P-P for Timmins-James Bay, New Democrat Gilles Bisson, confirms with CBC News that he does plan to run in the next provincial election.

However, he says he will decide over the next few weeks which riding he wants to represent, whether its Mushkegowuk-James Bay or the riding of the City of Timmins.

"No matter what decision I make, if I run on Highway 11 [corridor] I'm disconnected from Timmins, where a big part of my life has been. If I run in Timmins I'm disconnected from Highway 11."

Bisson says it has been stressful for him knowing he could lose parts of his riding once the electoral boundaries were re-drawn. He likens his upcoming decision to that of a family falling apart.

"You build up such strong relationships with people up in places like Attawapiskat, Timmins, Hearst, Kapuskasing. And all of a sudden the family is kind of broken up. It is a little bit of an emotional thing for us as members.

"We spend a lot of time in these ridings."