Post by Max on Jun 22, 2007 2:19:47 GMT -3
www.northernlife.ca/News/LocalNews/2007/06-21-07-ward.asp?NLStory=06-21-07-ward
Date Published | Jun. 21, 2007
BY TRACEY DUGUAY
The city’s current 12-ward structure is here to stay for a few more years until new federal census data is available or a major demographic change triggers the need for a review.
This decision goes against one of the recommendations in the Constellation Report released earlier this year, which called for the city to undertake a ward boundary review in 2008.
At a priorities meeting Wednesday night, city council was presented with three options for when and how the review should take place. The options presented were based on past reviews completed by the city, similar ward boundary review experiences in Ottawa, and statistics from other cities in Ontario.
Option One was to retain the current ward system with staff creating a policy to establish reviews following every third municipal election. Given elections occur every four years now, that would mean a ward review every 12 years.
Option Two suggested retaining the current ward system and “direct staff to bring back a Ward Boundary Review Policy which will use census data and demographic change as the criteria” for the review.
Option Three involved conducting a ward boundary review during this term of council with staff bringing back a report in September “outlining principals, process and the budget for the Ward Boundary Review.” If this option was selected, it would have been funded from the Constellation City Initiative in the amount of $50,000 in 2007 and 2008.
The majority of council voted in favour of Option Two, with only Ward 7 Councillor Russ Thompson going against the grain by supporting Option Three. Absent from the meeting were Ward 3 Councillor Claude Berthiaume, Ward 4 Councillor Evelyn Dutrisac, Ward 9 Councillor Doug Craig and Ward 9 Councillor Ted Callaghan.
Date Published | Jun. 21, 2007
BY TRACEY DUGUAY
The city’s current 12-ward structure is here to stay for a few more years until new federal census data is available or a major demographic change triggers the need for a review.
This decision goes against one of the recommendations in the Constellation Report released earlier this year, which called for the city to undertake a ward boundary review in 2008.
At a priorities meeting Wednesday night, city council was presented with three options for when and how the review should take place. The options presented were based on past reviews completed by the city, similar ward boundary review experiences in Ottawa, and statistics from other cities in Ontario.
Option One was to retain the current ward system with staff creating a policy to establish reviews following every third municipal election. Given elections occur every four years now, that would mean a ward review every 12 years.
Option Two suggested retaining the current ward system and “direct staff to bring back a Ward Boundary Review Policy which will use census data and demographic change as the criteria” for the review.
Option Three involved conducting a ward boundary review during this term of council with staff bringing back a report in September “outlining principals, process and the budget for the Ward Boundary Review.” If this option was selected, it would have been funded from the Constellation City Initiative in the amount of $50,000 in 2007 and 2008.
The majority of council voted in favour of Option Two, with only Ward 7 Councillor Russ Thompson going against the grain by supporting Option Three. Absent from the meeting were Ward 3 Councillor Claude Berthiaume, Ward 4 Councillor Evelyn Dutrisac, Ward 9 Councillor Doug Craig and Ward 9 Councillor Ted Callaghan.