In a close vote, city council is deciding to look at reducing their numbers to eight At-Large members, including a Mayor.
The motion was put forward by councillor Peng You, and sparked an extended and heated debate.
Administration will come back to Council with a report on how they could add the question to the ballot in the 2022 municipal election. If more than half of voters say they want a smaller council, that would be put in place for the 2026 election.
Councillor Peng You says this is the ideal move for the community.
“We would have a much better idea of what our citizens want.” says You.
Westfort Councillor Kristen Oliver did not deny the potential benefits of the system, but says council shouldn’t jump directly to an entirely At-Large lineup before consulting the public.
“For us to arbitrarily decide the public wants an At-Large representation is putting the cart before the horse. I think it’s excluding the community from having that voice and for really determining what they want their council to look like. We are their council, so how do we make this decision without this consultation piece and including the community in these discussions?” says Oliver.
Mayor Bill Mauro agreed that the system needs to at least be examined and is possibly outdated in some ways.
“I mean, ward boundaries not being reviewed since the 1970s? Populations shifting and imbalances in the ward boundaries that probably exist? That’s not good governance, that’s not good democracy.”
The motion will come back to Council on or before September 27th.
