2018 Stouffville election could be last under current ward system

Current boundaries expected to change before 2022

Yorkregion.com
October 3, 2018
Simon Martin

The worst kept secret in Whitchurch-Stouffville is that the 2018 election will likely be the last with the current ward boundaries. With Ward 6 being close to 50 per cent more population compared to the next most populated ward and about four times the population of the two rural wards, change is long overdue, according to the Ward 6 councillor candidates.

The town’s official list of electors as of early September revealed that Ward 6 had 9,099 eligible electors, which was significantly more than every other ward in town -- Ward 1 had 2,587; Ward 2, 4,209; Ward 3, 2,177; Ward 4, 6,578; Ward 5, 4,816.

“It’s time to change the system for fair representation,” candidate Sue Sherban said. If elected, Sherban said it would be her first order to business to make sure the boundaries are reviewed. The town is scheduled for an electoral review next term.

“Ward 6 residents are at a disadvantage in relation to representation at council,” candidate Bryan Stott said. “Issues that affect Ward 6 residents significantly more like whistle cessation are not going to be approved with the current makeup of council.” Stott said the problem will only become more exaggerated when new homes on Mantle Street and Tenth Line are completed.

Incumbent Councillor Rob Hargrave says the current boundaries are unfair to residents of Ward 6 and need to be changed.

They aren’t the only ones who think the system is in dire need of an update.

Last year, the foremost experts on ward boundaries in Ontario, professors Andrew Sancton and Robert Williams, called the current Stouffville ward arrangement grossly unfair.

“This is highly unusual. I haven’t seen anything this far out of line,” Sancton, a professor at the University of Western Ontario said. While the population of the wards does not have to be equal, Sancton said the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) has used the benchmark of within 25 per cent in their past decisions. “It’s my view this would be an easy appeal to win at the OMB if someone took it up,” he said.

Williams, from the University of Waterloo, is quite familiar with the town’s wards. He was hired and gave recommendations at the town’s last ward boundary review in 2009.

“It’s highly unusual that this has been allowed to continue,” he said. “It’s simply not fair.”

Williams said that the previous council’s inaction has left Stouffville in the situation it is now.

“The ward system is completely outmoded and inappropriate for how the community has changed,” he said.

It does seem there is consensus that changes are necessary even amongst the rural councillors. Ward 1 incumbent Councillor Ken Ferdinands said the urban population numbers have exploded since he joined council. “They cry out for some sort of revision,” he said.  But adjusting the wards will be complex and will be more than just a numbers game, he added.

Sherban said the next mayor will have a huge influence on what the future system could look like because that person is the deciding vote on a council with three urban and three rural wards.