A simple yes/no query, “Are you in favour of a third-party review of Council size and related ward boundary changes?” could be on the ballot in the 2026 municipal election.

It’s up to the public.

Council approved public consultation on the question at its August 26 meeting.

Clerk Victoria Leskie will schedule public meetings on the implications of the question. That discussion will inform the final decision.

Only the next elected Council would be able to take direction from the results of a ballot survey and decide on undertaking a third-party review of council

What is the Question?

Originally, Council suggested the question, “Are you in favour of a comprehensive governance review which would look at Council size, ward boundaries, structure and method of election?” go on the ballot. 

But after seeking legal input on Municipal Act requirements, Municipal Clerk Victoria Leskie proposed a simpler question. She pointed to the contentious nature of previous Council size and ward boundary discussions.

“The relationship between number of Councillors and ward boundaries is complex, and is sometimes misunderstood by the public. It needs to be highlighted in the question as well as the supporting educational materials,” she said. 

The Clerk’s office will compile a full communications strategy, including public service announcements, advertisements in the newspapers and on local radio, website information, social media, brochures for distribution in public libraries, and hand-outs for candidates.

The materials will include Council history and a description of the current size of Council and its relationship to ward boundaries, as well as information about amalgamation in 1999, when towns, villages and townships were integrated into one municipality. It will detail how the current number of councillors, 14 including the Mayor, was determined.

The cost of the changes, and implications of both binding and non-binding votes, will also be addressed.

Familiar Territory

In a comment from the audience, former Sophiasburgh Councillor John Thompson asked if putting the question on the ballot was worth it, noting any change in ward boundaries would affect communities of interest. Such discussions always ended in a deadlock until 2017, when Council voted to drop one of the two councillors from Sophiasburgh and combine the wards of Bloomfield and Hallowell. An Ontario Municipal Board review upheld the decision.

“Given that our population has not changed significantly, do you really want to start a review?” he wondered.

But Hillier Councillor Chris Braney said it was time, and that residents were expecting action.

“I don’t understand what the fear is of allowing residents to weigh in on what they want. We are here to serve the residents. We’re not here to serve ourselves. So let’s allow this to happen,” Councillor Braney said. “Nothing is going to change until the next council, and let the next council figure it out. 

“I want to see the information that comes forward, and I want to see the desire and the wishes of residents fulfilled.”