City voting districts get shaken up
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/10/2017 (2353 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Most Winnipeggers will be voting in new wards in the 2018 civic election.
A commission considering the possible redrawing of Winnipeg’s ward boundaries proposes to create a new ward in south Winnipeg, eliminate an existing ward and alter the boundaries of 11 current wards, including:
Creating a new ward focusing on the Waverley West neighbourhoods, divvying up tiny St. Charles between its revamped neighbours of St. James and Charleswood-Tuxedo, moving about one-quarter of northeastern St. Boniface into Transcona, and moving more than half of southern St. Vital into a redrawn St. Norbert ward and moving two neighbourhoods west of the Red River — Riverbend and Rivergrove — into North Kildonan, which is entirely east of the Red.
“I’m in the unenviable position of having a choice of running in two different wards in 2018,” said Coun. Shawn Dobson, whose St. Charles ward will disappear if the commission sticks to its initial recommendation.
The redrawing of the boundaries is intended to narrow the population gap between the 15 ward boundaries, using criteria that recognizes the historic character of wards and without splitting up neighbourhoods.
The work is being done by an independent commission, which held two public hearings before releasing its preliminary report. The commission will hold a final hearing — the evening of Nov. 1 at city hall — for public reaction before submitting its final report for the last council meeting in December. The findings of the report take effect in time for the 2018 civic election.
The report, with detailed maps, can be found online at: http://wfp.to/fji.
The Winnipeg Charter requires ward boundaries be reviewed every 10 years based on the most current census data, or when requested by council. The last boundary commission was held in 2009. The current ward boundaries are based on the 2006 census and the commission’s preliminary report is based on the 2016 census.
Currently, there is a wide population gap between tiny St. Charles (pop. 32,171) compared with the city’s largest ward, South Winnipeg-St. Norbert (pop. 68,112).
“I’ve been councillor for essentially two wards these last three years,” Coun. Janice Lukes (South Winnipeg-St. Norbert) said, adding the proposed changes basically split the ward in two.
Lukes said the residents of south Winnipeg will be better represented with two councillors, adding she hasn’t decided which ward she will contest.
“There are a few tweaks I will be asking the commission to consider but overall, I think these new boundaries work,” Lukes said.
The revisions took Coun. Russ Wyatt by surprise, adding eliminating an entire ward “smacks of politics.”
“I’m not questioning the integrity of the two independent commissioners but it appears to me the recommendations may have been steered in a certain direction and they may have been unintentionally co-opted,” Wyatt said.
Wyatt said the commission should have created a new downtown ward, adding currently three councillors represent the downtown area and he said no one takes responsibility for it.
Dobson, a vocal critic of Mayor Brian Bowman and CAO Doug McNeil, said he opposes the elimination of St. Charles, and will propose other options to the commission.
With the changes, all 15 wards would be within an eight per cent of the average ward population: the smallest ward would be the new Waverley West (pop. 44,006); and the largest ward would be River Heights-Fort Garry (pop. 50,667).
Only three wards are untouched by the commission: Daniel McIntyre, Elmwood-East Kildonan, and Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry.
“I think they did a pretty good job,” said Coun. Brian Mayes (St. Vital), who loses a big chunk of his ward (and 15,000 residents) to the new St. Norbert ward, but also gains 10,000 residents in Royalwood and Sage Creek from St. Boniface.
Mayes said the population discrepancy between wards now is too great, adding the commission members did a good job balancing out ward populations.
“I don’t think everyone will be perfectly happy (with the changes) but I think it’s much more fair,” Mayes said.
aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca
History
Updated on Friday, October 20, 2017 7:20 AM CDT: Eduted