CORNWALL, Ontario – Council has requested that administration write a report on the possibility of switching to a ward system and reducing the number of councillors.
However, at the Council meeting on Jan. 14, 2019 a near majority of councillors stated their skepticism about wards and even about reducing the number of councillors.
“Some areas of the city are under represented,” said Councillor Justin Towndale who introduced the motion. “This way, you can have some neighbourhoods to have a voice around this table.”
The motion was seconded by Councillor Todd Bennett.
“I seconded this motion mostly because during the election, going door to door . . . it is a topic that came up all the time,” he said. “I look at the East End and it is really under represented. I think it would encourage better representation, more even representation.”
Some councillors then voiced their opposition to the motion as it was presented, either because they did not like the idea of hiring a consultant to write such a report, as Councillor Towndale’s original motion asked, or because they simply did not believe in the benefits of wards.
“I absolutely deny that certain parts of the city that don’t have five councillors living there are under serviced,” said Councillor Elaine MacDonald. “If we had a ward system, we would be fighting for the disposable income there. Our real opposition is upper levels of government from whom we want more resources for everybody. Our town is too small for that kind of sectional thinking. That is the main reason for my opposition to wards. I think that some people who are advocating the loudest for wards have certain wants in their neighbourhood and they think that if they owned a councillor, they could get their wants.”
Ultimately councillors Elaine MacDonald, Carilyne Hébert, Dean Hollingsworth, Syd Gardiner and Glen Grant all voice opposition to the idea of a wards system.
“Was elected to represent everyone here in the city not just one section of the city,” said Councillor Gardiner.
“I won’t be voting to support a ward system. I don’t need a report from someone from somewhere else. If council wants to direct administration to write a report, fine, I don’t think I would support it then either,” said Councillor Hollingsworth.
Even Mayor Bernadette Clement expressed skepticism about wards.
“I think part of the reason we are talking about wards is because the City is not doing a good enough job at responding to people’s concerns,” she said. “I think if we did that better, we would have fewer people saying they are under represented.”
Mayor Clement however did say that she believed that Cornwall had a large council and was interested in seeing a report from administration on wards, but also on the size of council.
That motion again moved by Councillor Justin Towndale and seconded by Councillor Todd Bennett passed with Councillors Glen Grant and Dean Hollingsworth voting against.
