Hamilton ward boundary debate to begin after 14-year delay

The will of city councillors to examine Hamilton’s ward boundaries will be tested next week when they vote on an ambitious schedule to implement the review. But not everyone likes the idea.

It's a long overdue debate aimed at bringing more even representation throughout the city —​ some wards have as few as 17,623 people, while others have more than 60,000.

But the debate also touches on the highly sensitive topic of the voting balance on council between the old city and the former suburbs. That equal voting power was a key part of the deal to amalgamate.

City manager Chris Murray will recommend to the general issues committee on Monday that the city hire consultants by June to lead the boundary review process. The consultants will hold public meetings in the fall and have a draft report by January, with a final report coming to council in June.

But at least two councillors say they’re hesitant about the idea, and aren’t sure if they’ll vote in favour.

I don’t think my ward needs any realignment. “It’s good the way it is.- Coun. Robert Pasuta

Coun. Terry Whitehead, whose Ward 8 had 48,807 people as of the 2011 census, thinks council should wait at least another couple of years — until “the dust settles” on increased development in areas such as Glanbrook. Once the boundaries are drawn, he said, they can't be reviewed for eight years.

“We have an obligation” to review it, he said. But “I’ve always said it’s premature.”

The notion of a ward boundary review has been outstanding for 14 years. When Hamilton amalgamated in 2001, the boundaries of the six former municipalities — Flamborough, Dundas, Stoney Creek, Glanbrook, Ancaster and urban Hamilton — remained intact. In a city report to the province in 2001, it pledged to review Hamilton’s ward boundaries by 2010. But it hasn’t happened.

A group of citizens presented a petition in 2012 encouraging council to review ward boundaries. In July 2012, council voted to do it after the 2014 election.

• Ward boundaries: the real unresolved issue of Hamilton's amalgamation

In a blog post last year, then-mayor Bob Bratina said that the 2015 review would “once again create problems in the relationship between the old city and the amalgamated suburban areas.”

Coun. Robert Pasuta of Ward 14 says he needs to see more details before he votes in favour on Monday. His Flamborough ward has the smallest population – 17,600 people – but one of the largest geographic areas.

“I don’t think my ward needs any realignment,” he said. “It’s good the way it is.”

Pasuta said he’s not in favour of creating a new ward on the Mountain, where the population of Ward 7, for example, has 62,179 people.

Council often votes along an urban and suburban divide, with Mountain and lower-city councillors voting in one direction, and those from Flamborough, Stoney Creek, Ancaster, Dundas and Glanbrook voting another. Another Mountain councillor would tip that balance, Pasuta said.

Having said that, Monday’s motion “will probably pass,” he said.

Here’s Murray’s suggested timeline:

• March and April 2015: RFP process for hiring a consultant.
• May/June 2015: Hire a consultant.
• June/July 2015: Consultant will meet with mayor, councillors and other stakeholders on a terms of reference.
• June/September 2015: Establish a consultant support team. Consultants will review information and prepare reports for councillors to discuss.
• September/November 2015: Hold meetings with the public, special interest groups, etc.
• December 2015/January 2016: Consultant will draft a report and present it to stakeholders.
• February/March 2016: Hold more stakeholder meetings.
• May 2016: Consultant will finish the final report.
• June 2016: Councillors will consider the final report.
• July/August 2016: City council will adopt a bylaw.
• September 2016: Give notice to the public that the bylaw has passed and prepare for Ontario Municipal Board challenges. 

Population of wards in Hamilton, according to the 2011 census:

• Ward 1: 29,868
• Ward 2: 37:569
• Ward 3: 39,090
• Ward 4: 36,333
• Ward 5: 37,386
• Ward 6: 39,249
• Ward 7: 62,179
• Ward 8: 48,807
• Ward 9: 26,979
• Ward 10: 23,524
• Ward 11: 37,055
• Ward 12: 35,120
• Ward 13: 24,907
• Ward 14: 17,634
• Ward 15: 24,249