CBRM council considers cutting municipal districts from 12 down to 3

Councillors in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality might have larger districts to cover, depending on the outcome of a boundary review later this year.

Council is getting ready to consider a recommendation to reduce the number of districts from 12 to three, but at least one councillor doesn't like the idea.

Steve Gillespie said fewer districts would put rural residents at a disadvantage compared to those in the region's towns.

"If we go down that road, we might as well just tell everybody in the county that they are not important," said Gillespie, the councillor for District 4, during a special meeting Tuesday.

"We have a weak voice now and we have five councillors that represent people that are more than 50 per cent in the county of Cape Breton, so I think we have to take that into consideration."

According to Nova Scotia rules, CBRM must decide by the end of the year whether to change its district boundaries or keep them the same.

The regional municipality was created in 1995 with the amalgamation of several towns, the city of Sydney and rural Cape Breton county.

Residents and councillors have long complained that CBRM was never given a fair financial start, having absorbed all of the debt of the previous municipal units.

A viability study released in 2019 said having 12 municipal districts creates competition among communities for limited resources.

Instead, it suggested having three would make it easier to promote larger regional objectives.

Coun. Eldon MacDonald said it's not a bad idea, if each district has a number of representatives.

"I believe in the three-district model, not necessarily that you go that way with boundaries and councillors," he said.

Planning director Michael Ruus told council the Municipal Government Act does not allow for more than one councillor per district, but he also said the legislation is set to be reviewed this year and the provincial government might be willing to consider an amendment.

MacDonald said the municipality needs to have three strong urban centres — North Sydney, Sydney and Glace Bay — in north, central and east divisions.

He said putting resources into those urban centres would help residents in outlying communities.

Committee to be formed

Other councillors objected to that suggestion, but said they were prepared to consider all options.

Council agreed to consider striking a committee to look into the number of districts and the number of voters and representatives in each district.

Staff have been directed to draft possible terms of reference for the committee and to bring them back to council in February.

Mayor Amanda McDougall said the committee will consider the viability study's recommendation of three districts, but it can also choose something else.

"By no means does this commit us to the viability option," she said.

"It just means the work that has already been commenced by council by way of that viability study can be presented in full to that ad hoc committee for consideration."

Council is also considering hiring an independent consultant to avoid the perception of councillors engineering their own re-election, and the process will include public consultation.

"You can't have the fox in the henhouse," said Gillespie.

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