Reminder: get involved in Vaughan’s Ward Boundary Review
Image
Participate in virtual
public open houses and a survey
The City of Vaughan’s Ward Boundary Review is underway – and you can get involved this weekend by attending the first of four virtual public open houses being held in March. Attend to explore key findings, hear from the project team, comment on options and more. An online survey will also be made available for additional public feedback. Visit vaughan.ca/WardBoundary to register and learn more.
The City of Vaughan’s Ward Boundary Review is underway – and you can get involved this weekend by attending the first of four virtual public open houses being held in March. Attend to explore key findings, hear from the project team, comment on options and more. An online survey will also be made available for additional public feedback. Visit vaughan.ca/WardBoundary to register and learn more.
The objective of the
Ward Boundary Review is to assess whether Vaughan’s present wards are
continuing to provide effective, equitable and democratic representation. Public
input is a vital part of this project. At this stage of the process, citizens
will learn about the alternative ward boundary structures, view maps, rank the
proposed options, indicate preferences and provide feedback.
Initial research and
public feedback have helped inform the study and contributed to various
aspects, maps and alternatives being proposed. Attend one of the four following
virtual public open houses to have your say:
- Saturday, March 6 at 1:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, March 9 at 1:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, March 9 at 7 p.m.
- Thursday, March 11 at 7 p.m.
A subsequent online
survey will also be available for input as of Saturday, March 6. It will be
available until Sunday, March 21 at vaughan.ca/WardBoundary.
Feedback gathered throughout
this review will be compared to current population trends and legal precedence.
A summary report will be sent to Council in May 2021. In June, Council will
review and determine whether to adjust, divide, dissolve or maintain the City’s
existing ward boundaries. If changes are required, confirmation will be made well
ahead of the municipal election in 2022.
Why is the City reviewing
the ward boundaries?
Over the last decade,
Vaughan’s population has grown by more than 28 per cent. However, the growth
has not been uniform across the city and has resulted in population disparity
among the five wards. With this Ward Boundary Review, the City is moving
forward with its long-standing commitment of ensuring all areas of the municipality
are represented fairly, accurately and democratically so citizens’ voices and
needs are reflected in Council decision-making. This review is limited to
consideration of the five ward boundaries, not the Mayor or Regional
Councillors.
In completing the
review, the suitability of the present or proposed wards will be evaluated
using the following guiding principles, all in accordance with the Direction
for Ward Boundary and Council Composition Review presented to Council in May
2020:
- representation by population
- consideration of current and future population trends
- consideration of physical and natural boundaries
- consideration of communities of interest
- effective representation
Effective
representation has become an integral part of the evaluation of electoral
systems in Canada. It will serve as an evaluation and will address questions
such as:
- Are the individual wards proposed reasonable and clear units of representation?
- Do they provide equitable access to Councillors for residents of the municipality?
- Are the proposed wards of a size, scale and shape that a representative can serve a Councillor’s constituents successfully?
- Do the wards constitute a system that can be judged to deliver effective representation even if some of the specific principles are only partially successful?
Although the
municipality began with all Members of Vaughan Council elected at-large, a ward
system – a geographical division of a city or town for administrative and
political purposes – was established in 1985. The configuration was modified in
an Ontario Municipal Board (OMB), now known as the Local Planning Appeal
Tribunal, order in 1994 from three wards electing a total of five Councillors
to five wards each electing one Councillor. Vaughan’s current system of
representation consists of a nine-member Council, composed of the Mayor as the
Head of Council, three Local and Regional Councillors (elected at-large) and
five City Councillors (each representing one ward). Based on a decision made by York
Regional Council,
Vaughan will elect a fourth Regional Councillor in the 2022 municipal election.
Some minor boundary changes were approved before the 2000 and 2006 municipal
elections, however, Vaughan’s current five wards have been in place without
significant change since 2009. In 2016, an independent boundary
review
brought an alternative configuration to Council, but it was not adopted.
The Ward Boundary
Review supports the City of Vaughan’s 2018-2022 Term of
Council Service Excellence Strategic Plan priority of governance and fiscal
responsibility through commitment to holding the public’s trust with inclusive,
transparent and accountable decision-making, responsible financial management,
superior service delivery, and effective communication.
For more information or
registration, visit vaughan.ca/WardBoundary. To receive up-to-date
and relevant information on this project, email wardboundary@vaughan.ca to join the email distribution list.
-30-