KAWARTHA LAKES- Charles Scheffel doesn’t want the city reducing the number of councillors or changing the ward boundaries and he’s fighting to stop it.
Scheffel filed an appeal with the Ontario Municipal Board to overturn a decision by council to drop from 16 councillors to 8 thus reducing the ward boundaries as well. ” I think the analysis was not properly done.” Scheffel told Kawartha 411. “By using smaller variance than was normally used it yields a different result that can justify their change in council.”
The Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) is an independent administrative board, operated as an adjudicative tribunal.  It hears applications and appeals on municipal and planning disputes, as well as other things specified in provincial legislation.
In March 2017 councillors voted to reduce the size of council and change ward boundaries. At a hearing held at City Hall on Thursday Scheffel argued that most municipalities use an accepted percentage of variance in the number of residents who live in each boundary in order to ensure fair and effective representation. He says the City of Kawartha Lakes strayed from the norm and by doing so they are not fulfilling the “effective representation” clause required for all wards in the municipality.
Dr. Robert Williams, an expert who testified at the hearing, said most municipalities allow at 25 to 30% variance in the number of residents in each ward. The city decided to try to reduce the variance and set a goal of only 20%. Dr. Williams testified that while this is not the norm it is actually better for the residents. “I felt this was a good distribution across the 8 wards. The boundaries made sense.”
The lawyer acting for the city, Stephen D’Agostino, asked Dr. Williams how he felt about the changes the municipality had made. Williams replied. ” I am satisfied that the test of effective representation has been met by the city.”
Scheffel also argued that the population numbers the city relied on for deciding boundaries were not accurate. “The city has used the census population from 2011 of approximately 73,000 plus non-resident electors so they’ve combined two different groups.” he says. “In my mind the elector numbers which are verifiable and solid not estimates are the basis that should be used.”
Both Dr. Williams and city Clerk Judy Currins agreed that it’s not an exact science. The city used population figures as of January 2016 and the non-resident elector population from 2014. “It was felt at the time it was a more accurate figure, more up to date and used in the last municipal election.” Currins said. “What we need to pay attention to is the whole population not just the electorate.” Dr. Williams told the hearing.
Scheffel doesn’t think a reduction in the number of councillors benefits the community. “I want them to go back to 16 and if necessary tweak that model. If Lindsay is out of line or whatever tweak it to make it more equitable but don’t scrap the entire thing.”
Dr. Williams said “Theres lots of ways to design wards. It’s ultimately a political decision”
The OMB will make a decision in the next few weeks.
