Ottawa's municipal ward boundaries

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

That defeats the purpose of amalgamation, which was unified service agencies and governments structures for a given region.

Amalgamation isn't so much the issue as how governance favouring rural and suburban areas was prioritized.

Would it though? It still would have reduced the number of municipalities from 12 to 3. The Province didn't amalgamate Toronto with all of its suburbs, just a few, so why Ottawa?

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Would it though? It still would have reduced the number of municipalities from 12 to 3. The Province didn't amalgamate Toronto with all of its suburbs, just a few, so why Ottawa?

Because Toronto's 905 suburbs are and always have been under separate regional governments. The amalgamation in Toronto effectively uploaded all responsibilities and services to the old Metro Toronto government which was already providing transit, policing, some garbage collection, hydro, water and parks and recreation. The closest analogy in Ottawa is the old Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton. All the cities and towns under RM OC were merged in, just like all the boroughs under old Metro Toronto were merged in.

[J.OT13]

Gower was worried about political interference in the Ward boundary review that would favour incumbents in the next election, but based on the motions, he did not think this was the case. I just want to point out that with the recommended Ward boundaries, Kitts would be in direct competition with Darouze in the next election, so the rejigging does in fact favour these two incumbents. Otherwise Kitts, who is a Navan resident, would have to run in a Ward she does not live in to avoid competing with Darouze, which is often frowned upon by voters.

I'm not necessary saying this was the reason for the modifications to the Orleans Wards and Osgood. Francophone interest and general disdain for the proposed boundaries was stated as the reason, and I'm not disputing that was likely a part of it. I still think that this particular motion should have been scrutinized a bit more considering the implications for the incumbents involved.

Other candidates who ran for Cumberland also expressed a desire to change the proposed boundaries, so it's not purely about Kitts.

[J.OT13]

On all the motions:

I would support the Civic Hospital motion to move the one parking lot at the Dow's Lake side from Capital to River. This is a very minor change that can have a an impact on the new Civic proposal and no impacts population wise.

On the McKellar Park motion, I would dissent. Kitchissippi is the fastest growing urban Ward and needs to shed a few residents in order to accommodate new ones in order to keep parity. Although I understand the argument that Bay will also grow significantly with the arrival of the O-Train, probably more than the estimates, the current number of proposals is much smaller than Kitchissippi's. I don't quite understand why this is so important to McKellar Park residents as the entire area, both on the Kitchissippi and Bay Ward sides are basically the same mid-Century suburban neighbourhood. It will be split no matter if the line is at Broadview, Denbury or Sherbourne.

On the Vanier motion, again I'm not convinced. I guess it's an effort to keep old Vanier together, but Donald was never the border. As with Kitchissippi, Rideau-Vanier is a fast growing Ward, vs Rideau-Rockliffe that's not anticipated to grow quite as much.

On Eastway Gardens, the consultants made a good point that yes, the Queensway separates it from Rideau-Rockliffe, but VIA tracks, the O-Train Yards and an industrial area separates it from Alta Vista. So what does it matter?

And finally the east-end rural mess. I understand the francophone considerations, but that is some significant changes to the consultants' recommendations. It will make for some strange Ward boundaries.

[J.OT13]

Of the motions to redraw boundaries, which ones past on Council yesterday? I know the motion to move the Vanier line didn't pass.

https://twitter.com/KatePorterCBC/st...03913270513669

The one for McKellar Park didn't pass. I don't even have to double check.

I assume the Civic parking lot request past, since it was the hospital's request and supported by the consultants.

I assume Watson Club Cloutier won his motion for Eastway Gardens even if there was no good case for it. Same with the Cumberland motion, which had better arguments, but is still questionable.

I agreed with the consultants that the Civic parking was the only motion that was defensible. The rest were not, but I assume they were dealt with based on "Party" lines (Watson Club vs Urban Caucus).

[rocketphish]

Ward boundary changes appealed by community groups
Appeal means voting map could remain the same for 2022 election

Joanne Chianello · CBC News
Posted: Mar 17, 2021 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

Two local community associations are appealing Ottawa city council's decision on how to redraw the city's ward boundaries, which means the voting map for the 2022 municipal election could remain the same.

Late last year, council approved the new voting map, adding one new ward for a total of 24 — 12 urban, nine suburban and three rural. At the time, councillors approved many changes to the boundaries that had been determined by the city's independent consultants.

Now, according to a memo sent by city clerk Rick O'Connor to members of council on Tuesday afternoon, two community associations are appealing the changes to the provincial Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT). The move is not unexpected, as O'Connor had told councillors last December that boundary reviews are usually appealed. At the time, Mayor Jim Watson said he believed the changes were defensible.

The LPAT appeal is expected to be heard before the end of the summer, and that outcome can be appealed to provincial court.

The city needs a final decision by Jan. 1, 2022 if the new voting map is to be used in the next municipal election set for October 2022.

The Overbrook Community Association launched an appeal by the finance and economic development committee to move the dividing line between Rideau-Rockcliffe and Vanier wards from McArthur Road south to Donald Street.

According to O'Connor's memo, the association is appealing, in part, because it holds that the city "failed to provide a meaningful opportunity for public input on the design of the ward boundary and the ability to comment on various ward options."

The community association representing Old Ottawa East is appealing the decision to transfer the University of Ottawa Lees Campus, by the uOttawa LRT station, from Capital ward to Vanier. They too charge that change in the boundary came up late in the public consultation process, leaving little time for community input.

The community association president Bob Gordon wrote to the mayor in January asking that the change be reversed before the council decision was declared an official bylaw later that month.

Dance, whose letter is posted on the community association's website, argues that moving the campus to the more populous and faster-growing Vanier ward "will be detrimental to voter parity," parity being one of the fundamental goals of redrawing Ottawa's electoral map.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottaw...aled-1.5952224

[J.OT13]

City ward that honoured 19th-century slave owner could soon have new name

Rideau-Goulbourn one of 6 wards slated to be rechristened


Celeste Decaire · CBC News · Posted: Sep 26, 2021 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: September 26

Six city wards in Ottawa are slated to get new names, including one that references a 19th-century British slave owner with no apparent ties to Canada.

Late last year, council approved a decision to redraw the city's electoral boundaries and include another ward. The new voting map now includes 24 wards — 12 urban, nine suburban and three rural.

The new names are designed to reflect geographical areas and identifiable communities, while keeping the naming conventions used for existing wards, according to the Ottawa Ward Boundary Review 2020 report.

One of the wards being rechristened is Rideau-Goulbourn, where Coun. Scott Moffatt has pushed for a different name since discovering it commemorated Sir Henry Goulburn, a British statesman and senior cabinet minister who was also the absentee owner of a plantation in Jamaica.

"I think it's important that we understand what a name signifies or what it means to certain people, and that we recognize how it can make people feel," said Moffatt, who has been referring to Rideau-Goulbourn as "Ward 21" since learning of its origins.

The new name suggested for Moffatt's ward is Rideau-Jock, which pays homage to the river that runs through the area.

Moffatt said the general consensus was that the renaming process would steer clear of commemorating any individual.

Other ward name changes include:

• Orléans, which would be renamed Orléans East-Cumberland.
• Innes, which would now be named Orléans West-Innes.
• Cumberland, which would be renamed Orléans South-Navan.
• Gloucester-South Nepean, which would be renamed Riverside South-Findlay Creek.

The existing Barrhaven ward is slated to be renamed Barrhaven West, according to the report, while the city's newest ward will be called Barrhaven East.

Indigenous name suggested

Sarah Onyango, a board member with Black History Ottawa, said she would have preferred Rideau-Goulbourn be renamed after the people whose land it originally belonged to.

"I would much rather that ward get an Indigenous name of some kind," Onyango said. "I understand they want to name it Rideau-Jock, but name it after the original inhabitants of the land."

Moffatt said the plan was to keep the new name simple and not to deviate too much from the existing name. But he says the city might actually have that conversation next term, as city staff plan to take another look at ward names through an Indigenous lens.

Ward boundary changes appealed by community groups
The city's finance and economic development committee is slated to discuss the ward names Oct. 5.

The renamed wards could become official by January 2022, well before the next municipal election in October 2022. The city plans to launch a public education campaign on the changes — along with the new 24th ward — in the spring.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottaw...mU_sh4oVxuMses

[DEWLine]

I have no problems with the idea of renaming the wards as proposed. If Algonquin input can be had re: all ward names, I doubt that I'd object.

*looks at Edmonton's ward-renaming project with pointed interest and curiosity*

[Williamoforange]

Originally Posted by FuturForge

The City of Ottawa is considering a review of its ward boundaries to balance population distribution.

Is this like a spam account or something? because the ward boundary happened already and a new one won't start for a while.

[rocketphish]

Originally Posted by Williamoforange

Is this like a spam account or something? because the ward boundary happened already and a new one won't start for a while.

Yes, likely a spam account. I've taken care of it