Changes wanted in Ward system, at large not an option

At-large elections won’t work in Timmins.

That’s the message from city council, who is looking into potential changes to the five Ward election format in Timmins.

Ward 4 Councillor Pat Bamford says it would be too expensive to canvas the whole city, as Timmins covers such a large chunk of land.

That sentiment was echoed by several members of council.  Ward 5 Councillor Noella Rinaldo adds there does need to be a switch, pointing out Ward 1 in Mountjoy is steadily growing in both industrial and residential.

The at-large suggestion was noted in KPMG’s core services review last year.

Some other options have been tossed around in the past, including a hybrid system.

Of note, only North Bay runs an at-large council in a major Northern Ontario city.  They’re also taking population into account for any changes.  Looking at vote results from the 2014 election, the numbers across each of the Wards ranges.

READ the draft report to council regarding the Ward system.

A report from staff will come back looking at a committee that will explore options for the current system.