Sudbury ward system review set aside until after 2018 municipal election
Despite some calls for changes, Sudbury's 12 ward system will stay in place for the next election.
City council voted Tuesday night to not review the ward boundaries until after the vote in 2018.
Mayor Brian Bigger warned council that undertaking a review of the ward boundaries, which would have to be done in the next year to be in place for the next election, could "derail" many of the big decisions facing council, including choosing which big projects to take on this term.
Ward 7 councillor Mike Jakubo, who represents Capreol, Falconbridge and Garson, agreed that council has a lot on its plate right now, but does feel that the current wards "fragment" many traditional communities within Greater Sudbury.
"It may not be the ideal ward boundary the way they are, but seeing the work we have in front of us, I would be in favour of having this brought back after the 2018 election."
The Sudbury Chamber of Commerce has been the loudest voice in the city on electoral reform.
It hosted a public forum last year discussing the possibility of having at least some councillors elected by the entire city — what's known as "at-large."
The current wards were designed amidst anti-amalgamation sentiment in 2005, with many spanning Sudbury proper and the outlying area. Ward 4 is often cited as one of the strangest, pairing the Donovan neighbourhood with Azilda.
Before that, Greater Sudbury was split into six wards, each with two councillors.
Several ideas for electoral reform have been tossed around in recent years, including electing a small number of councillors who would each get paid full-time wages, instead of the part-time pay councillors currently receive.
Ward 5 city councillor Robert Kirwan, who serves Val Caron as well as neighbourhoods that used to be part of the old City of Sudbury, doesn't see any need for a change.
"I don't see anything positive that would come from a ward boundary review and everything seems to be working fine as it is," he said.