Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) office headquarters.
Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) trustees discussed potential boundary changes for the 2022 municipal election at a recent board meeting on Monday, February 28.
At the meeting, Officer of Trustee Services Heather Miller explained to members that the board must approve trustee boundaries prior to each municipal election and ensure that the allocated boundaries fulfill recommended criteria.
The situation is complicated by the fact that Hamilton is allocated 11 trustees by the Ministry of Education, but the city consists of 15 wards. As a result, some wards are coupled together. The current four couplings are Wards 1 & 2, Wards 8 & 14, Wards 11 & 12 and Wards 9 & 10. But, as Miller explained to trustees, Wards 1 & 2 have increased in population since the last municipal election in 2018 and the coupling now has an electoral quotient of 1.607.
The Ministry of Education recommends that each trustee’s area has an electoral quotient under 1.6. Thus, it is likely that Wards 1 & 2 need to be uncoupled and a new distribution of four couplings needs to be made. Miller provided three new options for ward couplings, labelled Option A, Option B, and Option C.
Current Couplings (Status Quo): Wards 1 & 2, Wards 8 & 14, Wards 11 & 12, and Wards 9 & 10.
Option A: Maintain the coupling of Wards 8 & 14, 9 & 10, and 11 & 12 by introducing one new coupling (Wards 13 & 15).
Option B: Maintain the coupling of Wards 8 & 14 and introduce three new couplings (Wards 5 & 10, 9 & 11, and 13 & 15).
Option C: Four new couplings (Wards 5 & 10, 9 & 11, 12 & 14, and 13 & 15).
Miller noted that a decision does not need to be made right away. Indeed, the purpose of the February 28 discussion was to decide on which options the board should consult the public. The eventual decision was to consult the public on all possible options, including the possibility of maintaining the status quo (which would need to be approved by the Ministry of Education as it goes against the official recommendations). However, a final decision needs to be made before April 3, 2022.
Trustee Dawn Danko noted that the issue of electoral area distribution is “often an odd discussion to have” since it directly involves trustees making a decision that could technically impact each individual’s election chances.
Waterdown Trustee Penny Deathe noted that geographic area, not just population, should be considered when pairing specific wards. The pairing of Ward 13 with Ward 15 is presented in each of the three options put forward by staff: “a heck of a huge geographic area to cover,” according to Deathe.
The board launched a survey seeking public input on March 1. The survey closes at the end of the day Friday, March 11.
In the end, trustees directed staff to seek the Ministry of Education’s permission to keep the status quo, add a trustee to the municipality’s allocation, or extend the April 3 deadline for submitting changes.
Trustees will reconvene later in March to discuss the consultations and any response received by the ministry before making a final decision.
Based in Hamilton, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
