Final Boundary Changes - Barrie council could approve new ward boundaries

City of Barrie Graphic This is how Barrie’s ward boundaries could look for the 2014 municipal election.

The finish line looms for new ward boundaries in Barrie.

City councillors will consider the changes Monday, and could pass a bylaw Wednesday, to have them in place for the 2014 municipal election.

It will elect the next mayor, council members and school board trustees.

New boundaries would need approval by year’s end to be in place for next year’s elections.

The suitability of the 2014 ward boundaries could be considered after the 2018 municipal election, to determine if they will continue to be effective in light of actual population growth.

Barrie’s current population is estimated at 136,985, and will grow to 137,631 next year, then to 149,815 in 2018 and 167,300 in 2022.

Changing Barrie’s ward boundaries is partially an attempt to have each ward contain roughly the same number of residents

Barrie’s ward boundaries were last reviewed in 2002 and changed for the municipal election the next year.

The Barrie-Innisfil Boundary Adjustment Act, 2009 resulted in the city absorbing portions of Innisfil; this land — and its voters — was added to Wards 7, 8, 9 and 10 for the 2010 municipal election.

The city held public consultation sessions about new ward boundaries in April. Attendance was light and relatively few public comments were submitted.

The ward boundary review had six guiding principles — including representation by population, meaning every councillor would represent an equal number of constituents.

The review also took into account population and electoral trends, such as increases and decreases in the population until 2018.

It also looked at arranging ward boundaries by primary and secondary road patterns, railway and public transit access, telephone exchanges and servicing capabilities.

Geographical and topographical features were also considered, as were settlement patterns, traditional neighbourhoods and community groupings — social, historic, economic, religious and political diversities.

BBruton/Examiner