City sticks with ‘at-large’ council elections

By Richard Coffin

North Bay won’t be investigating the idea of a ward system of elections.    

A council committee voted down a motion to ask the clerk to prepare a report.    

Several councillors spoke against creating wards and voting in members based on where they live, including Councillor Chris Mayne.   

“By going to a ward system, we stand to dilute the quality of council,” he says. “I think we’re small enough a community that most people know a councillor they can call if they have an issue.  Or city staff will even refer to a councillor or chair if there is an issue they have a concern with and who is most appropriate to speak with.”  

Councillor Mark King is also against a ward system.   

“It would actually create separation in my mind,” he says. “We’re all trying to figure out how to basically come together as a country and we’re going to separate the way we do governance within a city just makes absolutely no sense to me at all.”   

Karen McIsaac, city clerk, told the committee it’s typically a consultant that would report back on setting up a ward system.   

“I don’t have the expertise to do a study for a ward system,” she says. “In talking with my colleagues, no clerk has ever done a ward system report.  It’s always been a consultant.”  

McIsaac says a rough estimate of the cost for a consultant’s report could range from $20,000 to $50,000.   

She also said based on timing, it wouldn’t be possible to set up a ward system by next year’s municipal election.  

In a recorded vote, the motion was defeated 8-2, with councillors Jamie Lowery and Sarah Inch the only ‘yes’ votes.    

Councillor Mac Bain was not at the meeting.