Changes to Moncton’s ward boundaries are being considered prior to next year’s municipal election.
The Enhancing Democracy Committee has pitched three changes, with one that will reduce the population in ward 3.
City Councillor Bryan Butler says his ward currently has over 22, 000 residents, “My concern is that their recommendation is to change it and make us the smallest one. Ward 3 would only have around 16, 000, whereas Ward 1, over in the Sunny Brae and Lewisville area would have almost 19, 000.”
Butler says these are currently proposed changes and they much be approved by City Council.
He feels with a municipal election planned for May of 2020, it will cause confusion for the residents..”You don’t want people to get mixed up with where they’re supposed vote and who they can vote for. I remember Councillor Hicks just saying yesterday that when he went to run, he had residents on Frampton Lane calling him and asking him where to vote. Frampton Lane used to be in Ward 3, before changes were made in 2006. That street is now in Ward 4.”
Butler adds even with the largest ward in the city, serving that area isn’t a problem, “There are two ward Councillors, the Mayor is a Councillor for the whole City, and there are two Councillors-at-large. So, each ward potentially has five Councillors. A change of a couple thousand here, a couple thousand there, doesn’t make much of a difference.”
The changes will also have to be submitted to Elections NB before the municipal elections in May of 2020.
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