Toronto’s 25-ward election not popular among some city councillors

October 2018

Sarah Doucette, city councillor representing Ward 13, Parkdale-High Park, said there is no positive outcome with the new 25-ward system that newly-elected Ontario premier Doug Ford implemented last month.

Toronto’s municipal election on Oct. 22 is set to proceed with 25 council seats after newly-elected Ontario Premier Doug Ford threatened to use the notwithstanding clause to decrease the size of Toronto’s city council from 47 to 25. The threat, which did not have to be implemented, came last month after a Superior Court judge ruled that Ford’s plan to cut Toronto city council was unconstitutional.

Ford introduced the Better Local Government Act to force the change to city council during an election by threatening to use Section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, more commonly known as the notwithstanding clause, to change Toronto’s ward boundaries to align with federal and provincial ridings. The clause gives premiers and prime ministers the possibility of quashing rulings on legislation for five years that judges have decided would violate sections of the Charter.

Section 33 has not been used by an Ontario premier before, which sets a precedent for the provincial government. Ford has previously stated that he would consider using the clause, should he see fit.

Doucette announced earlier in September that she is not running for re-election on account of the new system because she could not find a good reason to run. “Your ratio from councillors to residents is absurd,” said Doucette, predicting the new system will cost more money to attend community events and programs because it would fall on the shoulders of the councillor’s staff. There would not be a hands-on approach when it comes to helping the constituents in her ward.

Doucette also predicted the cost for the election would be higher. According to a 2014 post-election report published by the City of Toronto, the overall amount of money that was spent for that election was $8,390,900. This figure is a 21 per cent increase from the 2010 election, the most significant expense being human resources.

The rise in spending from the previous election is due to a more significant number of voting locations, more staff requirements and an expanded Advance Vote model. The need for more staff increased substantially since 2010 because of the Advance Vote expansion.

In the report, Toronto’s city clerk at the time, Ulli Watkiss, wrote, “Changes to ward boundaries, and possibly the number of wards will require the identification of new voting locations, ward management offices and the hiring of additional support staff.”

“Residents will not receive accurate representation, no diversity and no reflection of their communities in council,” Doucette said. She originally registered to run in the 47-ward system. “Toronto is the only city in Ontario that has done this. The only city,” Doucette said, referring to the decrease in the number of city council seats.

Mayor John Tory has spoken out against Ford’s threat to use of the notwithstanding clause, saying it is contrary to the Charter and not acceptable. City politicians and others, including Andrea Horwath, have accused Ford of having a vendetta against the city because he lost the election to Tory in 2014 after he took over the mayoral race from his brother Rob, who stepped down due to his battle with cancer.

Doucette wrote a letter to the residents in her ward on her website, explaining why she was not running for re-election. “When I decided to run for office over eight years ago, it was because I wanted to make a difference in the day-to-day lives of our community. I have always been a councillor that prefers to help solve the problems on the street, rather than sit in committee rooms discussing policy,” she wrote.

“As we move towards the 25-ward system, I am sad to think that the hands-on community activity must be replaced, as councillors’ roles will have to focus primarily on citywide issues, with the day-to-day operations being left to staff. With the role of councillor changing, I had to decide where my heart lies…I have made the difficult decision not to run for re-election under the 25-ward system,” wrote Doucette.

Gord Perks, city councillor representing Ward 14, Parkdale-High Park, is running for re-election on Oct. 22, the same one that Doucette would have been running in under the new 25-ward system. In an interview, Perks said, “I still believe I have work to do.”

Perks is running for re-election in Ward 4, the ward that is now aligned with federal and provincial ridings under the 25-ward system. He said he does not think there are any positives to the new 25-ward system but wants to continue working with the communities in his ward. “For the first year, we have to figure out what tools we can use to sort of limp along.”