Lethbridge City Hall. (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Lethbridge committee recommends not creating ward system commission

May 27, 2022 | 12:40 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – A City of Lethbridge committee was split on whether or not to recommend proceeding with the process of examining the creation of a ward system.

At the Government Standing Policy Committee (SPC) meeting on Wednesday, May 26, 2022, members voted 2-2 to recommend that Lethbridge City Council approve a budget of up to $297,000 to create a commission that would provide analysis, engagement, and recommendations on a potential new electoral format for the city.

With the vote being an even split, the motion was defeated. City council, however, will still make the final decision on whether to create the commission.

A ward system would see Lethbridge divided into different electoral areas, with city council candidates running to represent residents in a specific ward.

During the 2021 municipal election, 55.69% of voters in a referendum question said they support using a ward system to elect city councillors.

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Committee member Rajko Dodic voted against the motion, believing that, if the public knew how much it would cost to examine the possibility of implementing a ward system, the referendum result would have likely been different.

Jeff Carlson was also opposed and said that most of the information presented to the committee assumes that the city will go ahead with a ward system. Before that could happen, he wanted there to be more consultation with the public so they could learn what issues people feel would be resolved by implementing wards.

Belinda Crowson, on the other hand, said the commission would seek to answer the exact questions Carlson asked. She adds that just because a commission might be created, it does not necessarily mean that Lethbridge will have a ward system. Crowson was supportive of the motion.

John Middleton-Hope voted yes as well, saying they need to respect the results of the referendum and that even if the city eventually moves to not create a ward system, they owe it to the people to at least investigate it.

Last month, City Clerk Bonnie Hilford outlined a proposed timeline that would see the commission established by September or October 2022.

Once that happens, the commission would iron out details including the number of wards, the number of councillors in each ward, boundaries, staffing requirements, and whether city councillors should remain part-time or transition to full-time work. A draft report would be presented to the Governance SPC by November 2023.

Council would then vote on accepting the Electoral Ward Boundary Bylaw by spring 2024 and continue with public engagement prior to the October 2025 election.