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Mayor Jim Watson is worried about Premier Doug Ford's plans to reduce Toronto City Council and the precedent he could create in provincial-municipal relations.
Ford announced Thursday night its intention to reduce the number of city councilors in Canada. He confirmed these plans at a press conference Friday morning.
The 25 councilors would represent the 2.8 million or so inhabitants of the city. In comparison, the 23 councilors of Ottawa represent about 950,000 residents
"The precedent is that it could happen in any municipality," Watson said. "There are always people who want to see fewer politicians, but in the end, if you have to make substantive changes like that, you have to do it at the beginning, not at the mid-point or at the end, I think that it is unfair to everyone.
Ford announced the change on what was supposed to be the last day that municipal candidates could add their name to the polls for the October elections.
The Toronto board has "failed to act on the critical issues facing the city," said Ford, calling it "the country's most dysfunctional political arena"
. He however suggested that Ottawa's wards and advisers are not
Doug Ford announced Friday that he planned to reduce the number of seats on Toronto City Council by almost half. (Tijana Martin / Canadian Press)
"Do not even compare Ottawa," Ford told reporters on Friday. "These are apples and oranges, apples and oranges when compared to a city the size of Ottawa, a beautiful city compared to a city the size of Toronto."
Watson He said he met with Prime Minister, he showed him an Ottawa map with Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Montreal and Toronto, all superimposed within the city limits.
"You have to consider not only the population but also the geography. Watson says the late change in municipal elections will also cause "confusion and frustration" for City of Toronto staff redesigning districts – as well as for any candidates who may have
Ottawa Ward Boundaries must be revised in 2019, after the next elections.
The review process will not be completed before the election of 2022 and could be the subject of a call from the pub. lic.
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