Wants review done by 2010
Oct 28, 2008 - 11:21 AM
By Keith Gilligan
AJAX -- Mayor Steve Parish is going to try once again to have Durham Regional Council consider giving the Town another representative.
The mayor is introducing a motion today, Oct. 29, at the Regional council meeting asking for a review of council's composition. The request asks that the review start by the end of the year and be completed in 2010 and any change be in place for the 2014 municipal election.
In May of last year, Mayor Parish sought to have the Region review its composition, with the aim of the Town getting another representative. Durham council, however, didn't support his request.
The Town is now represented by the mayor and two Regional councillors, and Mayor Parish is seeking one more councillor.
A report by clerk Marty de Rond noted the three Ajax Regional representatives have just more than 30,000 constituents. Meanwhile, Oshawa has eight representatives -- the mayor and seven councillors, and they have about 17,700 constituents.
During a meeting of Ajax council's general government committee on Thursday, Mayor Parish said the last review was 12 years ago, adding the Region doesn't have an automatic review of its composition.
The provincial and federal governments have automatic reviews, usually every 10 years following a census.
"They have an automatic process," he said, adding at the Regional level, "It's up to the supplicant, in this case Ajax, to go on bended knee and ask for a review."
The last review was 12 years ago, he said. "This is way beyond the review period," he said. "There's a real fairness issue here. This isn't right and it's got to be addressed."
A report done in the mid-1990s by a former Regional councillor called for a review to be done every six years.
"When you're doing this, there has to be winners and losers," Mayor Parish said.
Increasing the size of Regional council isn't an option, he said. "For someone to get increased representation, someone has to lose representation and that's when the rubber hits the road."
Wards 1 and 2 Regional Councillor Scott Crawford said the "mindset" at the Region seems to be to leave the situation alone and let it correct itself over time.
"Let's wait until the Region is almost at build-out before we do a review," Coun. Crawford said. "The feeling is no one wants to get out of the barrier of 28 (councillors)."
"We need to come out of this with a standard," the mayor said, suggesting a review could be held after every two terms or every 10 years. "Every democratic government does that, except the Region of Durham."
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