Councillor voices concern as OMB orders new ward boundaries in Hamilton

Glanbrook Coun. Brenda Johnson is concerned with the loss of a rural voice at the Hamilton city council table.

She’s reacting to an Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) ruling that orders major changes to ward boundaries.

The changes will create a new ward on Hamilton mountain while eliminating Ward 14 and blending residents of rural Flamborough into the existing Ancaster and Dundas wards.

Johnson worries that “when you divide up communities or you absorb them, it’s almost like saying to them that they don’t matter.”

She’s also concerned that “the rural component is losing more voice at the council table.”

The communities of Winona, Fruitland, Tapleytown and Vinemount will be separated from Glanbrook and absorbed into the two existing Stoney Creek wards.

The changes are designed to reflect changes in Hamilton’s population over the past 20 years.

There is currently a large imbalance in population between Hamilton’s wards with councillors representing anywhere from 20,000 residents up to 60,000.