Board of control gives up ward fight

Thu, March 2, 2006

Board of control ignores a high-priced lawyer's report and accepts the new map.

By JONATHAN SHER, FREE PRESS CITY HALL REPORTER



London's board of control voted yesterday to accept a new 14-ward map, its opposition to further appeals so strong it didn't bother reviewing legal advice from its high-priced Toronto lawyer.

A report that laid out legal options had been prepared by the law firm. The legal team was prepared to speak to controllers by phone, but there was not a single taker.

"As far as anything further from Toronto lawyers, I don't have any interest in seeing that," Controller Gord Hume said.

A fight over the city's ward map that began 10 months ago must end so council can do whatever is necessary to resolve uncertainty before the civic election in November, Hume said.

"The community interest is best served by getting on with the process," he said.

The board recommended seeking the intervention of the Ontario government to ensure the new wards are served by one councillor each.

Some council members, but not all, thought the issue was resolved when Superior Court Justice Dougald McDermid wrote this week the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) acted within its authority when it ruled on Nov. 22 that the number of London wards should be doubled to 14 from seven.

Controllers voted to seek a private member's bill and were told London-Fanshawe MPP Khalil Ramal had offered to sponsor it.

Council will vote on the recommendations Monday.

London Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco has spoken to London MPP and Colleges and Universities Minister Chris Bentley about the need to rush through legislation.

"I told him this was an urgent matter and we wanted (the government) to deal with it as soon as possible . . . preferably before the summer break," DeCicco said.

Coun. David Winninger, a former MPP, said it's possible to rush through a private member's bill if all political parties support it.

"I had a bill passed in three weeks. We need to keep the pressure up," Winninger said.

Two councillors raised concerns yesterday about the new ward map.

Coun. Susan Eagle said the new lines orphaned a community just south of Springbank Park, which is now in a ward with communities north of the river.

And Coun. Bernie MacDonald said a subdivision in northeast London has been split by the new wards.

But it's unlikely anything can be done to make major revisions, city staff said.

"I doubt the OMB would do it," said city solicitor Jim Barber.

"Significant changes wouldn't be able to be addressed (until the next council term)," city clerk Jeff Bain said.

The fight over the ward map has already cost taxpayers as much as $100,000, with lead lawyer George Rust-D'Eye charging $545 an hour.

In 2003, Londoners voted to scrap board of control and reduce council's size, but turnout was too low for the results to be binding.

Last May, council voted to preserve its seven wards with two council members each.

That led to a petition seeking to eliminate board of control and create 14 single-councillor wards.