London City Council
Encyclopedia
London City Council is the governing body of the city of London, Ontario
, Canada
.
City Council meets in Council Chambers at London City Hall at 300 Dufferin Avenue, adjacent to Victoria Park and the London Life Insurance Company
.
Board of Control Ceased to exist after the 2010 Election.
While the yes votes prevailed, the overall voter turnout was less than 50 per cent and according to the provisions of the Municipal Act, the referendum results were not binding.
When the council decided to maintain the status quo, a grassroots citizen's activist group, Imagine London, appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board
(OMB) to change the ward composition to 14 wards defined by communities of interest
in the city, including a separate ward for the downtown core.
UWO law librarian/ media professor Sam Trosow argued the case at the OMB for Imagine London arguing that smaller wards based on communities of interest would result in more "effective representation" for the electorate. This argument is based on a 1991 Supreme Court of Canada
decision involving electoral boundaries in the Province of Saskatchewan
(often cited as the "Carter" case).
The OMB ruled for the Imagine London petitioners in late December 2005 and while the city sought leave to appeal the OMB decision to Superior Court via a full-day hearing in January 2006, leave to appeal was denied when Justice McDermid released his decision on February 28, 2006.
In the 2006 municipal election a number of candidates included in their platforms the abolition of Board of Control. Among them was Gina Barber, a member of Imagine London, who gained a seat on the board of control, coming in second only to the deputy mayor, Tom Gosnell.
Following the election, a taskforce composed of a number of councillors, controllers and citizen representatives was established to make recommendations on governance. The taskforce held numerous meetings and public hearings. On the basis of its deliberations, it recommended that the board of control be abolished and its functions assumed by a combination of standing committees, delegation to staff and citizen groups and Committee of the Whole. The recommendations were placed before a public participation meeting and subsequently adopted by council in a vote of 14 to 5. Consequently, positions for Board of Control will not be on the 2010 municipal ballot.
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Composition
One Councillor represents each of the 14 city wards along with the Mayor,Joe Fontana resulting in a 15-member city council.City Council meets in Council Chambers at London City Hall at 300 Dufferin Avenue, adjacent to Victoria Park and the London Life Insurance Company
London Life Insurance Company
London Life Insurance Company is a Canadian life insurance company best known for its "Freedom 55" slogan, evocative of saving money to an extent that would allow one to retire at age 55...
.
Recent Reform
Before November 2006, the London city council had 14 councillors, 2 from each of the 7 former wards.Board of Control Ceased to exist after the 2010 Election.
Background
The composition and structure of city council was the subject of two questions on the 2003 election ballot, an action initiated by Ward 3 Councillor Fred Tranquilli and his discussion paper, A Better Way, which proposed a smaller city council—10 wards with one councillor per ward, plus the mayor elected city wide and the elimination of Board of Control for an 11-member city council.While the yes votes prevailed, the overall voter turnout was less than 50 per cent and according to the provisions of the Municipal Act, the referendum results were not binding.
When the council decided to maintain the status quo, a grassroots citizen's activist group, Imagine London, appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board
Ontario Municipal Board
The Ontario Municipal Board is an independent administrative board, operated as an adjudicative tribunal, in the province of Ontario, Canada...
(OMB) to change the ward composition to 14 wards defined by communities of interest
Community of interest
A community of interest is a community of people who share a common interest or passion. These people exchange ideas and thoughts about the given passion, but may know little about each other outside of this area...
in the city, including a separate ward for the downtown core.
UWO law librarian/ media professor Sam Trosow argued the case at the OMB for Imagine London arguing that smaller wards based on communities of interest would result in more "effective representation" for the electorate. This argument is based on a 1991 Supreme Court of Canada
Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeals in the Canadian justice system. The court grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants each year to appeal decisions rendered by provincial, territorial and federal appellate courts, and its decisions...
decision involving electoral boundaries in the Province of Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
(often cited as the "Carter" case).
The OMB ruled for the Imagine London petitioners in late December 2005 and while the city sought leave to appeal the OMB decision to Superior Court via a full-day hearing in January 2006, leave to appeal was denied when Justice McDermid released his decision on February 28, 2006.
In the 2006 municipal election a number of candidates included in their platforms the abolition of Board of Control. Among them was Gina Barber, a member of Imagine London, who gained a seat on the board of control, coming in second only to the deputy mayor, Tom Gosnell.
Following the election, a taskforce composed of a number of councillors, controllers and citizen representatives was established to make recommendations on governance. The taskforce held numerous meetings and public hearings. On the basis of its deliberations, it recommended that the board of control be abolished and its functions assumed by a combination of standing committees, delegation to staff and citizen groups and Committee of the Whole. The recommendations were placed before a public participation meeting and subsequently adopted by council in a vote of 14 to 5. Consequently, positions for Board of Control will not be on the 2010 municipal ballot.
City Council
- WARD 1: Bud Polhill
- WARD 2: Bill Armstrong
- WARD 3: Joe Swan
- WARD 4: Stephen Orser
- WARD 5: Joni Baechler
- WARD 6: Nancy Ann Branscombe
- WARD 7: Matt Brown
- WARD 8: Paul Hubert
- WARD 9: Dale Henderson
- WARD 10: Paul Van Meerbergen
- WARD 11: Denise Brown
- WARD 12: Harold Usher
- WARD 13: Judy Bryant
- WARD 14: Sandy White