St. Charles ward to be wiped off the map next October

Winnipeg is going ahead with a plan to wipe St. Charles off the electoral map next year and create a new ward called Waverley West.

The final report of the Winnipeg Wards Boundaries Commission, published Thursday,calls for the city to redraw its electoral lines in time for the 2018 municipal election. The changes ensure each of the city's 15 wards are close to each other in terms of population size.

• Winnipeg to evaluate changes to ward boundaries
• Public hearing planned as Winnipeg eyes ward changes
• Winnipeg poised to wipe St. Charles off electoral map, create new Waverley West ward

A draft report published in October called for eliminating St. Charles, the smallest of the city's wards, and redistributing most of its population to a new and larger St. James.

It also called for carving off the southern ends of St. Vital and St. Boniface and placing them in a redrawnSt. Norbert ward, while a new Waverley West ward will occupy territory that once belonged to South Winnipeg-St. Norbert, River Heights-Fort Garry and Charleswood-Tuxedo-Whyte Ridge.

One change in the final report, compared to the draft report, calls for the North Point Douglas neighbourhood to remain in Mynarski ward, rather than move to Point Douglas.

The new ward boundaries will take effect when council dissolvesfor the 2018 election, slated for October.