Cumberland residents fear 'giant' rural ward when map is redrawn

Some residents of Ottawa's eastern-most ward say they're concernedtheir francophone and rural voices will be diluted if their ward is merged with neighbouring Osgoode when the city's electoral map is redrawn.

Candidates in the current Cumberland byelection confirmthey're hearing from constituentsaboutthe city's wardboundary review, and its potential implications for the ward, while out knocking on doors.

Whoever wins the vote on Oct. 5 will likely be fighting for re-election to represent an area that looks very different in two years.

That's because allsix boundary maps now on the table hiveoff the suburban Orlans portion of Cumberland ward so that it stands alone. Its rural swath would be merged with Osgoodeward to the southwest.

Not only would that reduce the number ofrural representatives on council fromfour to three, but it would also leave one councillortorepresenta "giant" or "mega" ward of more than 800square kilometres, say those with deep ties to the existing community.

Linda Dunn pities the councillor who would have to represent a dozen rural villages and even more community associations, driving long distances between community events.

"Can you imagine the poor person who has to represent this? It defies logic," said Dunn, who was herself a councillor and deputy mayor in Cumberland Township prior to amalgamation.

Losing their voice

Francophones also worry what it will mean if rural Cumberland is absorbed by its predominantly English-speaking neighbour, which includes the villages of Greely, Metcalfe and Osgoode.

"We will lose part of our voice in the community and before the City of Ottawa," said Caroline Etter, president of the Sarsfield Community Association, who said bilingual services in the city are already inadequate.

"It doesn't make any sense," agreed Francis Drouin, MP for GlengarryPrescottRussell.

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Drouin notes municipal government is supposed to be thelevel closest to the people, but he doesn't see how such a large wardcan properly represent villageslike Navan or Sarsfield, or theirrural,francophone voices.

The consultants hadnoted in August that a new Osgoode-Cumberland ward wouldn't be much bigger than existing West Carleton-March at 765 square kilometres, or Rideau-Goulbourn at 728 square kilometres.

Pandemic brought change

Both Dunn and Etter are frustrated the city is looking at such sweeping changes during a pandemic, and when there'sno sitting councillor to keep residents informed.

Consultations were held last winter, but sevenof the nine in-person sessions were cancelled whenCOVID-19 quickly shut down gatherings in March. Six meetingsheld this monthwere done by video, which critics say didn't suit rural residents with poor internetconnections.

However, the consultants reviewing Ottawa's ward boundariessaidthey had an "excellent"response ratefromCumberlandresidents to both the sessions and a survey.

WATCH | No good options, says former councillor:

Cumberland resident and former deputy mayor says new electoral map doesnt provide effective representation

4 years ago

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Linda Dunn says none of the six maps before council is acceptable because they all propose merging Cumberland and Osgoode, creating a giant, giant ward that dilutes representation.

Cumberland ward poses a challenge, the consultants added.

With nearly 52,000 residents, Cumberland's growing population is larger than other wards, and needs to be redistributed. Only one-quarter of its residents live in therural areas, however, so theirvoicesarebeing drowned out by the concerns of a booming suburb.

Yet, 15,000 rural Cumberland residents aren't numerous enough to form award of their own, either.

But Dunn counters that people in the rural east end shop and go to school in Orlans, and many haven't even been to the Osgoode area. She saidit's wrong to premise the redistribution of wards based on "rural people do rural things and urban people do urban things."

Former Cumberlandcouncillor Stephen Blais said it was a delicate balance to represent both suburban and rural interests for a decade but he doesn't think residents of Navan and Osgoode share a connection, either.

"There is already an imbalance between east and west in Ottawa and adding yetanother elected voice to the west end will just diminish the capacity to have a voice in the east end," said Blais.

A final report on ward boundaries goes to committee and city council in December.