Contacts
On November 11, 2021, the City of Pickering received an Appeal for By-law Number 7875/21. Subsection 222(8) of the Municipal Act states that a Ward Boundary By-law comes into force on the day the new council of the municipality is organized following the first regular election after the by-law is passed if the by-law is passed before January 1 in the year of the regular election and no notices of appeal are filed, or notices of appeal are filed and are all withdrawn before January 1 in the year of the election, or notices of appeal are filed and the Tribunal issues an order to affirm or amend the by-law before January 1 in the year of the election.
On January 19, 2022, the City was advised by the Ontario Land Tribunal that the Appeal pertaining to By-law Number 7875/21 was withdrawn by the appellant on January 13, 2022. As the appeal was not withdrawn by the date established under the Municipal Act, the wards for the City of Pickering will remain unchanged for the 2022 Municipal Election and By-law Number 7875/21 will be in full force and effect for the 2026 Municipal Election.
Statutory Notice
Notice of Passing of By-Law 7875/21 to Change the Ward Boundaries in the City Of Pickering
Take Notice that the Council of The Corporation of the City of Pickering passed By-law Number 7875/21 on September 27, 2021 pursuant to Section 222 of the Municipal Act, 2001 (the “Act”), to change the boundaries of the three (3) wards in the City of Pickering. The changes to the wards will come into place for the 2022 Municipal Election.
And Take Notice that under subsection 222(4) of the Act, any person or agency may appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) by filing a notice of appeal with the City Clerk of The Corporation of the City of Pickering setting out the objections to the By-law and the reasons in support of the objections.
The Notice of Appeal must:
- be filed within 45 days after the By-law to change the wards was passed;
- be on the prescribed form as provided by the OLT;
- set out the objection to the By-law and the reasons in support of the objection; and,
- be accompanied by the fees required by the OLT. If paying by certified cheque or money order, it must be payable to the “Minister of Finance”.
The deadline to file a notice of appeal is Thursday, November 11, 2021.
If you wish to appeal to the OLT, an Appeal Form and information on the required fees is available at olt.gov.on.ca.
Further information regarding this matter may be obtained by contacting the City Clerk’s Office at 905.420.4611, or by email. clerks@pickering.ca.
For more information on the ward boundary review and the new ward boundaries visit www.pickering.ca/wbr.
Dated at the City of Pickering this 29th day of September, 2021.
Susan Cassel
City Clerk, City of Pickering
One The Esplanade Pickering, ON L1V 6K7
Ward Boundary Review
The City conducted a ward boundary review to ensure that residents receive fair representation at their local council table. Learn more about the Review process below.
Watch our video animation to learn more about the Ward Boundary Review process.
Read our 2020 Ward Boundary Review Discussion Paper, Interim Report, and the FAQ section below.
Explore the Ward Boundary options provided during the Review.
Current Ward Representation |
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Pickering is currently divided into three wards. Use the ward map to find out what ward you are in, or search your ward by address using our current Interactive Ward Map. Pickering City Council is comprised of a Mayor, 3 Regional Councillors and 3 City Councillors. The Mayor is elected by voters across the entire City, while the Regional and City Councillors are elected by voters in one of the 3 respective wards. The Mayor and Regional Councillors sit on both the City Council and the Council of the Regional Municipality of Durham. The City Councillors sit on City Council only. |
Background |
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The City retained Watson & Associates Economists Ltd. and Dr. Robert J. Williams to conduct the comprehensive and independent Ward Boundary Review. The consultant team and their expertise with ward boundary reviews ensured that all relevant factors were taken into account to achieve effective representation for all residents. The Review was carried out in accordance with the Terms of Reference which provided guiding principles focused on five key areas:
View the Terms of Reference |
Reports to Council |
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Memorandum: Ward Boundary Petition (Related to CLK 03-21) Date: August 30, 2021 Report Number: CLK 03-21 Date: June 7, 2021 Report Number: CLK 01-21 Report Number: CLK 01-20 Report Number: CLK 05-19 |
Community Engagement |
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Phase 2 - Virtual open houses were held on February 24 and March 3, 2021 to learn more about the preliminary ward options. If you were unable to participate, you can view the open house session videos for February 24 and March 3. A community survey was available from February 8 to March 8, 2021 inviting residents to provide their feedback on the seven preliminary ward options. ________________________________________________________________________________ Phase 1 - Virtual open houses were held on October 7 and 15, 2020. If you were unable to participate, you can view the open house session to learn more. A community survey was available from October 7 to November 2, 2020, inviting residents to provide input on strengths, weaknesses, and what changes they would like to see made to the current ward structure. It also asked participants to rate the guiding principles in order of priority. |
Discussion Paper/Interim & Final Reports |
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Pickering 2020 Ward Boundary Review - Final Report [PDF] |
Frequently Asked Questions |
What is a Ward?A ward is a geographical division of a city or town for administrative or political purposes. What is a Ward Boundary Review?A Ward Boundary Review (WBR) is a task conducted on behalf of a municipality to assess whether the present wards constitute an effective and equitable system of representation and, if not, to propose alternatives. Pickering’s system of representation consists of a seven-member Council, composed of a Mayor and six Councillors, two representing each of the three wards, one a Regional Councillor and one a City Councillor. Why did Pickering conduct a Ward Boundary Review?The City of Pickering was established under provincial legislation at the beginning of 1974. The present ward boundaries have not been modified since 1982 with one exception, a minor adjustment in 2005. See the Interactive Ward Map. Despite being familiar to many Pickering residents, the wards themselves should be seen as “temporary” not permanent: wards normally have a limited lifespan since they are designed to capture the distribution of population at a given time. When that population distribution changes, the wards should change, meaning that the collections of identifiable neighbourhoods and communities within the City should be regrouped to achieve a more equitable ward system. When Pickering was created, the population was less than 40,000; in 2020 it is approximately 92,000 and will grow by a further 40,000 – 50,000 by 2030, primarily in the present Ward 3. Moreover the population growth has not been uniform across the City and future growth will be concentrated in the northern parts of the City. What does the Ward Boundary Review mean for me?Pickering’s Council makes important decisions about the City that impact your daily life. The City is responsible for Fire Services, Community Centres, an Official Plan for land uses within the City, standards for property maintenance, the maintenance of playgrounds, boulevards and green space plus much more. A successful ward system should ensure that all areas of the municipality are represented in such a way that your voice and needs are reflected fairly and accurately in council decision making on these and other topics. What was considered in the Ward Boundary Review?The objective of the WBR was to ensure that residents benefit from an effective and equitable system of representation. One preliminary question will be to confirm whether having three City Councillors (the same number as when Pickering’s population was under 40,000) is sufficient from a democratic perspective to provide effective representation to a City twice that size and growing. The WBR began by evaluating the suitability of the present wards using the guiding principles established in the Terms of Reference for Pickering’s Ward Boundary Review and applied the principles to all proposed alternatives. 1. Representation by Population 2. Protection of Communities of Interest 3. Current and Future Population Trends 4. Physical Features as Natural Boundaries 5. Effective Representation No ward system design can uniformly meet all the guiding principles since some criteria may work at cross-purposes to one another. As well, different observers will prioritize certain principles over others. Ultimately, the final ward design should be the one that best fulfills as many of the guiding principles as possible. Effective representation served as a kind of summary evaluation built around the other four principles. For example,
In sum, do the wards constitute a system that can be judged on balance to deliver effective representation even if some of the specific principles are only partially successful? What is Effective Representation?The concept of “effective representation” has become an integral part of the evaluation of electoral systems in Canada. To help ensure that a municipal council effectively represents the population of the community within the limits imposed by the social and natural environment, it is important to make voter parity (“representation by population”) a priority but also to consider other important factors, including geography, community history, community interests and minority representation. According to the Supreme Court of Canada, all these factors contribute to meaningful on-going representation after the election which is captured in the “overriding” principle of effective representation. When a Councillor casts a vote around the council table, each one should be reflecting roughly the same number of the City’s residents. Who conducted the Pickering Ward Boundary Review?The City retained Watson and Associates Economists Ltd. and Dr. Robert Williams to conduct a comprehensive and independent WBR through a process established by Council (see CLK 05-19.) Together the consultant team has conducted over twenty ward boundary reviews in Ontario. They will use their experience to assess the present electoral arrangements in Pickering and design alternatives consistent with the guiding principles. Timeline of the Ward Boundary ReviewDiscovery - December 2019First, the consultants will gather information on the present ward system from interviews with municipal staff and elected officials, and compile data on the present and projected population. Development - Fall 2020/Winter 2020The consultants will assess the present ward boundaries and develop alternative designs. Engagement - October 2020 and Spring 2021Public consultation is essential for the review process to be legitimate and effective, by allowing the community to provide input on the current and proposed ward boundary structures:
Surveys will be available during the sessions, as well as on this website Approval / Adoption - June 2021A final report was submitted to Council, who will:
Reconsideration (if required) - November 2021Municipal electors may appeal ward boundary decisions to the Ontario Land Tribunal once a by-law has been adopted.
Who should I contact for more information about the Ward Boundary ReviewEmail: clerks@pickering.ca |