Plus ca change...plus c'est le meme chose.

Four years ago, at SkyscraperPage Forum, the thread 'An extra ward for Council?' was active. Here are some of its best bits:

-From a CATCH article:

The city’s governance committee is recommending adding an extra ward for the 2010 elections. The move is a compromise to avoid the cost of a general re-drawing of the electoral map that would address large differences in population per ward.

Ward 8 councillor Terry Whitehead endorsed the idea, suggesting that it could also include parts of Mitchell’s ward which is growing rapidly.

“It would be a very interesting ward because it would be the first ward that will be reflecting old and new in regards to the amalgamation – part of the old and part of the new,” he noted. “And ultimately I think it’s probably where we need to go in the long term.”

The idea was also supported by Maria Pearson and chair (Russ) Powers. The latter said his review of the decisions of the transition board that set up the current council at amalgamation found no requirement for any formal review of ward boundaries, but he noted they were set up under a very tight deadline.

“Particularly the creation of the wards was done in a very hasty manner,” recalled Powers. “It was just easier to leave the eight existing Hamilton wards as they were and then kind of do a cursory look at how to hive out the rest of the suburbs in the seven wards, in order to meet that deadline.”

The committee is also calling for re-examination of the office and expense budgets of councillors to reflect the varied number of constituents and other factors such as the geographic size of their wards. Examination of a representation by population system was abandoned. 

-From a Spectator article dated October 23, 2008: 

The creation of a new Mountain ward would be another "nail in the coffin" for Flamborough residents, re-opening old wounds still smarting from amalgamation, a Flamborough councillor feels.

A new ward is being considered as a possible solution to creating more equal voter representation in time for the 2010 election, but it has a critic in Ward 15 Councillor Margaret McCarthy who says it gives the old city yet another voice on council.

"We thought the balance of power would eventually shift over to the city of Hamilton," says McCarthy. "We knew we would lose and this is just another example of it."

-And from SteelTown, the person that started the thread:

"Council has decided not to add a ward on the mountain until a full review of wards in Hamilton. A decision should be made in 2010, but it'll be too late to have effect in the 2010 election. Therefore there won't be any changed until the 2014 election."