City of London Ward Boundary Review Public Feedback Survey: Phase 2 - Evaluation of Alternative Ward Boundaries Options

The City of London is undertaking a comprehensive review of the City's ward boundaries. A ward is a geographical division of the city for administrative or political purposes. A ward boundary review is a task conducted on behalf of a municipality to assess whether the present electoral structure and wards constitute an effective, equitable and democratic system of representation and, if not, to propose alternatives.

The overall objective of this review is to establish fair and equitable representation of the residents at the city council table. The City is growing, and settlement patterns are changing. Have things changed enough within London that the electoral wards need to be adjusted?

London is committed to involving citizens, businesses and community partners in conversations about municipal decisions that interest and/or impact them, including this ward boundary review.

This survey is important because it will help the consultants to understand how the citizens of London view the current electoral arrangement. Your wisdom and insight will enable the consulting team to provide thoughtful recommendations to your Council.

The survey is quite short and will take only a few minutes to complete and will be available until November 11, 2024 at 11:59PM. Please share it with friends, family, and neighbours.

To help you prepare to answer this survey and understand the changes being discussed, there are informative and interactive maps and other materials that can be found on the project webpage: getinvolved.london.ca/ward-boundary-review

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* 1. What is your postal code? (Optional)

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* 2. What best describes you?

I live in London

I work in London

I live and work in London

None of the above

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* 3. How long have you lived in London?

0-5 Years

6-10 Years

10+ Years

I do not live in London

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City of London Ward Map

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* 4. Which ward do you live in? (See map above)
Interactive Map

Ward 1

Ward 2

Ward 3

Ward 4

Ward 5

Ward 6

Ward 7

Ward 8

Ward 9

Ward 10

Ward 11

Ward 12

Ward 13

Ward 14

I don't know

Not applicable

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* 5. Which neighbourhood in London do you live in?

Current Council Composition and Ward Boundaries
London's Council is made up of a Mayor, and fourteen (14) Councillors (one who also serves as Deputy Mayor). There are fourteen (14) wards with one local Councillor elected in each ward. The Mayor is elected at-large by all residents of the City and appoints the Deputy Mayor from Council. The City's current ward configuration was established in 2017.

One guiding principle for this review is representation by population. For the London ward boundary review, a population variance between plus or minus 15 percent of what is called the “optimal” ward population are generally accepted as the maximum variance to achieve voter parity. The following table outlines the current ward system and the population variances where:
"O" represents ward populations that are plus or minus 5% away from the optimal (average) ward population;
"O+/O-" represents ward populations that are above/below the 5% variance but within the 15% acceptable range;
"OR+/OR-" represents ward populations that are above/below the 15% optimal population variance.

Note: Total population includes undercount of approximately 3% and includes 24,430 student population not captured in Census.

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* 6. Please indicate the ONE guiding principle that should be given the greatest priority to ensure effective voter representation as we assess the current ward makeup in London:

Balancing the current population distribution among the wards: Ensure that residents are equitably represented, have comparable access to their elected representative, and the wards have reasonably equal population totals;

Balancing the future population distribution among the wards based on projections: Take account of anticipated population growth in the City of London, specifically over a two-election cycle (2026, 2030) and beyond;

Geographic Representation: Ward boundaries will be drawn impartially and with consideration for natural and man-made features within the City of London that may serve as effective internal boundaries;

Respecting established neighbourhoods and communities (communities of interest): Consider residential and commercial clusters but also geographic, social, historical, economic, and/or cultural factors, including the identifiable rural and agricultural component of the City of London.

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* 7. Do you prefer that wards continue to be named and identified by number (i.e. Ward 1, Ward 2) or would you prefer the wards have names (i.e. Lambeth Ward, Byron Ward)?

Numbers

Names

No preference

City of London Ward Boundary Review Public Feedback Survey: Phase 2 - Evaluation of Alternative Ward Boundaries Options

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* 1. What is your postal code? (Optional)

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* 2. What best describes you?

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* 3. How long have you lived in London?

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City of London Ward Map

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* 4. Which ward do you live in? (See map above)Interactive Map

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* 5. Which neighbourhood in London do you live in?

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* 6. Please indicate the ONE guiding principle that should be given the greatest priority to ensure effective voter representation as we assess the current ward makeup in London:

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* 7. Do you prefer that wards continue to be named and identified by number (i.e. Ward 1, Ward 2) or would you prefer the wards have names (i.e. Lambeth Ward, Byron Ward)?

* 4. Which ward do you live in? (See map above)
Interactive Map