John Matheson with Strategy Corp gives an interim report on a ward boundary review at a special meeting of council on December 13, 2016. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)John Matheson with Strategy Corp gives an interim report on a ward boundary review at a special meeting of council on December 13, 2016. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
Windsor

Tecumseh Boundary Review Recommendation Coming Soon

Tecumseh is getting closer to a decision that could see council and electoral ward changes.

A final recommendation is due in January.

John Matheson, a partner with Strategy Corp which is handling the review for the town, recently gave council his interim report. He highlighted the balancing act councillors will have to consider when making a decision.

Consultant John Matheson was hired to help the Town of Tecumseh to review its ward boundaries and electoral system. Photo taken October 27, 2016. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza) Consultant John Matheson was hired to help the Town of Tecumseh to review its ward boundaries and electoral system. Photo taken October 27, 2016. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)

"There is a lot of attachment to some of the old boundaries and the old parts of the community, and yet at the same time there's also a fair degree of a sense that, 'It's time to think of the place as one big Tecumseh,'" says Matheson.

A questionnaire regarding the review was available to residents until November 30. Consultations over the potential changes began in the summer.

Matheson says the recent meeting with councillors was important as they tend to know the wards quite well and gave him more to consider.

"In a lot of cases they know exactly which church or which community centre needs to be on which side of the line in order to have it make sense," says Matheson.

Tecumseh is proving trick though in settling on a preferred option.

Matheson says there are inherent challenges.

"The shape of the municipality doesn't make it easy to distribute population in because it's clustered in a couple of places," says Matheson. "The people are where they are and unless you have really bizarrely shaped wards, you kind of can't get away from the fact that the population is where it is."

The review was sparked by projections showing the town's current Ward 3 — between County Rd. 22 and County Rd. 42 —is set to grow by roughly 6,000 people by 2031 while another 1,000 new residents would fill out the rest of the town.

Read More Local Stories