Boundary reviews at various stages for Shelburne County units

Mandatory reviews of municipal polling districts and the number of municipal councillors that must be conducted every eight years are at various stages for the five municipal units in Shelburne County.

The review taking place this year is in preparation for the next municipal election in 2024.

“The Town of Shelburne has not begun the mandatory review process, as of yet,” said CAO Sherry Doane. “We are just in the initial stages at this moment.”

Doane said once the process is underway, there will be opportunities for public input.

In the Municipality of Barrington, “the first phase of the review is to determine if the current five municipal polling districts are still the appropriate number,” states its website. “The second part of the review will look at the districts to make sure that there are about the same number of voters in each district."

The website posting notes the target is for districts to be within plus or minus 10 percent of each other. Any variance exceeding this target must be justified by the municipality in its application to the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board. Factors that may support higher variances include the need to accommodate population density, community of interest or geographic size.

In January, municipal council directed the CAO to commence the boundary review with the intention of retaining the status quo with minor changes being made where necessary and with particular attention being given to the boundary between District 2 and District 5 in the Oak Park – Riverhead area, as that boundary has caused some confusion to residents in the past.

Although the status quo is the intended outcome, members of the public will have an opportunity to

express their views on the size of council and the location of municipal polling districts boundaries at three open houses in July where municipal staff will provide background information on the review and provide the opportunity for questions and feedback on the size of council.

The open houses are scheduled for July 13 at the Island and Barrington Passage Fire Hall, July 20 at the Barrington/Port LaTour Fire Hall, and July 27 at the Woods Harbour Community Centre. All will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. The municipality will also be publishing an online survey on their website where residents can have their say, starting July 1.

In the Municipality of Shelburne, an RFP (request for proposals) for a Governance and Boundary Review was issued earlier this year and awarded to C&D Community Design, Yarmouth.

Company representatives Raleigh King and Derek Robertson presented their initial report to municipal council on June 22, outlining three options: the status quo, reduce the number of polling districts and councillors from seven to five; or reduce the number of polling districts and councillors to four and elect a mayor at large for a five-member council.

A public engagement process including two public meetings and an online survey will be the next steps in the review, King told council.

“The Public Engagement portion will place a strong focus on gaining public opinion on the three scenarios asking the community to provide feedback on the three scenarios for council composition… Allowing the public the opportunity to provide its valuable input is a key component of the decision-making process leading to an application by a municipality or town,” reads the phase one report.

The Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board is responsible for reviewing applications and ensuring they follow the Municipal Government Act to review both the number of municipal councillors as well as district boundaries.

In the Town of Clark’s Harbour, “the Town asked for public consult back in March, with no replies, so we will be going status quo, four councillors and one mayor elected at large,” says clerk treasurer Jennifer Jones. “The size of Council was downsized in 2020 at the last election and approval from the Utility and Review Board was received in 2017.”