Council approves ward boundary changes in heated moments
Posted Mar 14, 2016 12:44 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
City council has approved new changes to ward boundaries in Calgary.
The motion carried 13-2 Monday morning, with only Mayor Naheed Nenshi and Andre Chabot voting against it.
There was a heated exchange between Nenshi and councillor Sean Chu as he expressed concern his home in Sandstone would move out of Ward 4.
“This is political,” Chu said, at which point Nenshi cut in.
“I’m cutting you off, because you’re making assertions about your fellow members of council that are not founded,” Nenshi said.
However, council did end up voting against the amendment that would see that neighbourhood added to Ward 3.
Councillor Druh Farrell said that it was a tough thing to vote on, but it’s important to remember they don’t own the wards they represent.
“We’re simply stewards and temporary ones at that,” Farrell said. “So that’s why it’s so difficult for councillors to have to vote on their own ward boundaries and we have to detach ourselves from that, it’s difficult to do, but it’s important.”
The changes will go into effect in October 2017 when the next municipal election happens.
