Comment: What we REALLY need is a ward system 4 wards 2 councilors in each ward. (additional comments)...

First, I did clarify in another comment, Red Deerians voted about 75% Against the idea of a Ward system back in, 2013 I believe, but perhaps it's almost time to reconsider this. 

https://www.reddeeradvocate.com/news/red-deer-rejects-ward-system-7085853

My Response: I actually agree with you. This is the first city I’ve lived in that doesn’t use a ward system. When I ran for municipal council in Ontario, I ran as a Councillor-At-Large because of the large rural population. That community was piloting a hybrid model—some councillors elected by ward and others at-large—and, twenty years later, that structure is still in place.

Here in Red Deer, I live in Riverside Meadows, so if representation were strictly ward-based, I’d naturally be most focused on issues affecting Riverside, Capstone, and North Downtown. Without wards, I’m responsible for the whole city, which I feel I can do. That said, I believe that even a hybrid ward/at-large system would provide a stronger balance and be far better than having no wards at all.


In another post I commented about the challenges of properly informing the residents on development projects without a Ward system, referring to the number of people who were "more than 100 metres" from the Clearview North bylaw amendment announcement.