Port Hope deputy mayor explains ward boundary and council representation review as public consultations begin

Since the amalgamation of the town of Port Hope and the former Hope Township in 2001, it has been a strained marriage. Taxes, services, and the urban versus rural tensions have fueled heated debates over the years. The ongoing battle over the handling of a low-level radioactive waste reserve fund used to compensate rural residents went all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, only to be dismissed. You will learn more about what that is in the interview. There were also attempts to reverse the amalgamation in 2014. Those went nowhere. The current system divides the municipality into two Wards, with Ward 1 consisting mainly of urban residents living in the town. It has four councillors. Then, there is Ward 2, which is primarily rural residents. It has two councillors. The mayor is elected by both wards. In this interview, Port Hope Deputy Mayor Viki Mink will discuss a public review of the boundaries and ward system initiated by council recently. She will discuss the fairness of the current system and its ability to represent both urban and rural residents. Mink will also explore the rationale for the review and the nearly quarter of a million dollars being spent on this just before a municipal election next fall.