Community Building Through Wards
This is a subject that’s come up a few times lately in the various FB groups dedicated to the election. I’ve been advocating for wards for a long time. When living in Toronto, one of the many things I appreciated was their ward system. The interconnected nature of Neighbourhood Associations (NAs), Business Improvement Associations (BIAs), government representatives, and residents really helped build community. Ward Councillors sat on the boards of BIAs and NAs, and were the advocate and conduit through which ideas and requests flowed to Council.
This is about wards, but it’s ultimately about community building. I’ve had more than a few conversations where I said something like, “this is a great example of why wards would be good”. Often it was someone expressing frustration about emailing every Councillor and not getting a response, or feeling like someone at the City in a department just didn’t understand their concern. There has been a decline in our social ties, and I think we can all feel it. I only know the neighbours on one side of me, and rarely talk to the folks across the street. Some of that is my fault - I’m busy, rarely home, and kind of shy - but some of that is certainly systemic. I pulled a quote from a 2017 study by Jim Diers, a municipal administrator and author from Seattle (with the link below), that I think really hit hard in the context of some of our challenges:
“Police departments typically fail to understand that the safest blocks are the ones that focus not on safety but on building community. Rather than simply teach people how to be secure in their homes and watch for strangers, residents should be encouraged to get out of their homes and connect with neighbours on a regular basis. It is much more sustainable for people to engage with one another around their wide range of interests rather than the police department’s narrow public safety agenda”
I don’t view this as a criticism of police, but rather a call to action that people need to take the charge of community building from the ground up. One way to open that possibility up is to establish wards. Residents would have direct connections to a person who lives in their neighbourhood, drives their streets, and understands their challenges because they share them. We are probably too small by population to have wards, but geographically I believe we have enough disparate needs to make wards make sense. Residents on The Hill will have different needs and wants than folks in new sub-developments like Vista and Sierra. Folks in Crestwood might really want to see a community centre and athletic space eventually replace the aging Crestwood Pool, and residents of Ranchlands might want bus routes to come through their area. While Councillors need to take the best interests of the city as a whole, it can also help to have someone who shares your area-specific concerns.
I think there can be economic and population benefits as well. Medicine Hat’s Local Immigration Partnership published a guide to their vision in 2022 with some wonderful insights into welcoming newcomers to our city, creating a sense of belonging, and a culture of inclusion. I’m linking the whole document below, but there are some highlights I think are important. 9,500 Hatters were set to retire in the decade from 2019-2029, which we’re more than halfway through. We don’t have enough working population to replace them. Immigrants who have been in Canada for more than a decade have higher rates of business ownership than Canadian-born individuals. More than half of newcomers to Medicine Hat reported difficulty finding information and needed services upon arrival to our city.
Wards are not a magical solution to the challenges outlined here. But they are a great start. There has been some conversation around shrinking the size of Council, and we might be on the precipice of an opportunity for wholesale change. In that spirit, I would propose the following:
Shrink Council to 6 full-time Councillors,
Divide Medicine Hat into 5 wards:
Ward 1, NECH. From the river to Parkview Drive, and from Division Ave. N. to the eastern boundary of the city.
Ward 2, NWCH. From the river to Rotary Centennial Dive, and from Division Ave. N. to the western boundary of the city.
Ward 3, Core. From the river to Kin Coullee / Kipling St / Spencer St. S. Railway and spanning the eastern and western boundaries of the city.
Ward 4, East. From the #1 highway in the west to the eastern boundary, and from Kin Coullee / Kipling St / Spencer St. S. Railway to the south boundary of Taylor.
Ward 5, South. Everything to the southwest of the #1 highway. I would propose two Councillors in this ward, understanding that this is the area of the city likely to have the largest population growth in the coming decades. The East & South wards may eventually comprise three instead of two.
I don’t want to get too hung up on the specific boundaries just yet. I’m more interested in the principles. Obviously we’d need to determine how balanced the idea is from a population standpoint, both now and in future projections. I think there can be a long-term economic benefit as well. Obviously community building can have a net positive effect on having people stay here and make roots. I’m thinking particularly of folks who come to MHC for degree and diploma programs and often move on. But better, more connected, safe communities are more enticing to young families.
Population growth simply will not come from birth. Canada-wide, birth rates have been steadily declining for decades. Any meaningful growth we see here will come from immigration and migration. And, we have always been lean in the 20-40 age range. As of 2024, roughly one-third of our population is over 50, meaning many of that cohort have exited or will soon exit the workforce. Immigrants to Canada are overwhelmingly under 40 years old. Shifting that curve in favour of 20-40 year old working professionals benefits restaurants, retail, service, grocery, real estate, vehicles, and myriad other industries. Enticing immigrants and migrants to come here, make roots, start families, and open businesses will grow our population and contribute to the overall vibrancy of our communities. I firmly believe wards are one of many steps to bolster our future success.
Here are a few helpful links I used while writing this:
https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/if-you-want-to-build-community-start-where-the-People-are
https://shapeyourcity.medicinehat.ca/neighbourhood-associations
https://mhlip.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Little-Book-of-LIP-1-1.pdf
https://www.medicinehat.ca/medicine-hat-economic-development/reports-resources/llmp-reports/
Looking forward to meeting new neighbours,
- Adam
