Political makeup of Burlington could change following boundary review

Burlington is considering a change to its political landscape.

The city is in the midst of a review that could determine if ward boundaries should be changed or added and with that, an increase in the number of people who sit on council.

Currently, Burlington council is comprised of an elected mayor and six councillors. Each councillor represents one ward in Burlington and also sits on Halton Region council.

A city report indicates a boundary review helps plan for the future and ensures voters are represented equally in the local government decision-making process.

The last ward boundary review for Burlington was done in 2005 when the city’s population was 139,000. Since then, the city’s population has grown to approximately 186,948 (2021 census). Over the next 25 years, the city will continue to grow. Approximately 265,000 people are expected to call Burlington home by 2051.

The review of the current political landscape will determine if the current number of councillors and the coverage they provide are adequate for the community. The result could lead to additional wards and more councillors.

As part of a review, the city has already held a number of public engagement sessions and now an online survey can be filled out to provide imput.

The survey is open until Nov. 3 and can be found here.

Input gathered from the community will be used to help inform a report that will go to city council for consideration in December.

Another phase of the review is expected to start early in 2025. More information will be shared on getinvolvedburlington.ca/boundaryreview later this year.