As London’s population grows, is it time to change ward boundaries?

London is getting ready to study its ward boundaries, which have been in place for the past two election cycles. Baked into the process is a study of how each ward is growing, or not, to rejig boundaries. LFP’s Jack Moulton takes a look at how the process works and potential areas of focus.

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How does changing ward boundaries work?

Under the province’s Municipal Act, cities have the power to divide up their boundaries into electoral wards. In many Ontario cities, London included, each ward elects a city councillor, and the mayor is elected by the whole city.

The act leaves it up to the city to decide when and if to change ward boundaries. Refreshing the boundaries regularly can ensure representation as the city’s demographics and population change.

When was the last time London changed boundaries?

The existing 14-ward map has been in use since 2017, when council decided to make relatively minor changes to several wards:

• Ward 6’s northwestern point was expanded north from Gainsborough Road to Fanshawe Park Road, bordered by Wonderland Road and Medway Creek.
• Ward 10’s southern border was expanded south on Wharncliffe Road to Wonderland Road from Southdale Road.
• Ward 12 swallowed up the area bordered by Southdale, White Oaks, Exeter and Wharncliffe roads.
• Ward 13’s western border was expanded from Beaverbrook Avenue to Wonderland Road.

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An attempt in 2021 to tweak the boundaries, primarily shrinking Ward 7 and expanding Ward 2, was shot down.

So, what’s on the table now?

The process is just getting started, so no changes have been proposed. At Tuesday’s meeting of the strategic priorities and policy committee, politicians will receive a rundown of the process from a consulting group.

Included are the current wards, the structure of London’s city council compared to neighboring cities, and the city’s population growth between 2011 and 2021 broken down by ward. It also outlines the timeline with which council is working to make changes.

What does the data show?

According to census data from 2021, Ward 7 is the most populous in the city by a wide margin, home to more than 40,000 people. The next most populous wards, 4, 5, 9, 10, 12, and 13 had between 30,000 and 35,000 residents, according to a range presented by consultants Watson & Associates Economist Ltd.

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Then-Ward 7 Coun. Josh Morgan argued in 2021 that the fasted growing ward in the city with the largest population could create imbalanced wards by the time a full review was done. He wanted roughly 5,000 people in the Masonville-area moved to Ward 5, which was denied.

Also using census population data, the consultants mapped out the wards which saw the most population growth between 2011 and 2021. Data shows that wards 7 and 9 saw more than 7,500 people move to the area, while wards 3 and 5 also saw gains of between 5,000 and 7,500 residents.

On the other side of the equation, two wards actually saw a population decline over the 10 year period: wards 2 and 11. Also in 2021, Ward 2 Coun. Shawn Lewis wanted to absorb 651 residents from Ward 4, which similarly failed.

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What are the next steps?

After consulting with councilors and the community, consultants say they aim to have recommendations drafted for council before the end of the year. Politicians must pass a bylaw with the changes by Dec. 31, 2025, to take effect for the next election on Oct. 26, 2026.

[email protected]

@jackmoulton65

Editor’s note: A previous version of this story contained data findings that have since been replaced by the authors. No explanation was given for the discrepancy.

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