Staring into a corner

The bug is once again in the region’s ear that they perhaps need to do a little spring-cleaning.   Open up the doors, air out the room and perhaps send a few councillors out the door (most likely those with an Oshawa logo pinned to their lapel).

For the third time in its history, the Region of Durham is looking into restructuring its council’s composition.

The first time saw council drop from 32 to 30 members in 1988, then from 30 to its current 28 members in 1998. Over the course of two shuffles, the only changes came in the form of Ajax and Whitby each gaining a seat, Clarington losing one, and Oshawa dropping three. Brock, Pickering and Scugog have all remained the same.

Now, it would seem Oshawa’s seats at the table are once again on the chopping block, and the idea makes sense if you only consider the region’s perspective, and the factors listed in an early report from the Regional Council Composition Review committee.

The report is based purely on numbers, plain and simple; population sizes, assessed values, number of households, number of electors. And looking at the numbers, the region has drastically changed over the last 20 years, with Oshawa no longer dominating the other areas in size or population. So why should they remain the dominant party in the council chambers?

Well, when an interior designer walks into a room, looking to spruce things up, he or she doesn’t just study one corner, then decide where everything is going to go, but instead looks at the entire room.

Right now, the composition committee is staring into a corner.

By looking at only the numbers, they are missing some of the big factors that make it essential for Oshawa to have many seats at the table.

Councillor Bob Chapman should be commended for raising a very salient issue at the first meeting of the review committee, the fact that the transient population of students may not have been considered as part of the review, and it’s a good point.

In 2014/2015, more than 18,000 students were collectively enrolled at either Durham College, UOIT or Trent. Conservative enrolment projections see that number rising to more than 22,500 students in the next five years.

While the participation in municipal politics of the youth market is at an extreme low point, this is irrelevant when you consider these students are still affected by the decisions made at the regional level regarding transit, affordable housing and the like.

It was also noted that economic factors were not considered as part of the review, as in which municipalities are bringing in the most money – that point was raised by Gary Valcour with the Oshawa Port Authority.

While it is still early in the process, this committee really needs to open its eyes to the bigger picture, or else the citizens of Oshawa could be losing some valuable voices at the regional table.