The City of Ottawa is reviewing the boundaries of its 23 wards for the first time since 2005. Ottawa has seen considerable population growth in the last 15 years, with some wards growing twice as fast as others. Periodic reviews aim to balance population numbers and achieve effective representation.

There are two rounds of public consultation during which residents and businesses will be able to share their thoughts:

Round 1 takes place from March 4 to April 3 and is focused on changes the public wants to see to current ward boundaries. For example, how issues with current ward boundaries might be rectified, how many wards Ottawa should have and how many people there should be in each ward.

In light of Ottawa Public Health’s social distancing recommendation, in-person meetings for this round have been cancelled. Residents and stakeholders are instead encouraged to complete the online survey, submit input through the guestbook, or provide written input to wardboundary@ottawa.ca. Presentation slides and a comprehensive background document are available on the project website.

Round 2, which begins June 12 and runs until September 20, will collect thoughts on some proposed options.