Why County Council should lead — not hide behind a ballot question.
Summary:
Prince Edward County plans to ask voters in 2026 whether to hold a third-party review of council size and ward boundaries. It sounds democratic, but it’s not.
A referendum is costly, non-binding, and a way for council to avoid making a decision it was elected to make. Dozens of Ontario municipalities have reviewed or reduced council size without referendums. County Council can — and should — do the same.
The Latest Delay Tactic
Prince Edward County Council is proposing a ballot question for the 2026 election:
“Are you in favour of a third-party review of Council size and related ward boundary changes?”
At first glance, it sounds reasonable. Who wouldn’t want public input?
But this is the wrong question — and the wrong process.
Referendums are non-binding unless more than 50% of eligible voters participate, according to Ontario’s Municipal Elections Act. In 2022, only 39% of County voters cast a ballot. That means even if 100% of voters said “yes,” the result wouldn’t legally count.
So why do it? Because a referendum lets council look active while doing nothing.
A Council Afraid to Decide
Council already has the authority to review its size and wards under Section 222 of the Municipal Act, 2001.
Dozens of municipalities have done so — through internal committees, consultants, or staff-led studies — without hiding behind a public vote.
Examples:
- City of Belleville: reduced council from 10 to 8 councillors in 2006 after internal review.
- City of Kingston: restructured wards and council composition through a 2012 governance review — no referendum.
- Municipality of North Perth: reduced from 10 to 7 councillors in 2020 based on consultant recommendations.
- City of Guelph: approved a boundary and council review in 2021 with direct council vote.
None required a ballot question. All followed public consultation and independent analysis — exactly what County Council could do today.
A referendum doesn’t strengthen democracy; it outsources leadership.
The Cost of Avoidance
Running a ballot question alongside an election isn’t free. The County Clerk’s Office estimates additional costs for printing, tabulation, and outreach could exceed $80,000–$100,000.
That’s money that could instead fund a professional governance review completed in six months for less than half that cost.
Even worse, the referendum will delay reform until 2027 or later — meaning the next council will inherit the same problem this one refused to fix.
A History of Inaction
Prince Edward County has wrestled with this issue for more than a decade.
The last serious governance review was in 2012, when the County reduced from 15 to 10 wards and from 16 to 14 councillors.
That process took two years, involved consultants and public meetings, and delivered meaningful change — without a referendum.
Since then, council size has remained unchanged despite repeated calls for streamlining. With 14 councillors serving 27,000 residents, the County has one of the highest councillor-to-resident ratios in Ontario — about 1 per 1,900, compared to 1 per 5,500 in Belleville or 1 per 8,000 in Quinte West.
The County doesn’t need another question. It needs a decision.
What Strong Leadership Looks Like
Governance reform is complex, but it’s also straightforward:
Council can pass a motion to commission a third-party governance and boundary review — without a referendum — and implement it before 2026.
That’s what responsible governments do:
- They study.
- They consult.
- They decide.
Democracy isn’t weakened by council action — it’s weakened by indecision disguised as consultation.
The Bottom Line
A ballot question on council size isn’t democracy. It’s delay.
Prince Edward County residents have been waiting more than a decade for a smaller, more efficient, and more focused council.
If councillors believe reform is needed — and nearly all have said it is — then they should have the courage to act, not defer.
The County doesn’t need a referendum.
It needs representation that works.