Big wards, big challenge

John Baert, a candidate for school trustee in the Louis Riel School Division, believes that the current nine-ward system is far too large for candidates to effectively represent all voters. As a father of a Grade 12 student and a nominee for Ward 4, which includes Royalwood, Southdale, Sage Creek and Island Lakes, Baert has been actively canvassing door-to-door, tracking his efforts on a Garmin watch.

He estimates that he is about 60 per cent of the way to his goal of hitting every single door in the ward, but acknowledges that the extensive ward boundaries make it difficult for candidates, especially those with full-time jobs, to reach every eligible voter. Baert plans to lobby for a universal one-ward, one-trustee system if elected, citing the need for a level playing field and more equitable representation for underrepresented groups.

However, not everyone agrees with the idea of shrinking wards. The Winnipeg School Division, Manitoba's largest, is an outlier with nine wards covering nine distinct areas in inner-city and central neighbourhoods. Just Elections, a coalition of community organizations, has called for changes to election financing rules and boundary drawing.

Retired principal Suni Matthews, a member of Just Elections, has expressed disappointment in the lack of political will to reduce ward sizes and believes that a one-ward, one-trustee system would create a more level playing field.