Committee approves adding 24th councillor to Ottawa city council

OTTAWA — Ottawa's Finance and Economic Development Committee (FEDCo) has approved a plan that would see an extra seat added to the city council chambers.

FEDCo voted Tuesday in favour of a plan to redraw Ottawa's ward boundaries to address population growth, and add a 24th ward in time for the next election.

There are currently 23 wards in Ottawa.

The plan must still be approved by full city council on Dec. 9. There would be 12 urban wards, nine suburban wards and three rural wards in 2022.

Adding a new ward to the City of Ottawa would include an estimated one-time cost of $100,000, as well as ongoing costs estimated to be $492,000 a year. The $492,000 a year includes the salary and benefits for new councillor, along with an office budget.

The average population for the 24 wards would be 47,900 in 2026, according to a report prepared for the committee.

The committee also voted to make changes to some of the proposed boundaries of future east-end wards, splitting the current Cumberland ward into three pieces, adding parts of it to the Orléans and Osgoode wards.

Another approved change was moving some of the lines around Capital and River wards to keep the future Ottawa Hospital project in the same ward, River ward Coun. Riley Brockington said.

The last Ward Boundary Review in 2005 established the city's current 23 wards.

With files from CTVNewsOttawa.ca's Josh Pringle.