School board to decide this month if Halton Hills will get second trustee

Public school supporters in Burlington may have to forgo one of their trustees to boost board representation in Halton Hills. At just four trustees, Burlington will be on par with Oakville, which has 9,000 fewer public school supporters. And the more than 119,500 local voters currently divided among six wards in the city, may be shuffled around to achieve more even distribution among the four remaining trustees. Currently just one trustee represents more than 39,800 public school supporters that live in Halton Hills, which encompasses Georgetown, Acton and its surrounding rural areas. It's good news for longtime Halton Hills Trustee Ethel Gardiner. "In the last (2003) election Halton Hills was close to getting a second trustee. This is such a complex and large geographic area we need one," said Gardiner. Milton also has one trustee for just over 36,900 taxpayers. Last month the Halton board opted to wait until April to make its final decision as to how it will distribute its 11 trustees. According to Wayne Joudrie, the education board's director, "there might be a horse race between Halton Hills and Milton as to who gets two trustees and who remains with just one." Growth in both north Halton communities is prompting this trustee rearrangement. Regional population increases aren't high enough yet to warrant adding a 12th trustee to the board, states an electoral population report prepared by The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC). The provincial agency tabulates and divides voters into one of four categories: English public, English Catholic, French Public and French Catholic. The board is waiting on an updated electoral group report from MPAC, based on January assessment. The change in trustee distribution is expected to be on the municipal election ballot slated for November.