Severn Township residents will want to pay extra attention to their voter notification cards before casting ballots in next month’s municipal election.
For the first time in the township’s history, since it was formed after the amalgamation of Coldwater and the townships of Matchedash and Orillia in 1994, Severn’s ward boundaries have been redrawn.
“It had been long overdue,” said township clerk Sharon Goerke.
Prior to every municipal election, Goerke has provided council with a report on the five wards and how many electors live in each one. Until now, council had opted for the status quo.
“The concept is equal representation in each ward,” Goerke said. “Ward 3 was a lot bigger than the rest (in terms of the number of electors) and Ward 4 has seen a lot of growth.”
Ward 4 includes the Westshore area, along Lake Couchiching, and it is poised for continued growth.
Electors will be notified of the changes when they receive their voter notification cards. That information is also available on the election page on the township’s website.
The wards are referred to as follows: Matchedash (Ward 1), Coldwater (Ward 2), Marchmont (Ward 3), Westshore (Ward 4) and Washago (Ward 5).
