Written By David Gomez, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
MIDDLESEX COUNTY – County councillors discussed the Village of Newbury’s request for a seat on County Council during their October 7 meeting, after receiving formal correspondence from the Council of the Village expressing concern over its lack of representation.
Councillor Colin Grantham raised the topic, seeking clarification about why Newbury does not currently hold a seat. “I wonder if someone could enlighten me as to why they don’t have a seat at the Council currently,” Grantham said.
County Clerk Marci Ivanic explained that the County’s representation by-law requires municipalities to have at least 1,500 electors to qualify for a seat. “Newbury, historically, has not met that number of electors,” she said, noting that the threshold has prevented the village from having a representative at the County table.
Councillor Allan Mayhew voiced his support for reviewing the arrangement in the future, calling the situation “taxation without representation.” He added that granting Newbury a seat “would not impede our governance” and said it might be worth revisiting “when you look at democracy and taxation and the contribution” the village makes.
CAO Paul Shipway provided additional context, noting that the existing council composition by-law was created under the former Municipal Act and later “grandfathered in from a legislative perspective.” He said that although the by-law “likely does merit review and update,” it would be difficult to do so before the next municipal election due to legislative timelines. “It could likely be referred to the 2027 budget process and then completed in 2027 if it’s the will of council,” Shipway said.
Shipway also reminded councillors that the discussion originated from Newbury’s request to integrate its Official Plan into the County’s plan, after the province found the village’s current version did not meet planning standards. “This is the correspondence that came back,” he said. “We will now seek clarity on what Newbury would like us to do with their Official Plan request as well.”
