Ward 3 is the west side of Orillia, and it is growing fastest.
New subdivisions, young households, and services that have to keep up. Here is what the ward is, who represents it, and why this is the seat worth fighting for.
Where Ward 3 is, in plain terms.
Orillia has been divided into four wards since 1999, and each ward elects two of the eight city councillors. Ward 3 covers the part of the city on the west side of Highway 11, taking in West Ridge, where a large share of Orillia’s newer housing has been built.
That makes it a ward of arrivals: families who chose Orillia recently, students at the campuses on this side of town, and long time residents watching the fields fill in. Wards like this get a lot of new roofs and, if nobody pushes, not much else.
Who votes here: the people voting for the two Ward 3 seats have to be resident in Ward 3 or have businesses in Ward 3. If you are not sure which ward your address falls in, the City Clerk’s office will confirm it.
- West of Highway 11, including the West Ridge community
- Two city councillors elected here, with the mayor elected city wide
- Voted on by Ward 3 residents and by people with businesses in Ward 3
- Orchard Park Public School and Notre Dame Catholic School, with Twin Lakes and Orillia Secondary for high school
- West Orillia Sports Complex, West Ridge Park and the Scout Valley trails
- Everyday shopping at SmartCentres Orillia
Why this seat, and why now.
For nine years I have built things in this city the slow way: with volunteers, borrowed rooms, potluck tables and a lot of phone calls. A festival that started as a few families is now something the whole city shows up to. A Facebook group is now an association that answers the phone when a newcomer family does not know where to start.
None of that needed a title. All of it would have been faster with one. Council is where the decisions that shape Ward 3 actually get made, on housing, on roads and sidewalks, on what gets built and what gets funded. I would rather be in that room asking the questions than outside it hoping somebody else does.
Tell me what your street needs.
A missing crossing, a bus that comes at the wrong time, a park nobody maintains, a permit that took a year. Specifics beat slogans, and they are what I will carry into the council chamber. Write to vote4alasoba@orilliaward3.ca or call +1 705 345 8006.