A petition is going around a Chatham-Kent community asking residents whether the area should become its own municipality and join Lambton County.
A group of residents in Bothwell created the petition in September of 2024 after years of frustration over what they call a lack of support for rural communities from CK’s council.
One of these people is Emery Huszka.
He told CK News Today the bad has outweighed the good since the municipalities of Kent County were amalgamated in 1998.
Huszka explained one of the final straws was council potentially cutting rural services during the 2025 budget deliberations.
“The fact that they even considered that as an option is just insulting,” he said.
None of the cuts were approved as they were recommendations brought forward by administration after a motion from Councillor Ryan Doyle.
There’s also frustration in the community after council cut dust control services and is leaning towards reducing the number of rural councillors. Bothwell is in Ward 3 which currently has two councillors, however, a suggestion from a company hired to review council and its boundaries suggests going down to one representative.
“We feel local governance would be better served if we had more legitimate say in what we do,” Huszka added.
Huszka couldn’t say how many people have signed the petition, but noted they should have a majority of the community by the end of the month. According to the 2021 census, Bothwell has over 900 residents.
Afterward, they plan on sending the petition to the Ontario government.
In a statement, Steve Pinsonneault, the MPP for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex, mentioned he was aware of the situation.
“While I cannot predict the province’s position on this specific petition, I believe it is essential for all stakeholders, residents, local leaders, and provincial authorities to be part of a thorough consultation process,” he said.
Pinsonneault added, before any decision is made, there needs to be a deep dive into what the impact would be on the community, Lambton County, and Chatham-Kent.
John Wright, one of two CK councillors representing Bothwell, shared with CK News Today he recently found out about the petition. He said he understands why residents are frustrated.
“You can’t keep taking and taking and [expect them not] to get upset. That’s basically what they are saying and I kind of agree with them,” added Wright.
He noted he plans to stay neutral on the matter.