Lambton County, Ontario Canada Minutes of the Western District Council

The following are extracted from the minutes of the Western District Council.

On the 6th October, 1846, Mr. Larwill, who was the representative from Raleigh Township, in the County of Kent, gave notice of a petition ,on Friday next, from the inhabitants of Kent, relative to a division of the District. That was on the first day of the session. On the 9th October, the fourth day, he asked leave to defer his petition on the subject of a division of the District. On October 10th he presented a petition praying a division of the District,, which was adopted; but the petition does not appear in the minutes.

On the 2nd February, 1847, the first day of the session, Mr. Durand, who was the representative from. Sarnia Township, seconded by Mr. Girty, the representative from Gosfield Township in the County of Essex, moved that Messrs. Durand, Hyde, Johnston and Larwill, Hyde being the representative from Plympton, and Johnston from Sombra, be appointed a committee to draft a petition to the Legislature to divide the County of Kent into two Districts.

On the 12th October, 1847, Mr. Hyde moved, seconded by Mr. Fisher, representative from Moore and Enniskillen, that the Committee appointed last session to draft a petition to the Legislature to divide the County of Kent into two Districts, have leave to act this session. Later in the day Mr. Hyde moved, seconded by Mr. Johnston, that the Committee appointed in the February session, to draft a petition to the Legislature to make the County of Kent into two Districts, be allowed to make their report at the next session of the Council, and these were carried.

On the 4th February, 1848, Mr. Durand, of the committee to draft a petition to the Legislature for the formation of the ten townships of the County of Kent into a new District, presented the draft of a petition Mr. Hyde moved, seconded by Mr. McLeod, representative from Malden, in Essex County, that the draft of petition presented by Mr. Durand be adopted.

Mr. Larwill moved in amendment, seconded by Mr. Thompson that the petition be not adopted. (They were evidently not well up in Parliamentary procedure, as the amendment was simply a negative and should not have been allowed). The amendment being put, the HOUSE (so called in the minutes) was counted and the votes for and against the amendment were as follows: For the amendment-Allan (Anderdon), Crow (Chatham), Duck (Howard) Hetherington (Romney), Johnston (Sombra), Larwill (Raleigh), Mitchell (Dover), Ruddle (Deputy Reeve Howard), Simpson (Tilbury East), James Smith (Dawn), Thompson (Harwich), and Young (Deputy Reeve, Harwich)-12. Against it-Messrs. Baby, (Deputy Reeve, Sandwich), Brown (Maidstone), Campbell (Warwick), Charron (Rochester), Desjardines (Tilbury West), Durand (Sarnia), Fisher (Moore and Enniskillen), Girty (Gosfield), Henry (Orford), Hyde (Plympton), Ketchum (Bosanquet), Mallot (Mersea), McLeod (Deputy Reeve, Malden), and Wright (Colchester) 15.

However, the members in opposition got in their fine work later. On the fifth day afterwards, the 9th February. when all but one of those in favor were away, Mr. Larwill moved, seconded by Mr. Thompson, that the resolution requiring the District Clerk to present a petition to the House of Assembly, praying for re-division of the District of Kent, be and the same is hereby rescinded, which carried.

The twelve who were there on the fourth, and voted that the petition be not adopted, were present and voted. The only one in opposition present was Mr. Hyde, the other fourteen being absent.

On 6th October, 1848, the House went into committee of the whole upon petitions from Plympton, Sarnia and Warwick and on the motion of Mr. James Smith, representative from Dawn, seconded by Mr. Duck, representative from Howard in Kent County, the following resolution was adopted.

Resolved that this Council are of opinion that the present Act of the Provincial Pariament, setting off the new District of Kent, should be so amended that the ten Northern Townships, consisting of Warwick, Bosanquet, Brooke, Plympton, Sarnia, Moore, Enniskillen, Sombra, Zone and Dawn, should constitute a New District, or such other equitable division as the House may see fit, so soon as they shall have a population of 7,000 and consider themselves competent to defray the expenses of a New District; at which time the District of Kent shall repay to said Northern Townships, such sum or sums of money as they shall have contributed towards the erection of the public buildings in the District in Kent; and that the site for the public buildings in the New District, to be composed of said Northern Townships, shall be in the Township of Enniskillen, and selected by the Councillors of said Townships; and that a committee be appointed to draft a petition to the Legislature in accordance with this Resolution.

Mr. Fisher then moved, seconded by Mr. James Smith, that Messrs. Duck, Mitchell, Hyde, Fisher and Smith be a committee to draft the said petition, which was carried.

On the 7th October, Mr. James Smith, chairman of the committee to draft a petition to the Legislature, in accordance with the resolution of yesterday, concerning the ten Northern Townships, presented the following draft of a petition, which was adopted.

To The Legislative Assembly Of The Province Of Canada, In Parliament Assembled.

Lambton County

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