The committee in charge of scrutinizing proposed ward boundary changes took a pencil to the map on Tuesday in an attempt to soothe concerns in rural east Ottawa, even as consultants warned against tinkering with their recommendations.

The finance and economic development committee approved a handful of amending motions, but the most impactful was related to suburban and rural east communities under a new 24-ward map. The city currently has 23 wards.

Proposed boundaries in the Cumberland-Orléans-Osgoode area have been the most controversial, since a previous version had much of rural Cumberland fused with Osgoode ward. Francophone residents feared seeing their interests diminished by being transferred to Osgoode ward.

Don Boudria, the former MP, told the committee about the threat of diluting the francophone community in east Ottawa by drawing new ward boundaries.

Linda Dunn, who was a councillor in the former Cumberland township, told councillors that the old township area should be tied to Orléans, not Osgoode. “We have no tie with Osgoode,” Dunn said.