Maybe Shakespeare’s England is a good place for Iggy to be.

Since his election in 2010, he has yet to define the kind of city he wants to preside over.  What will Ottawa be transformed into over his tenure as mayor?  Over the past year, the only legacy he has been able to secure is that he will raise property taxes close to 2.5% every year of his mandate.  There has been no grand plan for the four year term he earned in 2010.  As 2014 approaches, voters may be able to say, nothing terrible happened with Jim Watson as mayor but Ottawa residents won’t be able to point to anything great either.

Last night the Mayor, basking in the lights and fanfare of the Juno Awards, tweeted that he is already lobbying to bring the Junos back in 2017, Canada’s 150^th Anniversary.  It reminded me of my 2011 blog where his goals were to secure amateur sports tournaments for the city.  Is that what the Capital of Canada is about: one off events that allow city councillors to leave their wards and look like star struck fans of people not from Ottawa?

Ottawa residents want more.  Ottawa residents demand more.  Where is the plan to upgrade and sustain the infrastructure within our city limits?  Where is the city plan allows residents to move freely and cost effectively from are community to the next?  What is the defining character of Canada’s Capital from which mega projects stem?  Ottawa needs to move from tactical initiatives to strategic initiatives.

Last night, Mayor Watson has proven again that he will show up to the opening of envelop.  But it’s time for the Mayor care less about the opening of a glitzy envelope and care more about the envelopes (i.e. bills) that arrive in our mailbox.  So far, the winner is…NOT average Ottawa resident.

I will leave it to you to decide how your councillor did compared to others.

The only question I have is if councillors spent $748,000 less than there budget allowed, why are taxpayers funding a RAISE in their budgets of $125,000?  Just asking!

Click Here >> 2011 Ottawa Councillor Expenses (Excel Spreadsheet)

BREAKING NEWS
The city has replaced OC Transpo General Manager Alain Mercier with John Manconi, the former General Manager of Public Works.

Manconi assumes his new role effective immediately.

Councillor Diane Deans, who chairs the City’s Transit Commission, says she is confident that Manconi will provide the leadership and support to the men and women of OC Transpo in the city’s quest to provide quality service to our riders.

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It can only be an improvement.  I wish Mr. Manconi all the best.  It’s a hard situation to come into but his management experience with the city should help.

Good call Councillor Deans!

After a humiliation mayoral loss in the 2006 municipal election which led to the cancelation of then Mayor Bob Chiarelli’s legacy North-South light rail transit (LRT) plan, Bob Chiarelli is now back as Ontario Minister of Transportation. That’s right. He’s minister of the very department that will be one of the super funders of the revised replacement LRT plan.

Expect to see some little changes in the current LRT plans as the project moves forward and expect to see some of the old LRT ideas work their way back into the current plans.

b)      I was JEWED out of a promotion

c)       Quit that NIGGER

d)      That shirt is so GAY

Which of these statements are you most likely to let slip by without raising an eyebrow?  None of them should.  They all are very offensive and represent the of type verbal bullying that has become all to normal.

In light of Jamie Hubley’s suicide which was caused, in part at least, by bullying, I wanted to make sure that we all realize that bullying is not just the big ogre in the school that picks on smaller kids.  Bullying comes from all of us in the most subtle ways. And in today’s society, the gay community is a commonly placed at the receiving end of this hurtful practice.

Part of the problem is that we feel we can easily identify who is gay and who is not.  You think that boy or girl who fits the stereotype is the gay one is obviously the gay one just as easily as you indentify the obese person or the foreigner.  But it’s not that clear cut.  There is no such thing as “gaydar”.  There is no way to tell who is gay and who is not; just like you can’t tell someone’s favourite colour just by meeting them.

But because society has shown there is a prejudice towards the gay lifestyle, many, many people choose not to share that part of their lives even with those who are very close to them, family included.  And why should they?  They don’t want to butt of ridicule or denied a promotion or lose their friends because they are gay.

Jamie’s story, while very sad, is also very common.  No one should have to be driven to feeling so badly about themselves that they have to try to hide it just to cope.  For all you know, your best friend is gay or your boss is gay or your cousin is gay.  So next time you hear phrases like, “that shirt looks faggoty” or “he runs like a fairy” or “she dresses like a boy”, remember the person beside you may be the one that dies a little more inside.

Clip from In & Out with Kevin Kline

This past Friday, our family suffered one of the worst experiences that can happen to a family when we lost our boy — Jamie. To make this even more difficult, his death was the result of suicide.

I would like to thank all the family and friends that have been helping us get through these very difficult days. Very special thanks to everyone that came out in the rain to walk every foot of our community to look for our boy. The outpouring of support has shown us that our angel was loved by many and we were not the only people to witness his beautiful spirit.

Jamie was for most of his life a very happy and confident child. He was a compassionate person always looking to help others and didn’t have a mean bone in his body. Jamie often worked with me on community events and our many efforts to help others were made more effective with his ideas. From a very young age, he wanted to make a better community and a better world.

He was a championship figure skater for years and was just beginning to excel as a singer. He enjoyed acting as well and was involved in many different clubs and groups both in and outside of school. James’s family and friends unconditionally supported and accepted him for who he was and whatever direction he wanted to go in life.

James had been suffering with depression and was receiving care from doctors at CHEO and counsellors. These professionals, along with James’s family and friends, were trying to help him learn to cope with his depression and other issues, one of which was his struggles with his sexuality. He struggled with the idea that people can judge you harshly even when you are trying to help others. Jamie asked a question no child should have to ask — why do people say mean things to me?

Although James had a great many people who loved and supported him, something in his mind kept taking him to a dark place where he could not see the positive side of life, which led him to this drastic and tragic decision on Friday. Jamie is free of his pain now and there is a new angel, but we have paid too high a price.

There are some reports in the media and on social media that James was bullied. This is true. We were aware of several occasions when he felt he was being bullied. In Grade 7 he was treated very cruelly simply because he liked figure skating over hockey.

Recently, when Jamie tried to start a Rainbow Club at his high school to promote acceptance of others, the posters were torn down and he was called vicious names in the hallways and online. We had meetings with officials at the school and were working with them to bring an end to it but Jamie felt it would never stop.

We will not say that the bullying was the only reason for James’s decision to take his own life but it was definitely a factor. As his family and friends, or even if you never met him but want to help, we must do whatever we can to wipe out bullying for any reason in our society and especially in our schools. Young people are very vulnerable and have enough pressures in life to have to deal with aside from the stress of being bullied. My family’s wish is that no more families have to suffer the unbearable pain of losing a child. No child should have to deal with depression or feel hated because of their beliefs — that is not the Canadian way of treating others.

Bullying doesn’t always take the form of physical violence. Especially today with cyber-bullying on the Internet, children often feel there is no safe place to go; even when they are at home they can still be victims. Earlier I mentioned his posters being taken down. Many friends have offered to stand by the posters to ensure children that may want to meet and talk about issues that don’t harm others will be given the chance to do so. The school has made a promise to me that they will ensure the posters are protected. We hope from our tragedy others will become more active in stopping this cruelty towards children.

To this end, after my family and I have had some time to come to terms with the loss of our beautiful son James, I will be working hard to use my energy and public position to help bring awareness and resources to those groups working to stop the bullying and find a treatment for depression. Wendy and I have asked that all the people wishing to make a donation in Jamie’s memory can direct them to Youth Services Bureau’s Mental Health Walk in Clinic.

Over the years I have tried to help a lot of people and I was very proud that my beautiful boy was also learning the joy that comes from helping others. I need time to deal with the pain of not being able to save my precious boy and will speak more on his life and these issues later.

— Kanata South Councillor Allan Hubley

First there was Ottawa Sun journalist, Earl McRae who passed suddenly while at work.  I read McRae’s pieces often and although not always agreeing with his take on topics, felt I could understand clearly his point of view.  His sometimes sarcastic writing style made me chuckle.  He knew how to make a point.

My one personal interaction with him two and a half years ago was when I chaired the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration event at City Hall (eerily fitting on this weekend of the dedication of the Martin Luther King Memorial in Washington DC).  It was January 2009 and we spoke at length about the importance of recognizing the civil rights leader and what it meant, not just for Americans but for people around the world.  McRae went on to write an awesome piece in the Ottawa Sun that I reposted in my blog (Hat’s off to Earl McRae).  He was able to capture, through words, the meaning and essence of the celebration.  He was able to pass on the message I was trying to convey to the public.

In reading the tributes in the press since the news broke on Earl McRae, I remembered fondly our discussions and saw that many others felt the same way.  He’ll be missed.

The second death was that of Jamie Hubley.  He was 15 years old.  As a parent and father, I don’t know what to write.  How bad must a 15 year old feel not to be able to find any hope in all the people that are around him or her?  How the words of so few can spoil the visions and dreams of a young person.  The Ottawa Citizen has a story today on Jamie that you should read (15-year-old Jamie Hubley documented heartbreaking need for acceptance).

As adults, we have to do more to reach out and support young people who are struggling to make sense of this world.  The It Gets Better Project is not enough on its own.  Parents need to work with schools and teachers need to make the extra effort to root out the causes that push young people beyond the edge.  My condolences to Councillor Allan Hubley and his family.  My heart is broken over this.

These two losses to the Ottawa community, one of an accomplished journalist and the other of a boy who was only just being to add his voice to the world should make us all pause, reflect and want to reach out to make this a better place.

But neither the seat loss nor the size of the new mandate is the story.  No, for me, the true story is that the voters of Ontario which accounted for a mere 49% of eligible voters felt that the alternatives being offered by the PCs and the NDP were not appealing.  Now to be fair, the popular vote difference between the PCs and the Liberals was only 2.2% (37.6%-Libs to 35.4%-PCs) yet the Liberals were able to account for 53 seats to the 37 for the PCs – but that’s another blog.  What this really says about this election is that a minority of Ontario voters now dictate what happens in Ontario.  The majority of voters are just turned off of politics and politicians all together and no longer bother voting.

So really, there are no winners in this election.  Yes Dalton McGuinty and the Liberals will set the agenda for the next term at Queens Park but Ontarians have tuned out.  The opposition leaders, and I think both Tim Hudak and Andrea Horwath should stay on as leaders for their respective parties for another election, need to find a way to reach out to the 51% of detached voters.  The path to victory has to be tied to winning over those who feel the government is not there for them because the voting 49% will continue to live off the status quo.

In Ottawa South, there are plenty of Jason MacDonald lawn signs and not just in traditionally strong Tory polls but in neighbourhoods such as Alta Vista and Mooney’s Bay which have traditionally voted Liberal en masse.  I don’t expect that Dalton McGuinty will lose his seat in Ottawa South but I do expect his margin of victory to be less than in previous years.

Ottawa Vanier also “looks” interesting.  Beacon Hill North, Pineview and Overbrook are dotted with Fred Sherman’s blue PC signs, far more than Liberal signs.  Also, rumour has it that the Sherman campaign had the highest level of donations ever for the riding and that Elections Ontario were surprised when the Ottawa Vanier PC riding association had to order more receipt books.  The Sherman team has had full teams of canvassers the last three months of the campaign and has identified a record number of PC voters.  The key will be can the Sherman team turn their vote out.  Ottawa Vanier incumbent, Liberal minister Madeleine Meilleur, has stayed in the riding for most of the campaign, unable to stump for other candidates so look for surprising numbers from this riding too.

The bellwether riding in Ottawa is Ottawa West Nepean.  I have a feeling that the winner of that riding will be the same as the winner of the province wide election.  The race between Randall Denley (PC) and Bob Chiarelli (Lib) had shades of the 2006 municipal election where then columnist Denley routinely criticized then Mayor Chiarelli for the difference between his achievements and rhetoric.  Denley has the upper hand in that riding.

Again, my feeling is that the polls do not reflect the reality of how the results will breakdown on a riding by riding basis.  I suspect that there will be a majority government.

That said, one thing is for sure.  If you don’t get out to vote, the results will not represent the true desire of the Ontario public.  It takes all of five minutes to vote.  Make the effort.  And if you feel so inclined, leave you feelings and comments about this election in the comment section below.