A good Watson versus a great Watson
I’ve always said that Jim Watson would be a good mayor, maybe even an above average mayor because of all of his political experience, but I still have doubts about him being a great mayor. I feel he is not thinking big enough to be the visionary that will qualify him as great mayor.
Why do I say this? Well, the most recent indicator is his rush to spend $400,000 to bring FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2014 and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015. It’s a good plan to bring a small world event to the city but outside the short term economic benefits, what are the lasting benefits for Ottawa? The answer is very little. It may give some legitimacy for the Lansdowne redevelopment plans but the revitalized Lansdowne is going to happen anyway. And no new money from other levels of government will be added to the mix to improve supporting infrastructure for these events.
Compare this to other Canadian cities that have bid and won world class, major events such as World Expo, Summer and Winter Olympics, Commonwealth Games and even FIFA World Cup. Montreal was built on Expo 1967 and the Summer Olympics 1976. Much of their metro, their major roads, hotels, housing projects and even an airport was built for the city to support these events. And the benefits to the host city are lasting infrastructure that everyone, residents and visitors alike, enjoy to this day. The same can be said for Vancouver, Edmonton and all the host Canadian cities of big, world spectacles.
This is what I mean by thinking big. Imagine Ottawa hosting a World Expo. To pick up on former Mayor Larry O’Brien’s Ottawa Business Journal op-ed about the lost opportunity for Kanata, one can envision a completed entertainment centre in the heart of Kanata with high tech accommodation and connected to all of Ottawa, East, North and South, by a state-of-the-art transportation network. And this world class experience would set concrete deadlines by which projects must be completed.
So, if Mayor Watson wants to play in the minor leagues and feel good about accomplishments like bringing bring FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2014 to Ottawa, I’m not going to take away the credit he deserves for winning these projects. But in my opinion, it’s not quite the same as a FIFA World Cup soccer is it? That’s the difference between good and great.
All due respect Blake, but the Women’s World Cup is a much bigger deal than a World Expo. Watch the games in Germany this summer and you will see that.
Meanwhile, who were the last 3 host cities of a world expo?
The City of Ottawa appoints the Hydro Ottawa board & profits from higher rates yet they refuse to have any input? According to the survey of the 16 largest cities in Canada, Ottawa is already has the highest tax and utility average for a single family home in Canada, so why is the Mayor of Ottawa Jim Watson preventing our City Council from debating the possibility of asking the Ottawa Hydro board to get cheaper hydro from Quebec? This is normal business practice. Is a desire to get along the same reason for Mayor silence on incineration and defacto support for direct & indirect costs of expanding landfills? The time has come for a common sense slate of candidates to present a clear alternative to the leadership vacum at city hall. The Mayor of Ottawa has once again let self interest prevent him from introducing a motion that will benefit residents and reduce Hydro rates. Shame on the Mayor and our disciplined backless city councillors!!!
The City has concluded a settlement of the lawsuit brought by Raymond Pecor and the Ottawa Lynx (the “Plaintiffs”) against the City of Ottawa. Though the specific details of the settlement are confidential, the essence of the agreement is that the Plaintiffs have agreed to withdraw their $10.5 million claim and to pay to the City the amount of $1.95 million. What does this mean for the Baseball Stadium now? The essence of the claim was that the Stadium was not constructed in accordance with the site plan approved for the property and that the City did not maintain sufficient on-site and off-site parking to permit the successful operation of the baseball club. In the fall of 2007, the Lynx relocated to Allentown, Pennsylvania. Left because the City did a bad job.. Another City disaster and its plans.
A proposed $8.8-million pedestrian & cycling bridge from the train station to Ottawa Stadium over Hwy. 417 received approval from the city’s transportation committee Wednesday. Where is the money coming from Councillors? Who is running this City Of Ottawa anyways. Real dysfunctional & stupid idea from the committee. Stop the waste.
A new multi-use pathway and footbridge structure over the Queensway between the VIA Train Station and Coventry Road is one step closer to reality after City Council approved the environmental study report.The footbridge will provide safer and improved access for pedestrians and cyclists entering the Transitway at the train station on the south side of the Queensway and to the Ottawa Stadium and community to the north. What is going on ?
This is almost as DYSFUNCTIONAL as the bike paths on Laurier!! Downtown Ottawa NEEDS one of the busiest streets REDUCED a lane or two to accomodate the over flow of traffic in rush hour!! Oh was that ever well thought out, and rammed through council!! The President of the BIA is PISSED!!
Roger … sounds like you need your own blog. You might get more than a few followers.
The Lynx probably can’t be blamed on Mayor Watson … I tend to agree about the bike paths and bridge. Can’t comment on the Hydro but I would guess there is more to it.
Roger … sounds like you need your own blog. You might get more than a few followers.
The Lynx probably can’t be blamed on Mayor Watson … I tend to agree about the bike paths and bridge. Can’t comment on the Hydro but I would guess there is more to it.
The number one issue as far as costs to taxpayers is where we let developers build while paying the freight. If they want to assume all the higher costs; transit, roads, sewer/water connections, updated sewer/water costs ala Carling/Cokstown/Moodie, police no problem build on your cheaply acquired farmland. Right now developers pays 48% of the provincial average for development charges. This was comfirmed by the deputy of finance at the Mayor’s cost saving summit. Yes Ottawa is huge 2800 km^2 huge. It does have a tool (actually a big hammer)currently at it’s disposal to limit the freebies to developers, it’s called rezoning. Right now it’s a farce. Have you ever seen a rezoning application be turned down?
We haven’t even got to such treasures as cash in lieu of parking or parkland. Great deal, pay once, we pay for forever.
Jim will do a little bit to make it appear he is fiscally conservative but compared to whom…..Alex Cullen?
Pre-amalgation Ottawa POP 300,000 had 4,000 employees, London, Ontario had the same population but only 2,000 employees and that included garbage collection. Ottawa contracts 3/4 of it.
Council needs to use reality as a baseline for costs. Right now the current budgets are the baseline so holding the line at this election bullshit number on 2.5% is just that.
can someone please tell that Roger dude, he got crushed in the last election, and he has zero means zero credibility to be spouting off on every issue.!
As for FIFA- sorry Blake, FIFA is huge and it will do wonders for minor leage soccer and our interenatonal reputation.
Watson made a specific promise to go after those kinds of events, and so far hes delivered.
I like your even handed approach to Watson es[pecially since you were an O’Brien supporter.
Residents in Overbrook have been expecting a pedestrian and cycling bridge over the Queensway for over 10 years, when the project was first proposed. Neo-conservatives sometimes need to be reminded that spending tax dollars is indeed necessary to build communities.
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