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City Hall loses again at OMB

6 June 2011 5 Comments

Ottawa City Council once again lost at the Ontario Municipal Board; this time on changes it wanted to bring in that would have restricted urban expansion to 230 hectares instead of the 850 hectares approved in 2007.

Why is this a worthwhile story? It is because the city was warned by its own staffers that the proposed OMB challenge would lose (except for city lawyer Tim Marc who can always make a case). And it’s here I have an issue.

First there are two councillors who try to use the OMB I believe to bolster their political standing. Both Councillors Maria McRae and Peter Hume have taken issues to the OMB on more than one occasion and subsequently lost. It always costs the city thousands of dollars, in this case it was $400,000, but I guess it shows to the residents that they’re putting up a fight.

Well councillors need to be upfront with their residents when certain developments are within the rules of the game. It’s better to work with the developers to help smooth over residents concerns but in the end, responsible councillors must explain to the irked homeowners that city growth means encroachment on everyone.

So, let’s clean the slate for all councillors and not talk about past OMB challenges. But from here on out, if a councillor takes another useless case to the OMB board and loses, then the costs the city had to pay to fight at the OMB should be taken out of the councillors’ annual office budget. Furthermore, it will become part of the 2014 election platform against that councillor if Change Your Councillor has anything to do with it.

The rest of Ottawa should not have to pay for certain councillors to grandstand.

5 Comments »

Perry said:

I have to agree with you on the grandstanding part. Council has to pick their battles better. However, we simply cannot rollover and play dead each time the developers want their way. I maturing city like Ottawa needs to have more control over its growth, sprawl and intensification and most importantly the cost of urban sprawl.

I do not see the province forking over money to cover the cost for infrastructure due to urban sprawl.

There is a need for reform at both the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) and the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC). Unfortunately the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) has done nothing at this venue. If we do not do something real soon the gap will widen between the country landowners and the city.

# 6 June 2011 at 8:46 am

Carolyn said:

Councillor Bloess comments in the Ottawa Citizen said it all:

“The appeal was a waste of money for all parties and councillors need to learn a lesson about planning and legal ramifications when they ignore solid facts to grandstand for the sake of dogmatic self-delusions,” said Bloess.

Unfortunately this Council paid to much attention to how the previous Council governed our City…

# 6 June 2011 at 10:15 am

ian stewart said:

Seriously, has anyone seen any evidence that city council plans anything? They react and badly. Mostly we see the political posturing of which Ms McRae is the best (worst?). Staff make the decsions. How was it that Kent Kirkpatrick cancelled a design competition for Landsdowne? Under what directive or council order did he act?
Staff plays a yes minister game with council and they foolish get led down the garden path time and time again. Is city council unaware that they in fact are in charge and need to kick a little ass until staff smartens up?

Ottawa is viewed as a laughing stock by Canada’s other municipalities. the sickness of old Ottawa has contaminated the amalgamated Ottawa. Staffing numbers out of control, salaries through the roof, infrastructure going to hell, idiot decisions such as King Edward. Sure everyone builds a 6 lane highway to nowhere so tractor trailers can drive thru your downtown core then thinks about closing off a couple of lanes to stick flower pots on. That’s some damned expensive pot support. Speaking of pot, what are they smoking?
So why is it that taxpayers in Ottawa are so clueless?

# 7 June 2011 at 11:27 pm

nlm said:

What people don’t realise is that the developers were not happy with the staff recommendation of 850ha either and the City would have appeared before the OMB and spent that money anyways. The decision is a WIN for the City. It is either being spun as a loss for whatever reason or the media just doesn’t realise that the developers were never happy with the original 850ha recommendation.

The developer’s president saying they are happy with the decision is pure damage control among their membership whom have spent $2 million in appeal costs for nothing, and now they have to fight out which builders get what portion of that 850ha.

# 8 June 2011 at 10:34 am

nlm said:

Wow – the media spin is crazy. As someone said the people of Ottawa need to wake-up – the CITY OF OTTAWA BEAT THE SNOT OUT OF THE DEVELOPERS at this OMB hearing. There are no facts in this article. Council wanted a 230ha expansion over 15 years. Staff recommended 850ha over 20 years. Years 15-20 require 630ha. Staff and Council were in sync for the first 15 years. The OMB just changed the time horizon from 15 to 20 years. And the developers wanted up to 3,000ha over 20 years and they got their clocks cleaned. THE CITY WON THIS CASE!!!

# 9 June 2011 at 8:43 am