Yesterday, on CFRA’s municipal panel with Rob Snow, his guests were Councillors Allan Hubley, Tim Tierney and Rick Chiarelli. One of the topics was their office budgets which are now made public monthly and in some detail.
Councillor office budgets are $234,000 per year for councillors to spend on staffing, office and community related expenses. AS CFRA notes, they highlighted that Councillor Doug Thompson had the lowest expenditures to date at $59,000 and Councillor Mark Taylor the highest at $142,000. The issue discussed was are some councillors on …

CFRA radio host, Rob Snow, explained the choice Canadians face in the May 2nd federal election. The choice is either a majority Conservative government or a coalition government.
Listen here
There is nothing constitutionally wrong with a coalition government but any makeup of such a government would include, at least in support, the Bloc Quebecois. Is that what the rest of Canada really wants?
And Michael Ignatieff is a strange dude. He rejects a coalition when handed to him by outgoing Liberal leader Stephane Dion in 2009 but now when …

Today is Do It For Daron – Purple Pledge Day.

There will be more people than usual wearing purple today.  This is memory of Daron Richardson, the young student who took her life last November.  Daron’s family along with the Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health are using today, which would have been her birthday, to raise awareness of this disease from which some youth suffer.
CFRA is reporting that MPs in the House of Commons will be wearing purple today and take part in a “Do It For Daron – Purple …

Here is an example of how politicians spin a bad story so they look good when they should really be the ones taking the blame.
On an article in the Ottawa Sun by Sue Sherring from January 12, 2011, Green bin contract makes no sense.  In the article, Environment Committee Chair, Maria McRae, admits that the green bin deal is a bad deal but tries to make it sound like it was city staffers that are to blame.  But I don’t believe that that is the case.  Councillor Eli El-Chantiry told Rob …

With the election of this new council comprised of some strong veterans plus much needed new blood, I was expecting vigourous debate and public discussion on the pros and cons of important motions presented to council.  In the previous council, I often complained that meetings were too long and too much time was spent debating frivolous issues.  In this council, I’m starting to see the opposite developing.  That is, no discussion at all on issues that should be deliberated.
I’m not going to rehash many of the points that Randall Denely …

I was reading an article in the EMC Maontick/Winchester edition where Councillor Scott Moffatt is talking about the proposed bi-weekly garbage pickup proposal.  This new councillor is taking the consultation process very seriously.  In the article, he is quoted as saying “I cannot stress this enough, though, that these suggested changes are merely that, suggested changes. Nothing is set in stone and everything is up for debate.”  It’s too bad that 13 of the 23 councillors already know how they are going to vote.
According to Councillor Eli El-Chantiry, in 2008, …

I presented yesterday to the environment committee.  I basically made the points in my blog from yesterday (Another 20 year mistake?).  I pointed out that the financial consideration being proposed is a shell game.  The city owns Hydro Ottawa and Hydro Ottawa owns Energy Ottawa, so any money transfers, payments or revenues between these organizations is tantamount taking money from one hand and outing it in another.  It’s all taxpayer money.
The only potentially new money injected into the system comes from the inflated rates the Ontario government will pay to …

I believe the city has already determined that they want to move to bi-weekly garbage pickup and are using the proposed consultation process to cherry pick answers to back up this decision.
The city of Ottawa continues its consultation process with the city residents to get their input on waste collection.  I visited the two weekend consultations.  Saturday it was at the Rideau Centre and Sunday it was at Place d’Orléans Shopping Centre.  The city’s main thurst is to reduce regular garbage pickup from weekly to bi-weekly while leaving the pick-up …

In the early days of this new council, Councillor Maria McRae has dominated the news headlines from her pining of no wine at the swearing in ceremonies to her role in photogate to being named chair of the environment committee.  And in the past couple of weeks, she’s made the news again with her plans to reduce regular garbage pickup to a bi-weekly service and her intentions to put up solar panels all over Ottawa in the name of the environment plus $5M revenue to the city.
But are all her …

I hope Councillor Rick Chiarelli listens back to his interview on the Rob Snow show from yesterday.  My take on his position is that he and other long term councillors believe that they are judge and jury on how things should work at City Hall.  And by works, I mean, works to their benefit for re-lection purposes not for the benefit of the Ottawa resident.
If you haven’t heard the interview, you can listen to it here: CFRA Interview with Rick Chiarelli
The interview was in response to the Larry O’Brien Ottawa …