As reported by CFRA only moments ago:
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 …

One of the first reasons why I reached out to Mathieu Fleury in the 2010 municipal elections was he had an awesome website, www.MathieuFleury.ca.  It was clean, friendly and it had a kewl logo.  He also worked hard in the election, was positive and the people around him really supported him.
He continues to impress me.  He’s a hard working councillor and diligently tries to understand all sides of the issues and is not afraid to say what he feels.  Case in point where unlike many councillors quickly who quickly side …

The following is an excerpt from “Blue Ocean Strategy”, written by  W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne.  Some editing has occurred to shorten the article.  This article deals with how thinking out of the box and embracing innovation can save money and still provide exceptional levels of service.
“Few products and services are used in a vacuum.  But in most industries, competitors converge within the bounds of their industry’s product and services offered.  Untapped value is often hidden in complementary products and services.  The key is to define the total solution …

First let me state that I have to be careful how I word this blog.  As a member of the Seniors’ Advisory Committee (SAC), I am bound by certain code of conduct rules that limit the extent of what I say and write.  Sure hope I stay inside the lines…
With that disclaimer out of the way, let me tell you that there is a clash coming at transit commission.  That’s because, according to OC Transpo themselves, they are bilking Ottawa seniors up to $4M per year in higher bus fares …

Is it me or is the recent report by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) sound a bit contradictory and a little gratuitous?
First, it says OC Transpo has no clear labour relations strategy nor does it have a proper public relations program yet the report goes on to say that the management of OC Transpo is strong and praises senior management.
In my opinion, if management has not had the wherewithal two years after the worst bus strike in the organization’s history to deal with its labour relation priorities then I …

Before I make my point on the likely bus fare increase, I want to say that I believe that bus fares are too high in this city and I believe there should be a strategic effort made to lower the charge per rider on public transport.  I believe that public transportation should be viewed as an essential service and like emergency services, the bulk of the costs should be paid through property taxes.  To make this change, a great deal of planning and study needs to happen in order to …

I’ve never heard of the Transit Rebuild Forum.  I tried to Google it, but the same memo that alerted me to it was the only item that googled up (Internal City Document: OC Transpo Workers Give Notice To Bargain by Ken Gray).
To catch you up in case you are like me, the Transit Rebuild Forum (TRF) is aimed at improving relations between the OC Transpo union (Amalgamated Transit Union Local 279) and the City.  I am assuming that it was born from the ashes of the failed strike and bargaining …

There are always one or two issues that dominate a debate during a campaign but winning candidates are required to deal with many priorities of the city. Most candidates for council have a position on fiscal policy. They want to keep tax increases low and they want to make City Hall work more efficiently. Good objectives but what about the other priorities for council.
There are some obvious issues that many candidates mention on their websites but they only address part of the issue. These include:
Transportation issues …

In the debate on the purchase of new buses, there have been claims made by some candidates that the debt being taken on to finance the purchase will burden our grand kids in the future. “We are going deeper and deeper in debt!” But that is not exactly true. When candidates make this claim, it underscores their lack of understanding of financing issues.
There is a difference between debt for capital purchases and debt to finance operational issues. The debt approved to buy the buses is a …

Let me start by saying that from a financial perspective, I agree that the city should take advantage of the discounted buses being offered by bus manufacturer New Flyer. Circumstances have given Ottawa the chance to upgrade its bus fleet at a lower cost than otherwise would be. Furthermore, I believe that the projected savings are understated as I think that the long-term maintenance costs would be higher than forecasted since these come from OC Transpo management in whom I have little confidence whereas the financing costs are …