It was a very unhappy weekend in Ottawa as we learned through the news of two untimely deaths.
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. …

The headline in today’s Ottawa Sun (online edition) is Byward booze out of hand: Cop board boss.  I hope this doesn’t lead to a confrontation between the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) and local bar owners.
It is very important that local entertainment venues in Ottawa abide by the laws and regulations of the city and province but in the same vein, government should support a thriving and dynamic industry in the nation’s capital.  The Byward market is no more densely populated with bars than are some areas in …

Note to Newbies: There is a lesson to be learned somewhere in this debacle…read on…
Both Sue Sherring of the Ottawa Sun and Randall Denley of the Ottawa Citizen write about the green bin program:
City Hall math misleads by Randall Denley
Something stinks and it’s not the green bin waste by Sue Sherring
Denley takes on the truthiness of the numbers being discussed in regards to the costs to haul away regular garbage versus green garbage. He points out the numbers presented are not apples to apples comparison. Councillor …

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 …

Seems like lots of people hate the green bins but green bins are here for at least another 19 years unless the auditor general finds something that makes the contract illegal.  I empathize with the masses who don’t want to use the green bins but not much we can do that won’t cost dollars.
Sue Sherring in today’s Ottawa Sun has a Q & A piece with Maria McRae, the chair of the environment committee.  The facts are pretty straight forward and Councillor McRae is pretty up front about the problem …

You can’t beat Doug Hempstead’s headline in the printed version of today’s Ottawa Sun on page 15. “Chiarelli’s premature election”.  He’s talking about Bob Chiarelli’s non-news conference yesterday where he presented all the “investments” the Dalton McGuinty government has made in the tenure of the government.
What stood out to me is that he kept referring to all the expenditures as investments.  I looked up the definition of invest in http://dictionary.com and found that it is to put (money) to use, by purchase or expenditure, in something offering potential profitable returns, …

Ottawa Paul Couvrette is under fire from all sides; the Ottawa Sun and politicians alike.  We forget that he is not a politician but an Ottawa treasure and renowned photographer.  Is this how we treat those that make our city look good and make us proud?
You see politicians ducking for cover and issuing possibly false statements to cover their own butts but in so doing, they are throwing Mr. Couvrette under the bus.  The people in positions of leadership are not stepping forward to set things right.
At least not until …

There have been two interesting articles published this week so far that shed light on how City Hall works and the challenge that lay ahead for the new councillors and Mayor Jim Watson.  Change will not be easy.
First, on Monday, the Ottawa Business Journal published an article by former mayor, Larry O’Brien, O’Brien: the difference between business and politics.  In this article, O’Brien discusses the politics of preservation superseding the interests of the voters.  One example cited is the 2009 budget deliberations where the mayor’s desire to review the budget …

I was on the radio this weekend with Sarah Oyango, host of Black on Black.  My co-guest was Staff Sergeant John Medeiros, Manager, Diversity and Race Relations Section of the Ottawa Police Service (OPS).  We had a great on-air discussion about what the OPS is doing to deal with race relations.  And in spite of the damning videos published over the last few weeks, we talked about the importance for all the facts to air before passing judgement on case.
There were two really good articles published this weekend on the …

I read today’s Ottawa Sun’s editorial (Time for Doucet and Haydon to call it quits) on the mayoral top contenders and couldn’t disagree more with it.
First of all, Andy Haydon and Clive Doucet cannot withdraw of the race now.  That decision had to be made by 2pm on September 10, 2010.  If they “pull out” now, their names will still remain on the ballot therefore on voting day, such an announcement by either or both will make no different.
The editorial should have focused on telling its readers what the differences …