Remember all those councillors running in the last election on being good fiscal stewards of the taxpayers purse.  Well, ten councillors and the Mayor threw a little doubt on that fact for me.
Yesterday, the Finance and Economic Committee (FEDCO) voted in favour of the Rink of Our Dreams.  This rink will cost about City Hall $250,000 in capital dollars then another $250,000 in operating costs annually.  That’s already at least $1M during the term of this council. To use Environment Committee chair, Maria McRae’s favourite time measure, that’s $5M over …

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 …

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 …

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 …

On August 26th and 27th, I wrote about the Alta Vista Community Association changing the date of their AGM from before the election where candidates were suppose to speak to after October 25th.  The association said it was a scheduling issue.   My assertion that the move unfairly benefitted the incumbent, Peter Hume, and hurt the challengers met with great consternation for association executives.
I’m pleased to announce that the association has been able to reschedule their AGM to the original date of October 20th where candidate in the municipal election will …

I took a lot of flack yesterday from the Alta Vista Community Association for my post Es Tu Peter?  It is their opinion that I unfairly tied Councillor Peter Hume to a controversy with which he had nothing to do.  It is my take, however, that even if Councillor Hume didn’t directly take part in the decision to move the AGM to after the election, he certainly knew about it as he is copied on many emails I have seen.
But here is the point that seem to be lost on …

Many of my long time readers know that I criticize River Ward Councillor Maria McRae for her heavy handed tactics in our community to make things go her way.  And from my experience in the last election, election time is when these tactics are used to the incumbents advantage to marginalize challengers. No debates, limited access to senior residences and community association events and the list goes on.  She gets away with it since most media do not cover ward specific issues.
I suspect that this happens in other wards too …

It is my contention that the local media plays an important role is how much information voters get about the challengers to incumbents during municipal elections. Very few reporters reach out to get candidates’ points of view on breaking local stories yet incumbents words are splashed all over. You know how many times per week I see the name Maria McRae, councillor for River Ward (Ward 16) commenting on even the remotest issues that have nothing even to do with River Ward? Yet not once have I …

Pretty unfortunate timing for Councillor Peter Hume. On the day his op-ed appeared in the Toronto Star supporting the ECO fees (a.k.a. the ECO Tax) and that he was on CFRA defending the need for the tax, the Liberal government leaked that it would cancel the controversial tax the next day.
One of Hume’s challengers in the upcoming municipal election, Clinton Cowan was quick to jump on this series of events to position himself as the choice for Alta Vista Ward (Ward 18) residents who want to break out this …

PRESS RELEASE
Ottawa, Ontario, July 20, 2010 – Clinton Cowan, a candidate for City Councillor in Alta Vista, came out strongly against the Eco Fees and the reasons supporters of the tax have argued.
“While waste management is a priority of our community, there is no justification for hiking an additional tax on residents of Alta Vista for something they already do,” says Cowan. Cowan went on to state that Peter Hume, the current councillor is out of touch with Ottawa residents as was shown by the quick reversal of the provincial …