Sprung Structure Fight Moves To Kanata
Plans to use temporary sprung structures to house asylum seekers in Ottawa continues to be top news.
See the story here about a petition drive in Kanata that by this afternoon had more than 3,000 signatures calling on the City to not build a temporary structure to house asylum seekers in Kanata (40 Hearst Way) even though the Kanata site is not No. 1 on the list and is only recommended to be used if the #1 chosen site in Nepean (1645 Woodroffe Ave.) becomes overrun.
And this petition response comes less than 24 hours after the Kanata site was first named in the city report.
We are getting feedback from those who have communications experience with multiple levels of government (including municipal) and other public bodies and their conclusion: the heated reaction to this issue is the result of a completely failed city hall communications / governance model — including staff releasing information the last minute before the Barrhaven councillors started their long-planned meeting — and with more than 425-plus residents participating — about the potential use of two structures in Barrhaven, something the councillors had been advised months ago was being considered.
But when the staff report on the chosen sites was released to the councillors last night, no Barrhaven locations were on the list. Instead, the first proposed option is the Nepean site, and the Kanata site is second (and, again, only to be used if Site 1 is overrun). The meeting continued and focused on confirming the new locations and basic information about the structures and alternatives.
Observers are saying that the failure to share factual details with councillors and the public in an organized way is resulting in false information circulating, including crime rates related to such sites, how the structures work, what services are provided on site (and not), and how the millions in cost of the tent structures and their life span compare with the costs of more permanent structures being built and/or current empty buildings in the city being retrofitted for use.
This story is courtesy of the city-wide community group Your Applewood Acres (And Beyond) Neighbours
For You:
Barrhaven Sprung Structure Fight Not Over: THE VOTER
Temporary Tents Likely Permanent: THE VOTER
Bookmark The Bulldog, click here
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
– The Bulldog – News Feed Enter 
I wish Ottawa citizens would put up this much of a fight against the waste of taxpayers money that is Lansdowne, LRT & Tewin etc.
The writer of the piece in Your Applewood Acres (And Beyond) Neighbours is right on the mark. The article reeks of the LRT in that information is not being shared and leads me to wonder how the city really makes decisions. If city hall has the information they should share it with everyone after it has been validated by a 3rd party, if it doesn’t they should stop pulling conclusions out of the air! I’m becoming more and more convinced that senior city staff under the leadership of Wendy Stephenson is a far greater problem than the city councilors we choose to berate.