City Council Virtue Signals On Overdrive

One very expert city hall wag told me long ago that if councillors are to be effective, they should pick one issue that really matters to them and battle for four years to achieve it.

Because in reality, beyond the overwhelming day-to-day priorities of councillors, it is difficult to change the world as one person. But one might be able to put a dent in one problem … maybe.

So the following from Happy Town News is virtue-signaling of the first order. It is massaging the impossible to the highest degree. Does anyone … anyone … believe that this council will put the smallest of dents into these issues.

Pop a couple of anti-nausea pills before you read the below. Your agent’s comment are in boldface with the city release below:

Council approved its 2023-2026 Term of Council Priorities – a clear vision (given to us in the broadest of terms) that will direct the focus of city staff for the next four years (and here we thought city staff’s focus was to give developers everything they want … you know, like Lansdowne … how could we be so wrong?). The four priorities look to create an Ottawa that: 

• Has affordable housing and is more livable for all (will this city council makes progress other than virtue-signalling on the housing shortage? No)
• Is more connected with reliable, safe and accessible mobility options (like light rail? Come on)
• Is green and resilient (the climate problem is much bigger than the city and given the city’s overall incompetence will achieve next to nothing. By the way, the city does not have jurisdiction in the environment field. The world just had the highest temperature in recorded history recently … much of that rise was caused by the hot air of platitudes being uttered rather than real progress and action. By the way, how have you enjoyed the air quality this summer? The environment is going to hell in a handcart but our city is all over the problem … raising the global temperature with warm words rather than action. Disagree? How have we being doing on this issue so far? Ottawa will be no further ahead four years from no)
• Has a diversified and prosperous economy (if the city doesn’t screw it up and, by the way, this urban economy has never been diversified)

Lousy City Planning Report Inadequate: BENN

In approving the 2023-2026 Term of Council Priorities, the City strives for meaningful reconciliation and works together with the Anishinabe Algonquin Nation and Urban Indigenous communities to collaboratively address emerging and systemic issues and needs, support Indigenous-led approaches, and improve City services for First Nations, Métis and Inuit people (noble words. Wonder if they will be followed by real action? Maybe council will rename another bridge).

The new priorities align with the City’s budget process (you mean the skyrocketing debt, free money for rich guys and a budget that was written in a dream world rather than reality) and will be advanced throughout the 2023-2026 Term of Council alongside work on key strategies and long-term master plans already underway (that will be conveniently forgotten or discarded over the long term). Council will be updated twice during the term on staff’s progress (two firsts. Keeping council informed and making progress).

Along with the priorities, Council identified three long-term goals it has targeted over the next 10 years (oh good. Now we have 10-year plans that most pols, people and staffers will forget in 10 minutes) to provide a vision for the future of Ottawa as a national capital that is prosperous, sustainable, inclusive and resilient (very noble words and vague enough to be impossible to measure). The goals will help create a city:

• Where residents experience a good quality of life and live in neighborhoods that are diverse, inclusive, safe, connected, accessible and affordable (actually through intensification the city is destroying downtown neighbourhoods and yet contributing to urban sprawl through such measures as the Tewin plan).
• Where residents benefit from a healthy, sustainable and equitable built environment that supports efforts to address climate change (again noble sentiments but this city will achieve next to nothing on these fronts. They are simply too big and especially too big for the limited abilities of Ottawa City Hall)
• That is economically diversified and prosperous, attracting people to Ottawa to live, work, play, invest, learn and visit (the municipality through its misguided and facile faux science of planning is destroying this city).

This release is just propaganda. This city can’t give us solid efficient basic services let alone tackle some of the major problems facing the world. Does anyone believe that councillors such as Allan Hubley and Jeff Leiper have the faintest idea how to address these problems. The power of words over actions.

What are the chances of this city making any progress on these questions? Take a drive along this cities roads. The municipality can’t even give us flat roads let alone solve the climate and housing crises.

LANSDOWNE: So Much Bull. So Little Time

The words above are an astounding waste of time and resources that will achieve nothing except tell the public that their city is actually achieving something when it is not.

Why not just doing something … anything … rather than talk about it.

Does not this city hall have the smallest amount of shame?

Ken Gray

 —

Don’t miss our regular features

Everything Ottawa      Full Local     Bulldog Canadian

Opinion    Comments    Breaking News   Hood Hub

Ontario   World    Get Cheap Gas   Big Money

Pop Gossip   Your Home    Relax …

Bulldog Weather    Full Local Sports

Page 2   Page 3   Page 4   Page 5   Page 6

Other features:    Full Bulldog Index    Return to Bulldog Home