City Practises Dishonest Government: DOUCET

This is an open letter from former Capital councillor Clive Doucet:

Dear Bulldog Readers:

I read with no surprise that University of Ottawa Professor Evan Potter in The Bulldog has discovered the City of Ottawa’s public engagement process, Engage Ottawa, is being used, not to consult the public, but to manipulate it in favour of developers.

But why is this considered news?

It has been clear for years that the city’s budget and public agenda are controlled to ensure that most major city projects, zoning, the Official Plan and elections themselves are decided such that the developer’s agenda will take precedence, not the public’s. The evidence has been consistent and clear for years, confirmed by both city and provincial investigations.

– The  city’s own integrity commissioner discovered a developer’s lobbyist working in the planning committee chairwoman Jan Harder’s office as an assistant. Nothing was ever done about all the planning decisions this chairwoman and her committee made. For her service to the city, the councillor received a comfortable position at Ottawa Hydro.

– The city’s original Lansdowne Park revitalization plans had a public engagement and competitive process for the redevelopment of this wonderful old park. It was approved by Ottawa City Council. Unfortunately, Ottawa developers didn’t want to compete. A new friendly mayor was elected and using inaccurate information about the city’s stadium having to be at Lansdowne, the developers persuaded council to cancel the competitive process, and give the park to three developers who had built a lot of malls and condos but had a zero track record in municipal park redevelopment, anywhere. I was a city councillor at the time when it happened and actually asked the question to developers: “Have you ever redeveloped a city park?”  Answer, no. Nothing, Nada. Was I upset? You bet.

– The new hospital site was subject of a massive public engagement process by the National Capital Commission …  more than six months and 7,000 people participated. The public choice? Tunney’s Pasture. Unfortunately, Ottawa developers didn’t like that location. They wanted Tunney’s for commercial development and the Experimental Farm used for the hospital. In 72 hours, the public engagement results were abandoned and the site switched to the farm.

National Capital Commission and the city councillors most affected by the new LRT were firmly against using the scenic western parkway for environmental and community reasons. They wanted Carling Avenue where people lived, worked and shopped. Developers wanted the western parkway which would increase land values there. They got it. Engage Ottawa? For what?.

– A provincial judicial inquiry into the management of the city’s new LRT system found that former mayor Jim Watson lied to city council and the entire process had been managed to the advantage of the few, not for the benefit of the many. A record of secrecy, deception and constant interference with the actual contracting process was documented. Did anything change? Engage Ottawa? For what?

– At the request of a single developer, the city’s Official Plan and urban growth line in Cumberland was broken. This was done against the will of the public and the advice of the city’s own planners. Engage Ottawa? For what?

– The present Engage Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said during his campaign that unlike other mayors who preceded him that he would not take money from developers for his campaign. He did.

All this is all documented on the public record. It’s not news. Engage Ottawa? For what?

No doubt I’m just a foolish, naïve old fellow but I still believe the nation’s capital should be its own place, directed by its own good citizens and not be a developer’s playground.

I have gone home to Cape Breton, not because I ever changed. I would have run for mayor again if I had thought there was a chance but twice was sufficient. Regardless, it was good to read the Potter article and be reminded that there are some people out there paying attention.

Engage Ottawa is worse than a waste of time. It’s a distraction which is helping the city deliver what the developers want.

We live in times that require creative, honest government more than ever. Sadly, we have neither at the City of Ottawa.

Yours truly,

Clive Doucet

Former Capital councillor Clive Doucet running for mayor. 

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