Council Snoozes, Big Woes Mount: MULVIHILL
What’s wrong with this picture?
According to Ottawa City Council, taxpayers have no right to know how or why our money is being spent.
Councillors and Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, elected to guard the public purse, have decided that transparency isn’t in our best interest. A secret meeting about settling LRT lawsuits that citizens have no business knowing any of the details of the who, what and why. Hundreds of millions of dollars paid from our taxes and yet we are entitled to know nothing. Why?
Meanwhile, the City of Ottawa’s own auditor general, Nathalie Gougeon, as well as an outside consultant, didn’t buy the retail outlook for Lansdowne 2.0 referring to it as “optimistic”. This council and Sutcliffe (aka Jim Watson) is leading the parade for additional development that meets few of our identified needs but yet more development at $419 million of our tax dollars. Why?
Tewin development, so far out of town one needs a compass to find it, will cost hundreds of millions to initiate the development going forward. Can anyone objectively look at the Tewin project and say that it’s good planning? Residents, councillors, city staff and decision-makers need to continue asking questions about Tewin before this council hitches a ride to yet another potentially historic boondoggle.
Who exactly is running this city? Council or developers?
There are homeless living in tents or curled up in doorways but it takes ages to provide a workable solution. There is no rush … winter is still a few months away. How much of a dent in housing the homeless would $419 million make?
There are limited summer meetings for standing committees. Why? Do councillors and the mayor feel there isn’t any important business to attend to? Perhaps they could pull their heads out of the sandcastles and do the homework that needs doing.
Donna Mulvihill is a community activist and former hospital coordinator
For You:
Can We Trust Rats To Take The Pill? PATTON
Sean Devine Is Not Devine: THE VOTER
City Way Off Target On Housing: PATTON
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– The Bulldog – News Feed Enter 
Spot on! You missed the Taxi Payout, which was created because council was advised there would be no problem allowing UBER and LYFT to operate unregulated in a regulated industry. The internal legal advice the city is getting for projects and plans seems to run opposite to “good”. Perhaps a contracted outside legal firm would serve us better? Until then, council needs to demand full disclosure, and listen to the citizens who have some common sense and can see the problems Donna brings up and can contribute to solutions. (Reminder, there is no emergency demanding urgent action at Lansdowne)
She is correct.
At the time of the last election neither Tewin nor Landsdowne were isses yet here we are with council treating them as priorities…it is madness but…we elected these guys.
Dumocracy.
Everyone is talking about Tewin. A city of federal public servants know conflict of interest when they see it. And yet, not a word from City Hall. If they think it go away it won’t.
Start looking for good candidates for totally new council! We have to find folks with skills and experience to needed to run a G7 capital and become a city where people thrive.