It’s War. Activist Creates Counter-Petition To Sutcliffe’s

The plot thickens and the worm has turned.

Community activist Neil Saravanamuttoo has started a petition in response to Mayor Mark Sutcliffe’s funding ‘fairness’ sign up to get the federal and provincial governments to bail out the city in a fiscal crisis.

Here’s the Saravanamuttoo petition below. The original doesn’t translate very well to this website but you’ll get the idea:

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THIS is the Petition You Want to Sign, Calling for a Referendum on $493m for Lansdowne
Demand the City of Ottawa hold a binding city-wide referendum on whether we spend half a billion tax dollars on a sports stadium.
Neil Saravanamuttoo
Aug 19

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SIGN the Lansdowne petition

Let the taxpayers decide
Mark Sutcliffe wants you to sign his petition calling for the federal and provincial governments to give the City a bailout.

Here’s a better idea.

SIGN THIS PETITION calling on the City of Ottawa to hold a binding city-wide referendum before spending $493 million to renovate the Lansdowne stadium.

Calgary, Montreal West, Victoria and Langford, BC have all recently held similar referenda before going ahead with major sports investments. The people of Ottawa deserve the same.

Ottawa City Hall created this mess
Mark Sutcliffe is looking at big potential tax increases next year.

One option would be to trim spending.

Instead, he chooses to blame other levels of government and demand a hand out.

Lansdowne will cost taxpayers $493 million. The $20 million in required annual debt costs is equal to a 1% property tax increase.

People want a referendum
Last month I asked whether the City of Ottawa should hold a referendum on Lansdowne. The overwhelming majority voted yes.

So here it is. Please sign this petition calling for taxpayers to decide on Lansdowne through a city-wide referendum.

SIGN the Lansdowne petition

Why we need you to sign
We know that City Hall is going to resist a call for a referendum.

But here is why we need everyone to sign.

1. Outshine Sutcliffe’s petition
Sutcliffe is trying to show that the public is behind him in blaming others for our mess.

Let’s show Sutcliffe that what the public wants is responsible spending by City Hall.

2. Get the public engaged on this wasteful spending
Most people in Ottawa assume Lansdowne is a done deal. Lansdowne is NOT a done deal until a final Council vote in late 2025.

We can stop this wasteful spending.

When enough of us sign, we’ll get more public attention on Lansdowne, including by voters across the city.

3. Hold Councillors accountable and get traction with Council
A number of Ottawa Councillors voted yes for Lansdowne, despite recognizing that this deal stinks.

Councillors like Wilson Lo, David Brown and Stéphanie Plante. I’m sure they all came under intense pressure from the Mayor’s office to vote yes.

If we can create our own pressure with a petition, maybe we can flip their previous votes on Lansdowne. Maybe they will stand up for giving the people a voice in their city.

4. Get traction with Queen’s Park
Ottawa City Hall will probably dig in its heels. But if enough people sign the petition, we will have the authority to take it to Queen’s Park.

Queen’s Park came through for the people of Ottawa on holding a Public Inquiry into our Light Rail Transit fiasco.

If enough of us stand up for better public spending, maybe Queen’s Park will force the City to re-examine whether this is the right time to reinvest in Lansdowne.

Spread the word
Every single signature counts.

If you want responsible spending by your City Hall, please sign this petition.

And more importantly, tell your friends, family and acquaintances that if they care about keeping Ottawa taxes low, to consider signing the petition also.

SIGN the Lansdowne petition

To access the petition, click here.

For You:

Drastic Measures Will Stem City Crisis: BENN

No Money But City Keeps Spending: THE VOTER

Sutcliffe Finds ‘Fairness’ Petition Supporters