Next? City Of Ottawa To Build Airship Station

Published 07/03/2024 · Updated 07/03/2024

A friend of mine who is a homeowner in the Glebe wanted to know what he could do to fight Lansdowne 2.0.

I probably shouldn’t have said this but I mumbled: “I wouldn’t bother. The fix is in.” The only changes the opponents of Lansdowne would get would be cosmetic, like changing the hub caps on a beater to make it look better. The hub caps aren’t enough. You put a funny hat on an ugly dog but it’s still an ugly dog.

Do you really want to waste your time putting a funny hat on an ugly dog? It’s not worth it. Lansdowne 2.0 was going to go through no matter the opposition. Why? There were no consequences for politicians and city staff to go forward with a deal that gives the city “partner” nothing but a mountain of bills and an overwhelming conflict of interest. New features in a retail mall that has lousy transportation to it and no parking. Retail with parking is struggling. Retail with no parking? That’s a non-starter a public school kid could see.

But the city pours nearly $1 billion into Lansdowne. Why? Favours owed. Favours paid. Lansdowne is a facade for a giant real estate deal with an attractive rental agreement that does nothing for the city beyond paying property taxes like every other bit of residential in Ottawa. Why the new roofless stadium and a too-small event centre at a monstrous price? It’s the shiny ornament that distracts from the reality of Lansdowne. Any partnership in a marriage like Lansdowne would be in divorce court in no time.

It’s a horrible deal for taxpayers and the city. So why go forward with retail when retail is in dire difficulties? Favours owed. Favours paid. No consequences from the voting public.

The city could build an airship station for non-existent airships such as the exploding Hindenburg (see photo on front) and an apathetic public would vote back all the council incumbents due to the mighty power of name recognition and powder-puff publicity. The power of the photo-op and snow-plow naming in Shawarmatown. No consequences for doing what’s wrong. The fix is in.

And that’s what Tewin is about. Tewin flies in the face of most everything our city planners, anointed from on high with superior knowledge than anyone, profess. It is the antithesis of extremification. It ain’t no 15-minute neighourhood. It will not contribute to Ottawa single-handedly saving the global environment by having taxpayers cover the cost of light rail that doesn’t work and powering unreliable e-buses with natural gas. Ottawa could stop every bit of greenhouse gas escaping from this environmental nirvana and it wouldn’t show a blip on the world gas gauge. Instead, Ottawa will go up in flames from climate change just like the rest of the globe, good intentions be damned. Lucifer himself might toss a bucket or two extra of lighter fluid on the flames for Ottawa due to the glut of corrupt lying politicians and bureaucrats here.

Pie-in-the-sky bureaucrats were, astonishingly, aghast at the Tewin plan when it was first walked onto council. Now they think it is great because they’ve been told, no ordered, to say it’s great. Thus the ridiculous spectacle of the interim planning czar trying to tell the public that the city conflict of interest at Tewin, one of the most screaming conflicts of interest you’re likely to ever see, is not a conflict of interest. But then once you’ve bought the Lansdowne partnership city conflict of interest, you’ll buy anything.

However kudos to developers. They can spot a sucker from a mile off.

Tewin and Lansdowne are not about what’s best for the city and its taxpayers. No.

It’s about favours owed and favours paid. You can try to stop them if you like. But you won’t succeed. The fix is in and it’s about power, money and who really runs Ottawa City Hall.

Ken Gray