The Good, The Bad And City Hall: WHOPPER WATCH

Published 05/08/2023 · Updated 05/07/2023

whopper.watch .12.26

“It’s not meant to be punitive, but rather to encourage residents to rethink their disposal habits.”

Ottawa’s solid waste services

Well, thank goodness for that.

The MO for this tag-a-bag operation is that the Trail Road Landfill will be stuffed in 15 years. That being the case, why is former councillor Gord Hunter, a pretty straight-shooter, saying that 40 years ago and repeatedly since, Trail Road was supposed to be filled 15 years from whatever date you choose.

So tag-a-bag is not meant to be punitive, it just is punitive. It’s a cash grab. Like road safety cameras which started out as not punitive but a way to slow down traffic. Now they’re popping up like toadstools after a rain. Another cash grab.

City Considers Added Payment For Garbage Pickup

Look, it’s like this.

Ottawans already pay for garbage collection in their property taxes. Now the city wants the public to pay extra on top of their property taxes.

Hello city council. Some people are having trouble making ends meet. How much more non-punitive punishment can they take?

And given the amount of lying and subsidies for rich guys occurring at city hall, I wouldn’t trust these city types to hold my wallet for a minute.

People don’t believe what they hear from city hall anymore. When you’re lied to often, pronouncements just become noise. Proposals lose legitimacy. And that lying plus trickery undermines everything the city does … even the things that work.

I’m not a small-government person. If something is needed, let’s pay for it in the most efficient way. But that often doesn’t happen on Laurier Avenue.

So your agent is in favour of the smallest government possible at Ottawa City Hall after the recent number of fiascos produced at that bylaw factory. I’m tired of my tax money flushed by people who don’t know what they are doing or by others whose good intentions derail (and don’t know what they’re doing).

For example, Ottawans need a nightlife inaction plan just about as much as they need a bigger suburban shopping mall on Bank Street or a train that doesn’t work. What will the inaction plan accomplish? Nothing. You can set your watch to that.

I’m tired of the expensive cocked-up flights of fancy. The roads are riddled with potholes. Water rates have skyrocketed. When a budget crunch comes, snow-plowing gets cut. Now garbage becomes a cash cow. Next … taxing air (why did I give them that idea? If air is taxed, maybe people will use less of it … you know, hold your breath every other two minutes. Go under two minutes … three bucks, please).

What city government is about is basic services. Things that the federal and provincial governments can’t do because adding municipal responsibilities to the senior levels of government would be overwhelming. It’s unlikely that the province, when it created Ottawa, had in mind that the city should be a money-losing partner in an unsuccessful shopping mall but successful private real-estate deal. How do you take the most expensive (municipal) land in the city and lose money with it? The mind wobbles.

This Is What You Call Solid Waste

And now it wants to pour more money into this pit. Why? Sorry, you’ll have to connect the dots. It’s pretty obvious.

We can’t get basic services right, we can’t get the toys right and we can’t get the message straight.

Ottawa City Hall is undermining residents’ faith in government … at least what little faith they have left.

Government done well is a godsend. Government done poorly is Ottawa City Hall.

Ken Gray

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Tags: garbage Ottawa tag-a-bag

Bruce says:
05/08/2023 at 1:01 AM
Here is an Idea. Look at the “projects” which have been successful and by that I mean beneficial and financially viable to the public, and those that have not met that criteria, since amalgamation. Remember the “reason” for amalgamation was to make the REGION more efficient and sustainable, oh and to get OTTAWA out of debt!
The outlying cities, townships and such collectively brought fiscal responsibility, cash reserves, honesty, ethical, and responsible government to the “new city” Since then what have we gotten? A BOOK or litany of lies, deception, half truths, mismanaged civic projects developer driven amendments to community development plans, outright “gifts” to poor car dealerships, OSEG waterfalls, (now about to be the reversing waterfalls) Green bin money pits, toy trains which are prone to failure no matter what the circumstances, road “maintenance” which shows no sigh of improvement, paving contracts with sub standard asphalt, increased taxes for decreased (if possible) services, snowplowing and sidewalk clearing in a random fashion, BUT bike lanes cleared in winter. Cost of sewage and water increased but still dumping raw sewage into the swimming areas of the Ottawa River from a mid 1970’s “treatment plant”! A emergency “holding tank” for excess sewage which has failed to do the designed job!
Destruction of neighborhoods and agricultural lands in the name of infill and intensification, public transit which is poor at best and soon to try out the ridership/guinea pigs with an unproven electric bus heated by diesel heaters!
Feel free to add your bit. I have more but have a headache from the thoughts of Ottawa…a world class city.
sisco farraro says:
05/08/2023 at 10:07 AM
I live in Metcalfe, within Osgoode ward. We don’t get much for our tax dollars down here in the south of Ottawa other than periodic snow plowing, random road paving (particularly during election years), and garbage removal. The city now wants everyone in Ottawa to pay twice for garbage removal. The powers that be at city hall say that a study will be undertaken before a decision is made. We all know that once discussion has begun on a subject the decision to implement has already been made. The only decision that remains is how to role the project out and how to best keep people from throwing green bags full of waste into culverts.