What’s In Lansdowne 2.0 For Taxpayers? QUOTABLE
“The city’s public consultation process has been woeful. A 15-question Overall Concept Survey, for example, part of city staff being “directed to engage in a robust public engagement program on the Lansdowne concept plan,” doesn’t actually ask the public what they think of the plan, instead asking such things as how often they visit Lansdowne, how they get there, their postal code and age, and how they heard about the revitalization plan. The only question that even grazes by the issue is “What would bring you to Lansdowne more often?” and at that, respondents are allowed just 255 characters to share their opinions.”
Ottawa Citizen’s Bruce Deachman on the Lansdowne public consultation
It’s also missing the questions: “How much money does Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group make from the real estate deal? Will that money appear in the public financial statements from the city-OSEG ‘partnership.’? Beyond property taxes, which the city gets from every development, how much profit does the city get from the residential buildings on site? How much money is OSEG putting into the rebuilt north-side stands? How much money does OSEG pay to build the new arena? How much money does OSEG pay in rent for the stadium and the arena (at present it is zero but taxpayers do get the proceeds from the misleading term ‘waterfall’ which is also zero)?”
Then other questions are important but are missing from the survey:
“What revenue does the city get from the $330 million it is pouring into Lansdowne 2.0?”
Why Is The Fix In At Lansdowne?
“How much money did the city derive from Lansdowne 1.0?”
“Why is the city so keen to lay out massive amounts of money and derive no revenue from it in profits and create an architectural monstrosity in the process? Hmmm?”
“Why is the city acting like Lansdowne 2.0 is approved when former mayor Jim Watson told us that the council vote didn’t commit the city to go forward with Lansdowne, the sequel?”
Tag-A-Bag Garbage Cure Worse Than The Disease
And then of course there is the really big question that’s missing: “Why in God’s name would we want to get into this mess?”
And “Who in their right mind signed up for this deal, if they did?”
There is an interesting question in Deachman’s column taken from the survey. “What would you bring to Lansdowne?” It allows responders 255 characters to respond. While Deachman thought that was not enough space for a proper answer, that’s more than enough for the concise Bulldog … a wrecking ball.”
Ken Gray
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Once AGAIN the city has crafted a contrived questionnaire to suit their and the developers desired outcome. This is not repeat NOT what the purpose of PUBLIC CONSULTATION is supposed to be but in the minds of those responsible suffices to meet the mandate.
This type of “consultation” has been going on since amalgamation, done to keep the public from raising an outcry of FOUL! Well it is past time to cry foul to the provincial authorities.
The same could be said for the “open” consultation by OC Transpo on bust routes. The questions they chose to ask clearly indicate:
1. Transpo has no idea of the ridership for the routes now in place
2. Transpo is not willing to entertain undoing the LRT spoke and hub debacle that left whole communities like the south end under served by what is now a frustrating long and torturous commute.
Richard:
Bust route? Typo or humour?
Either way, it’s a good one.
cheers
kgray