Your Job Is Oversight, Ariel Troster: WHOPPER WATCH

Published 04/21/2025 · Updated 04/21/2025

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“Those of us who are on public works and infrastructure didn’t even see this bait-and-switch happening.”

Somerset Councillor Ariel Troster on money supposed to go to road safety
from red-light cameras instead going to general revenue and the police

Ouch.

The fact of the matter is that Ottawa City Council and public works and infrastructure are tasked with the job of oversight.

On any file, but particularly on as controversial a one as red-light cameras, councillors should be digging to discover misbehaviour and mistakes. What Troster is admitting is that this got past councillors and, in particular, her committee.

If councillors can’t pick up on misallocated funds on a prominent file such as this, what else are our elected officials missing?

Province Must Step In To End City Hall Rot

That Troster would admit that her committee didn’t know about this camera money-grab also shows she didn’t know it was her responsibility to find it. Who would admit they screwed up on their jobs because they didn’t know what their jobs are?

How are you supposed to do a good job when you don’t know what you are supposed to do?

Here’s what can be said with certainty.

Former councillors Diane Deans and Alex Cullen would never has missed this misallocation. But then I knew the late Diane Deans and Ariel Troster is no Diane Deans. Maybe if she tries hard, she can be half as good as those two predecessors.

But then maybe Troster was distracted.

It can be difficult putting your makeup on in front of a camera to be cool rather than providing oversight that citizens demand at Ottawa City Hall.

Ken Gray