Councillors, do you know what you are voting for?

Join friends of Lansdowne at City Hall. Monday June 28

Dear Friends of Lansdowne

Public presence needed

We need your eyes on council today, tomorrow and Monday. A strong public presence at City Council shows the councillors that the public cares about this issue. Drop by City Hall for as short or as long a time as you wish. Delegations go right till 8 p.m. tonight and all day tomorrow. Then Council deliberations begin on Monday.

Rally for Lansdowne on Monday, June 28--noon at City Hall

There will be an event on Monday, June 28 at the Lisgar entrance to City Hall, starting at 11:45. As you know, Councillors are scheduled to make a final decision on Monday probably at the end of long day of debate.

We have a serious purpose - to convince our Councillors not to proceed with the Lansdowne Plan. With comfort food, soft drinks (at a reasonable price to help defray our costs) and music, we also want to offer a pleasant lunch-hour event.

The BBQ will be fired up and serving and the music will play, starting at 11:45. Speeches at about 12:15.

Please come yourself and convince as many others as possible to join us -- family, neighbours and friends. Spread the word via your networks if you can.
Join the Facebook event and invite your Facebook friends!

Some Breaking News re Ottawa Senators concern on Lansdowne deal

This information was forwarded Shawn Menard on behalf of "Our Ottawa" today. Please pass this information along:

There was a short TV text clip tonight that Cyril Leeder, President, Ottawa Senators has claimed that the Lansdowne group are seeking a 30 year monopoly over sports and entertainment in Ottawa. The Senators must have finally awakened to the two conditions in the legal framework whereby the city agrees not to build a stadium with more than 5,000 seats for the first thirty years which competes with the Lansdowne stadium - unless the city exercises its termination for convenience right.

Moreover, the CFL team will be granted a right of first opportunity to lease the competing new stadium ..if it contains football facilities. Same goes for the hockey team. There is no press release on the Senators site about this. It will be interesting to see if the city suddenly changes the terms of the legal framework. I find it hard to believe that the city has agreed to such a restriction on future city development .

Some articles on this today.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/sports/Lansdowne+proposal+gives+developers+year+monopoly+stadium/3200107/story.html

http://www.ottawasun.com/news/columnists/susan_sherring/2010/06/24/14508756.html

This could be the deal-breaker. It needs to pushed hard. It confirms suspicions of residents who were previously in favour. Our Ottawa may out a press release today.

Record of attendance at council meetings

In a media advisory today Our Ottawa, an all-volunteer group made up of members of community associations, advocacy groups, advisory committees and communities across the city, released Ottawa City councillor’s voting record and absences for key votes over the past 3½ years in the lead up to the 2010 municipal election. The most absences record (52) goes to Councillor Thompson followed in second place, with 41 absences, by Councillor Chiarelli, in third place with 40 absences by Mayor O’Brien and in fourth place with 33 absences by Councillors Hume and Bédard.

I was particularly disappointed by my own ward representative’s (Peter Hume) attendance record. Councillors should be in attendance to represent the interests of ward residents, notwithstanding other roles and responsibilities they might undertake from time-to-time.

For further details visit the “Our Ottawa” website at www.ourottawa.ca.

Rejuvenate Lansdowne Park at any cost?

It appears that some individuals, including a few City Councillors believe that Lansdowne Park requires rejuvenation no matter what the cost, ownership, tendering or other implications. Neither do they consider it necessary to examine alternative options or properly consult the community.

I fail to understand why people continue to see the OSEG proposal as a now or never opportunity. There are alternatives that will allow Lansdowne to be restored progressively and affordably. It will be interesting to see how council now deals with opposition to the Lansdowne Partnership Plan being expressed by several City of Ottawa advisory committees.

Making the right choice on Lansdowne

Following is the text of a letter I e-mailed out to several city councillors following last evening's Public Information Meeting at Lansdowne Park organized by Friends of Lansdowne (http://www.letsgetitright.ca). Much of the text draws from a meeting handout prepared by New Edinburgh Community Alliance. It is hard to improve on their words.

This was an excellent evening with presentations from;
Gordon Henderson, President Kanata Beaverbrook Community Association;
Bob McKinley, President Rural Council of Ottawa; Bob Brocklebank, Glebe Community Association;
Paul Kariouk, Principal, Kariok Associates and Associate Professor, Carleton University, School of Architecture;
Shawn Menard, President Centretown Citizens Community Association, Vice chair, Pedestrian and Transit Advisory committee, City of Ottawa;
Ian Lee, Director, MBA Program, Sprott School of business, Carleton University;
Will Murray, Friends of Lansdowne;
Anne Scotton, moderator.

Dear Councillor Wilkinson,

I am writing this letter to ask that you vote against proceeding with the Lansdowne Park development as proposed by the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG) when the issue comes to a vote at council on Monday, June 28, 2010. There are many reasons why a decision on the future of Lansdowne should be delayed; I have itemized some of them below.

The urgency that appears to be placed on coming to an early decision is unclear to me, other than it will benefit OSEG financially if the project is approved by council. Also the results of recently completed studies and reports need far more time to read and understand than the short period (days in some cases) that has been made available.

The City of Ottawa has spent years putting together policies on contracting and finances, to protect the interests of communities and taxpayers. These policies are being ignored by Councillors who support this project; their actions threaten to undermine sound governanace in the City.

Large developments in public spaces such as Lansdowne should start with a design competition for the whole site so that citizens and politicians can consider pros and cons of different options and select the best. At Lansdowne the City has ditched this policy. It is true that there is now a design competition but it is late in the process and it is only for part of the site.

Public tendering should be used to select proponents who offer the best value for money. Sole sourcing of projects leads to high costs and opens the door to sweet deals for proponents.

The city and developers should operate at arm’s length. This promotes transparency and accountability. In Lansdowne’s case OSEG have been representing themselves as partners of the City long before any significant partnership agreement has been concluded. City logos appear on their plans. The City has not objected!

The public should be properly consulted on how major sites are to be developed. In the case of Lansdowne, citizens have been given no opportunity to discuss alternative uses of the site (e.g. parkland, recreational, commercial, social housing) or whether and where a stadium should be located. So-called consultations to date have been opportunities for the developers to push their own project, and citizens have mainly been invited just to ask questions.

Policies on tendering, contracting and consultation provide a level playing field for development in the city; they promote transparency and predictability and prevent waste of tax dollars. Community groups become very worried when council starts cutting special deals and end-running its own policies.

The City proposes to channel $129 million of tax dollars to refurbish an aging stadium; plus the cost of an underground parking lot. The main purpose is to provide a venue for football – a sport that has failed twice in recent years in Ottawa. Another stadium built for baseball in Ottawa sits empty most of the time. Would you invest the money of you or your family in a business that has failed twice?

Scotia Bank Place (originally the Corel Centre) was built with private money. Why not a football stadium? If the OSEG team believes football is a viable proposition, they should put up the money for the venue. If they won’t take the business risk what does this tell us about the prospects of football in Ottawa? What happens to the stadium if football fails? What new expenses will taxpayers have to shoulder?

The Lansdowne stadium is in the wrong place. It was built when Ottawa was much smaller, before the Queensway, before the bus rapid transit system. There is no sense in re-investing in a facility that is not on a mass-transit route, one that ill clog the Glebe and Old Ottawa South with parked cars any time there is a game. Things will only get worse as Ottawa’s population grows.

The costs for the City keep growing. It’s not just the stadium: $5 million was budgeted for the urban park bordering the canal. Estimates for other design work have come in from $32 to $88 million. Other costs: moving the Ottawa Art Gallery, relocating trade shows, interest rate increases, and so on! Also, the city proposes to give away valuable public lands to private interests as part of the OSEG deal.

The Glebe is a vibrant, healthy community of local merchants and restaurants and low-rise residences. It is pedestrian friendly and on a human scale. Old Ottawa South, across the canal, is the same. Communities like these are hard to build, but easy to undermine. The OSEG proposal offers big volume stores (many of them U.S. owned), a shopping centre, a hotel, high rise buildings and heavy traffic. It is the antithesis of the kind of community that is there now, on both sides of the canal.

I am not a resident of your ward but this is a city wide issue. I am contacting my friends and associates who reside in your ward asking them to write you on this issue. I am also asking them to consider which candidate they will support in the October municipal election on the basis of your voting record on this issue.

Please put the brakes on the OSEG proposal now?

Sincerely,

Colin Hine

Oh Rats!

A report on CBC News at Six on June 16 quotes a pest control “expert” who suggests that an apparent spike in the local rat population and in home infestations might be a result of the way residents handle their new green bins. Surely the amount of organic waste that used to be put out in regular garbage bins was far more likely to encourage rodents?

“Breaking News” stories like this should be researched more thoroughly before reporting them. If there is an increase maybe its due to other factors: a warm winter followed by an early spring (climate change); or increased pressure on all wild life in the city and suburbs as new construction encroaches on their natural habitat.

It is more than a choice of a transit mall versus a tunnel

Councillor Peggy Feltmate in her letter to the Ottawa Citizen June 14, 2010 (It is a choice of downtown transit mall or tunnel) compares the options of a downtown LRT tunnel with the alternative of turning Albert or Slater Streets into a transit-only mall. The transit mall should save considerable expense and make the project affordable. However, it would need to be sold to the federal government’s current mouthpiece on this file, John Baird. This is likely to be a difficult task.

Also this approach assumes that the present plan to establish a core LRT link between Blair and Tunney’s through the downtown core is the right way to go in the first place. As I noted in my earlier post on this topic a great deal more analysis and planning is needed before a shovel is put in the ground for the light rail project.

Some will argue that the transit plan has been studied to death already. However as I previously noted, studies undertaken to date have largely addressed preconceived solutions. Broadly based investigations to determine the overall needs of the community have still not been undertaken.

It is time to rethink Ottawa’s transit options before spending billions on the wrong solution

With the municipal election campaign gaining momentum Ottawa’s proposed light rail project appears likely to become a serious issue again (Watson accused of playing to people’s fears, Alex Cullen, Ottawa Citizen, Letter to the Editor, June 9, 2010). As well there was something of a slanging match between Mayor Larry O’Brien and mayoralty candidate Jim Watson on the same issue. This all happened the same week that the Feds announced they will contribute up to $600M to the project, matching the provincial government’s commitment.

Some new entrants to the municipal elections have concerns about the municipal government’s current spending priorities. Plans for the proposed light rail system are high on their list of concerns.

James O’Grady, candidate for councillor in Ward 9 (Knoxdale-Merivale) has launched an on-line policy discussion group to interchange ideas with supporters and members of his campaign team. Transit and transportation are high on the list of priorities under discussion right now and some interesting ideas are being presented. some observations made by “Agnes of the Glens” particularly caught my attention:

“The issue is not whether we want LRT but whether we can afford it and also where it would go. In most European cities suburbs are connected to avoid driving cars and then they have metro. In our model the downtown area, where you can actually walk, gets all kinds of transit option but the suburbs will only get connected if they intensify….Provide train rail to downtown from major suburban areas (Kanata, Barrhaven, Orleans) and later work on other options. The way the tunnel is propose I do not see any change for the suburbs. I do not condone policy that people should know when they move, it is unrealistic. The tunnel has many issues; costs and security are the main constraints. Until design engineering studies are done we may not learn about what else might be there.

“As a taxpayer I see very little in actual clearing of the gridlock unless there is easy accessible transit from suburbia to downtown like the go- train in Toronto and after this is done consider the metro options and the digging. I have not seen anything in existing plans to make me a convert although I would love to see a train getting me downtown.”

Clinton Cowan, candidate for councillor in Ward 18, Alta Vista/Canterbury/Riverview, makes the following observations in a column in the June 2010 issue of Riverview Park Review:

“Light rail dependent on expropriation is a symptom of poor planning. That approach cannot continue in our city if we hope to shape it properly for future growth.

“The greatest challenge is not where transit goes but who uses it…. To encourage ridership in the short term what is needed is an expansion of the Eco Pass program and to tip the balance in favour of transit use versus car use. A shift in the funding ratio is needed and this requires innovative thinking. If the current council were truly sincere about encouraging ridership, they would minimize new road building. There is a piecemeal approach to road use, development of corridors, and traffic…. Communities are willing to share growing pains but they must be able raise awareness to what is not feasible or sustainable or acceptable to a community.”

The enlightened comments offered by these new candidates and by members of the public lead me to think that a great deal more analysis and planning needs to be done before a shovel is put in the ground for the light rail project. For instance, if priority were given to providing rail links from suburban areas to downtown, maybe we could make use of existing rail line infrastructure minimizing the need for costly expropriation and reducing construction costs as well as construction time.

Notwithstanding that all levels of government have now put a great deal of money on the table, the scope of studies undertaken to date appears to have been focused on strictly defined goals that have prevented serious consideration of alternatives. To my knowledge there have been no broadly based investigations and cost/benefit trade-offs that look at the overall needs of the municipality undertaken.

Maybe we need to go back to the drawing board and take a fresh look. This might even result in significant cost savings and free up money for other high priority needs within the municipality, water and sewer infrastructure renewal for example.

An interview with Clinton Cowan

Clinton Cowan a Candidate for Councillor in Ward 18

I recently interviewed Clinton Cowan on behalf of my community newspaper, Riverview Park Review. People living outside Riverview Park who might be interested in learning more about Mr. Cowan. Here is a copy of the article.

Clinton Cowan, a long-time resident of Alta Vista, is running for councillor in Alta Vista/Canterbury/Riverview Ward in the upcoming October municipal election. Clinton is a husband and father with a determination to improve the quality of living in Ottawa. Clinton has worked in the public, private, and non-profit sectors helping to build vibrant communities and he currently works in the field of labour relations. His education includes Carleton University - Public Administration and University of Ottawa - Communications. Clinton has served the community in many volunteer roles including: South-East Ottawa’s Community Health Centre; Ottawa Valley Autistic Homes; Byward Market Safety and Security Committee; CHEO, the Ottawa Food Bank and the Salvation Army.

Mr. Cowan made the decision to run for councillor in the upcoming election because he has observed that there is a broken relationship between the community and the current councillor. Clinton wants to work with residents to return strong leadership to City Hall by repairing the disconnect and using every avenue in keeping the people informed so that residents can participate in shaping our unique community.

Riverview Park Review asked each of the three candidates running for council in Ward 18 questions on several issues. Here are Clinton’s responses:

Some members of council have proposed that referendum questions on homelessness be included in the 2010 ballot. What are your thoughts about homelessness in Ottawa? “We have a tremendous amount of intellectual and, at times, financial resources available but we have challenges in addressing the populations at risk because of the competitive duplication in providing services. Competing, or near-competing, groups could be brought together to work on a strategic long term approach. Individual cases are unique, requiring a holistic consistent approach to people at risk. The most important thing we can do is to show individuals what support is available to them and where to find support. Interestingly, in Ward 18, one in four people lives at or below the government defined poverty line.”

What can be done to improve local transit links within the community and accelerate a comprehensive light rail plan for the city while making public transit affordable to everyone?
“Light rail dependent on expropriation is a symptom of poor planning. That approach cannot continue in our city if we hope to shape it properly for future growth.

“The greatest challenge is not where transit goes but who uses it. It is now a competition for people to decide whether to use personal transportation with personal music and climate control which contributes to traffic congestion and air pollution, or use the bus. To encourage ridership in the short term what is needed is an expansion of the Eco Pass program and to tip the balance in favour of transit use versus car use. If the current council were truly sincere about encouraging ridership, they would minimize new road building. A shift in the funding ratio is needed and this requires innovative thinking. There is a piecemeal approach to road use, development of corridors, and traffic. The new bus garage at Industrial Ave. and Russell Road will likely saturate roadways in the area but only token notice and communication to community have occurred during this major development. Communities are willing to share growing pains but they must be able raise awareness to what is not feasible or sustainable or acceptable to a community.

What are your views on intensification projects within the community? How can changes be effectively integrated while respecting existing communities (residents and infrastructure)? “Wonderful communities have developed over many years and intensification decisions need to respect the nature of communities. The City over-inflated projected populations within planning time-horizons. We must be honest about intensification targets and we must look at all the options if intensification is to be kept in scale with what we need and if we are to make it truly successful. There is a history of poor planning resulting in increased traffic, increased pollution and a community divided by major arterial walls.”

Some construction projects being funded under the governments’ Economic Action Plan have been fast forwarded so that they can be completed within the deadlines imposed. What are your views on this approach? “This financial opportunity was put in place to help mitigate the effects of a global crisis. We cannot ignore this; however the municipality should have requested an amendment asking that the city be allowed to implement its normal practices. Rushed projects provide minimal opportunity for community participation. Good decisions take time.”

What do you think can be done to build neighbourhoods where people can live, work and play? “Neighbourhoods matter. I am a supporter of sustainable communities that enhance quality of life. Currently I am working on a movement to increase the capacity of home care spaces in our community, which has one of the highest unfulfilled demands for spaces in the city. Changes in land use occur frequently and we rarely look at the need to support the current mix of residential, commercial, institutional land use that makes them sustainable. Not counting gas stations, Alta Vista has three convenience stores. The corner store does not exist. Walmart is not a corner store. There is a lot of room for improvement; any change must involve the community.”

Do you think that tax increases can be set at or below inflation with a balanced focus on economic, social, and environmental sustainability? “In an ideal setting it would be wonderful if there were no need for continual tax increases. However, the challenge to predetermining a tax rate does not account for the needs and wants of the community. Ottawa has greater needs than wants. We are looking at capital expenditures for our transit system, to resolve neglected waste water infrastructure, to build a new public library, and to develop Lansdowne. We need to take a look at what is needed today, to minimize stress on taxpayers. Currently we have a 3.7% increase to our taxes but we still have increasing user fees, including higher water rates coming shortly, and we have to deal with levy after levy. Most of it is money required to fix problems that should have been addressed or avoided a long time ago. It is apparent that we need a Fresh Start at the council table.”

Do you think that debate and citizen engagement on governance issues (amalgamation, borough councils, and ward councils) should be encouraged? “Should I have the honor of representing Alta Vista Ward I will make every effort to encourage community engagement, using every tool available to a councillor. The fact is that our city was not amalgamated by our choice. As a city we exist by a legislative act from the province. Dialogue must be brought up to the provincial level to initiate change. I have talked to community associations and business improvement associations across the city and it is clear that a lot more interchange between civic leaders and members of the community is needed.”

What are your views on the OSEG/Lansdowne Live proposal? Do you agree that projects of the magnitude of Lansdowne Live should be contracted on a sole-source basis and have so much financial risk transferred to the City? Do you think Lansdowne Live fits in with the neighbourhood? “At this point we will likely never know if this proposal represents the best possible use of this land. It is worrisome that the city has not looked at other alternatives. Do we have the right eyes at the table? Seven of ten architects review panel resigned. In a hiccup our councillor was able to pull his team from across country; locals are only minimally involved. Will they do this with other developments (e.g. the downtown tunnel)?”


At all levels of government voters complain that they only hear from their elected representative at election time. What would you do to engage community members regularly, to listen to their concerns and to respond constructively? “As a candidate I believe I have broken new ground for how residents can become and stay involved and I will provide uncensored opportunities for people to communicate, not just on election day, every day. That commitment is on my website (http://www.clintoncowan.ca/). I make the effort to come to people; I do not expect them to take time off to come to me. I will attend community associations and I will always try to maximize opportunities for community engagement. I have the commitment, the vision and the energy to bring City Hall to the people.”

The true costs of the Lansdowne development are beginning to emerge

“In for a penny, in for a pound,” so the old British saying goes, and this appears to be the philosophy of some members of the seven person jury that is studying various proposals for redevelopment of the canal side of the Lansdowne site (From $5M idea to $88M design, Joanne Chianello, Ottawa citizen, June 4, 2010). Based on his reported comments, this is clearly the position of Councillor Peter Hume who also notes that borrowing for “the construction of this new facility is not out of the range of possibility.” I bet it’s not!
Fortunately, some other members of council seem to be aware of the implications of more borrowing. Councillor Diane Deans points out that borrowing money is hardly free “It is becoming clear that this is not revenue neutral, but a sink-hole for our citizens.” The OSEG planned design appears to be growing out of proportion in order to ensure that private developer’s financial interests are protected. Hope fully council will reject the plan when it is debated later this month.

A wise decision from City of Ottawa staff at last?

It is pleasing to read that city staff is recommending a halt on home construction pending implementation of upgrades to the Hazeldean Pumping Station (Hazeldean Pumping Station upgrade delays Kanata houses, Ottawa Citizen, June 5, 2010) – part of the solution to previous occurrences of flooding in Glen Cairn.

Let us hope that city council's planning and environment committee withstand pressure from developers when they debate this issue on June 22nd. Let us also hope that the planned upgrade provides sufficient pumping capacity to address possible future growth in the affected areas.

Perhaps the city should also consider delaying projects in adjacent areas, such as the controversial Terry Fox Drive extension, even if it means sacrificing contributions from the government’s Economic Action Plan.