2010 election special

2010 Election Special – this is the introductory title to Peter Hume’s flyer detailing his past accomplishments and future plans. I take a very jaundiced view of most of his claims. For example:


Negotiated Browning Corridor exclusion as a high-speed bus route: In my view the inclusion of this route was always a red herring and Hume was on safe ground knowing that it would be eliminated from consideration. In fact, the contributors who identified viable solutions to the high speed bus corridor were individual residents of the Riverview Park community. They accomplished this by attending open houses on the project, communicating with the study consultants and writing articles in local community newspapers. On the topic of roads and transit, one wishes that Hume might have actively campaigned to exclude the Alta Vista Transportation Corridor from the city’s official plan.

Hosts annual Riverview Park Corn Roast…: Firstly, this annual event is funded partly using (wasting) tax payers’ dollars. I fail to see this and similar events to be more than a photo-op and an opportunity to watch the councillor eat!

Led major improvements to the Lansdowne Park redevelopment and design: Unfortunately Hume broke his commitment with Councillor Clive Doucet for an international design competition for the entire park (not just the grassy bits). Instead, he approved a sole-source contract agreement with a group of developers; several of whom donated to his election campaigns on 2003 and 2006 either as corporations or individuals.

Altered Ottawa Train Yards development to improve aesthetics: What Hume fails to acknowledge is that the Ottawa Train Yards development is largely populated by retail chains, most of them U.S. owned, that take away business from established businesses that are just blocks away. The inclusion of a WallMart store as the anchor tenant of a mall that is only 10 minutes from down-town and less than 5 minutes from St. Laurent Shopping Centre further dilutes revenue streams for established businesses. There is only so much retail money to spread around and adding acres of new retail space does not help. Most of the local jobs resulting from the Train Yards development are low paying (minimum wage). The original plans for this site included space for businesses that would employ skilled people, thus making it possible for some local residents to find attractive work opportunities close to home. It is unclear if or when this might happen.

President of Association of Municipalities of Ontario: Hume’s involvement with this group has resulted in him having among the worst attendance records at city council meetings. Some might say that his participation was for the greater good, but in reality it has resulted in his neglecting the needs and concerns of ward residents.

I could go on but the truth is that this councillor has been in office too long and is taking us for granted. In Hume’s flyer, ward resident Sam Ibrahim claims that Hume’s incumbency at city hall is not a weakness. For some Councillors this might be correct, but in the case of Councillor Hume it’s time for a Fresh Start.