The chicken or the egg?

Commenting on concerns expressed by Heritage Ottawa adviser, Leslie Maitland, that “the city is jumping the gun with respect to heritage” (“Where are the heritage reports?” critics ask before Lansdowne vote, Joanne Chianello, Ottawa Citizen, Sept 13, 2010) Councillor Peter Hume, chair of the city’s planning and environment committee says that “Rezoning has nothing to do with the heritage questions. All the rezoning does is to change allowable uses for the site.”


He goes on to suggest that it has no bearing on whether the city will move the Horticultural Building or what the easements – or sight lines – around the Aberdeen Pavilion will be. “Those aren’t zoning issues, those are site plan issues” he says.

Really Councillor, which came first, the zoning or the site plans; the site plans or the zoning? Here is yet another instance of this councillor disrespecting and disregarding the valid concerns expressed by citizens. Is it any wonder that people are so distrustful of this council? Hopefully it won’t be too long before Hume and others are called to account.