Shame on Ottawa City Council for voting against Councillor Clive Doucet’s motion (Sep 22, 2010) to put planning committee’s decision to re-zone Lansdowne Park and Sylvia Holden Park on hold (Sep 14, 2010).
Shame on Mayor, Larry O’Brien, for turning up unexpectedly at planning committee to cast a deciding ballot on this vote. I hear this mayor comment that he only has one vote, but he clearly has two!
Shame on planning committee chair, Peter Hume for endorsing this strategy, especially after the statements he made in his June 28, 2010 Ottawa Citizen Article, “We are on the verge of something wonderful – we must not turn back:…”
“…Myth No. 4: Sylvia Holden Park will become part of Lansdowne and the community facilities will disappear.
“Greg Smallenberg, one of Canada’s best park designers, has been chosen to create Lansdowne’s new park and open space. He has been very clear his concept was to infuse the community park with the kind of beauty and program it deserves while ensuring it maintains it’s community park feel and use.
“This is why Smallenberg proposes to keep the community facilities – including the wading pool – and invest more than $7 million in improvements, such as community gardens and heirloom apple orchards, to Sylvia Holden Park. Just as they do today, the city’s Parks and Recreation department will retain complete control over the programming and operation of Sylvia Holden Park.”
Council’s high-handed decision to move ahead before outstanding legal and heritage issues have been fully explored and resolved is unacceptable. Quoting from mayoral candidate Clive Doucet’s Sept 22, 2010 press release: “…Doing away with a Sylvia Holden Park and disrespecting Lansdowne’s heritage are symptomatic of a larger problem: the complete lack of leadership at City Hall to protect public funding, public land and public procurement.
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