A World Class City?

I really have to wonder what O’Brien and Watson mean when they talk about making Ottawa a “World Class City.” I think they believe that the costly projects they are suggesting tax payers should invest in will do the job. In their minds this means investing heavily into such projects as:

 

• The eyesore of a shopping mall, called Lansdowne Park,
• The $2.1billion (plus) Light Rail Tunnel,
• O’Brien’s proposed ring road, and
• The network of new roads that they plan to build that will allow for major expansion beyond the urban boundary.

 What they both seem to have missed completely is the damage to the city’s image and appearance that is already taking place because of the development sprawl that results from the powerful influence that developers already have over city hall. This week my wife and I had to take a drive out to the west end of the city. We decided to avoid taking Highway 417 and instead used arterial roads and thoroughfares.   

Everywhere we traveled we saw new strip malls and shopping complexes with big box stores under construction:

• On Baseline the new shopping complex where Laurentian High School used to stand, town houses inches away from a four lane road;
• Along the Bells Corners strip a long chain of new or updated strip development, accessible only by car, completely devoid of character;
• Along Hazeldean Road, including the area that is now being widened there is an obscene plethora of big box chain shore and strip mall developments. The Carp River is now virtually invisible, being forced into a narrow concrete channel. Remember when this was “just beyond the fringe” territory?

 All of these areas require access by car. The roads are a major challenge for cyclists and pedestrians take their lives into their hands. It is just the same if you head to the east or the south of the city; one eyesore after another.

 

The same big box and chain stores appear, again, again and again, simply diluting revenue streams from existing stores and driving local storekeepers out of business.

 

While all this uncontrolled development continues, the city has failed to put in place adequate sewage disposal measures; has failed to stop dumping raw sewage into our rivers, and failed to put in place measures to stop recurring flooding of homes. Instead they choose to construct new buildings and roads on sensitive wetlands. Let’s regain control of our once beautiful city once and for all!

 

Is this what developers and their cronies on council believe world class means? Come on! It’s time for a real change! Vote for candidates for mayor and council who do not accept campaign donations from developers and who will no longer allow them to be the real power in Ottawa.