Cycle friendly city?

Following is a letter-to-the-editor I sent to the Ottawa Citizen ( recognized but unpublished):

I was disappointed by the arrogant tone adopted by Councillor Peter Hume in his Letter-to-the-Editor (Council made progress on a cycle-friendly city, Ottawa Citizen, September 15, 2010).


In his letter Hume outlines a number of cycle/pedestrian pathway and sidewalk initiatives that are being installed in his Alta Vista Ward communities this year. Nice as it is for the Alta Vista/Canterbury/Riverview communities to have these new facilities, it should be noted that they have not come about easily, and certainly not for entirely altruistic reasons.

Plans for work on the Riverview community to Hurdman transit station link and the sidewalks on Industrial Avenue were not high on the city’s priority list until Hume faced anger from Riverview Park residents earlier this year over plans to further expand the O.C. Transpo bus garage on Industrial Avenue. Then all of a sudden they became a priority.

At the time the city was unwilling to make significant changes to the bus garage site that would address residents’ concerns. So prioritizing plans for cycling and pedestrian infrastructure presented a way to placate local residents, or so they hoped!

As it turned out, residents were far from satisfied by these offsetting benefits and Hume and the city have now had to take additional measures in order to minimize the negative impact that the “garage mahal” will have on the community. These new measures have not come without significant cost to the taxpayer and will not be in place for some time after the garage/maintenance facility becomes operational this fall.

It can hardly be a coincidence that much of the sidewalk and recreational pathway work is being undertaken during the 2010 municipal election campaign period.


Colin Hine

Lucky there is an election campaign on!

The tenants of the Heron Gate community in Alta Vista Ward are fortunate that there is an election campaign on, and that the incumbent councillor, Peter Hume is running for re-election. Otherwise, it is unlikely that their complaints would be receiving the high level of attention they are currently receiving from the city and from this councillor (Hotline lets tenants beef about landlord, CBC News, September 16, 2010).


Since 2009 residents have been complaining about problems from infestations, heating systems, litter, burned out vehicles, graffiti and others, and the landlord has done little to help. But Councillor Hume made a big slash on CBC Ottawa radio and TV news programs this week about the “hotline’ he has established (Isn’t this what 311 is supposed to be for?), together with some guidelines for residents to follow in order to get attention to their complaints.

This problem was previously reported on by CBC last April, but it has taken Hume to this point (in his re-election campaign) to act on behalf of this community. I’m not excusing the building complex owners, Transglobe Property Management, and the building managers, Berkley Property Management, for their failure to act, but the city and this councillor have also failed to respond effectively. Perhaps Hume is normally too busy helping developers and dealing with out-of-town committee affairs to do this important part of the job he was elected to do!

Pot calling the kettle black

Mayoral candidate Jim Watson does a wonderful job selling his “integrity plan” and dissing opponent Larry O’Brien. In the process he appears to have stolen some of mayoral candidate Clive Doucet’s ideas, no sole-sourcing for example. However, he does not plan on revisiting the Lansdowne Park sole-source decision.


Unfortunately, Watson’s plan also overlooks some of his own transgressions; in particular, candidates taking developers’ donations. He could have taken action on this issue in his previous role as municipalities minister in the Ontario government, but didn’t. Larry O’Brien talks about “releasing corporate donations” but Clive Doucet didn’t need a “policy” to know it is wrong to take donations from developers.

Clive Doucet is now the only leading mayoral candidate that does not take donations from developers, and this has been a key plank of his campaign from the beginning.

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.

Challenging the Democratic Process

A recent letter to the Ottawa Citizen suggested that voters should not vote for mayoral candidate Clive Doucet but instead vote for Jim Watson in order to prevent Larry O’Brien from being re-elected. This suggestion was challenged in two excellent letters-to-the-editor a few days later:


http://www.ottawacitizen.com/technology/glad+Doucet+taking+right+issues/3492196/story.html
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Insult+voters/3492197/story.html

Both Watson’s and O’Brien’s campaigns receive substantial financial support from the corporate sector. In addition, Watson has strong ties to his former Ontario provincial government colleagues and will likely be susceptible to influence by their political agendas.

Of the three leading mayoral candidates Clive Doucet is the only one who does not have a potential conflict of interest. Clive Doucet is the only candidate who represents the interests of the public, without influence from corporate or external political sources. He truly is the people’s candidate!

Here is my own unpublished letter-to-the-editor:

Dear Sir,
Letter writer Erwin Dreessen’s letter (Doucet should quit, too. Ottawa Citizen, Sep 4, 2010) suggesting that voters should not vote for mayoral candidate Clive Doucet, but instead vote for Jim Watson (even if holding ones nose in the process) in order to prevent Larry O’Brien from being reelected.

It is this type of reasoning that challenges the entire democratic process. Voters are already jaundiced, evidenced by the low voter turn out for elections at all levels of government. People should listen clearly to what the candidates have to say and vote according to their consciences.

Colin Hine

A very convenient arrangement!

Interesting that an issue of Hume News from Councillor Peter Hume inviting residents of Ward 18 to his annual Riverview corn Roast should arrive in the mail, right in the middle of the 2010 municipal election campain. 

I sincerely hope that this will not be used as an opportunity to promote his platform for office, at taxpayers' and the community's expense.

The process is more important than the result

Recent articles and broadcasts in the local media highlight controversy surrounding a walking and cycling path that is being built in the green space in Alta Vista (Alta Vista path sparks controversy, CBC News Aug 26, 2010; Cyclists excited about new Alta Vista “Pathway,” Tony Spears, Ottawa Sun, September 1, 2010). It is difficult to deny the potential benefits fromf this pathway. However the process through which the project was planned and approved by Ottawa City Council with the support of Alta Vista Councillor, Peter Hume is entirely wrong.


Many of the on-line comments endorse this pathway and the benefits that it will bring to the community. But some comments are critical of the process; in particular the fact that the community was never consulted on this planned development. This concern is heightened by arrogant statement from Peter Hume, such as: “…the $250,000.00 project was too small for a full public consultation….” How many other $250K projects, that are “too small,” are there in the works at City Hall?

This clearly demonstrates a lack of commitment to transparency within Ward 18 and more widely within our city. The value of a project has little to do with showing residents respect. Councillor Hume is taking the community for granted. Dozens of residents whose homes back on to the path have indicated that they had no idea that a path was being built until construction started. They were however well informed about Councillor Hume’s movie night for the community! This is shameful!

Another recent example in the Ward concerning late and inadequate public consultation include the OC Transpo Bus Garage on Industrial Avenue, the "garage mahal." Community concern over this project eventually stimulated the Councillor to explore alternate access to/from the site via Belfast Road. He even put out a special community news sheet announcing it.

Whether this access will ultimately be presented to the public before it is approved is still not known. Neither will the public likely get to learn whether any back room deals have been negotiated with landowners.

Then of course there's the Lansdowne Partnership Plan; enough said!  If it's good for Councillor Hume's developer friends then surely it's good for Alta Vista Ward residents and for the city as a whole!