From: "tv creator "
Date: October 15, 2010 11:30:03 AM EDT
To: "O'Neil Brooke" 
Subject: Graffiti....

You say your all about anti graffiti and getting it cleaned up, then why the hell are your damn campaign flyers glued to 45 transit shelters in your riding, don't worry ill be sure to email this around with a link to your website graffiti page, this is very hypocritical don't ya think when your lobbying to get it cleaned up and when you and your supporters are in fact causing the mess. Do yourself a favor and don't glue paper to transit shelters, doesn't look to good....

Hello tv creator, 

 

If you wish to demonstrate your ignorance of the Canadian constitution, supreme court of Canada decisions and historic methods of communication, fill your boots!

 

First off, it is not 'glue' that is used. The word 'glue' to me implies a chemical substance that will have some permanence to it. You are right in being upset if a permanent glue were used. Wall paper paste was used and I can remove each of these posters in about a minute. I have done so at multiple locations because people rip them up and draw on them and that does look bad. I do the best I can to keep them clean.

 

It is important to note the distinction between this activity and graffiti. The city of Ottawa Graffiti Management by-law defines graffiti.

 

“graffiti” means one or more letters, symbols, etchings, figures, inscriptions, stains howsoever made or otherwise affixed to a property or other markings that disfigure or deface a property but does not include a mural sign permitted in accordance with By-law No. 2005-439, the Permanent Signs on Private Property By-law;

 

Since the activity I am engaging in does not disfigure or deface property (both terms imply permanence and a degradation of the value of the property) it is not graffiti. 

 

Is this form of communication legal? You might was to spend some time with the http://scc.lexum.umontreal.ca web site. It's a fantastic site that publishes Supreme Court of Canada decisions in an accessible form for the public. This decision may be of particular interest to you, at least it should be in this case.  

 

"Postering on public property, including utility poles, clearly fosters political and social decision‑making and thereby furthers at least one of the values underlying s. 2(b).  No persuasive distinction existed between using public space for leaflet distribution and using public property for the display of posters.  The question was not whether or how the speaker used the forum, but whether that use of the forum either furthered the values underlying the constitutional protection of freedom of expression or was compatible with the primary function of the property."

 

Don't you find it strange that the only forms of communication we seem to have now costs lots of money? Are these really the only forms that are open to us? Well take a look at the historical record. I do. 

 

Yes we have this new fangled internet. Yes I know how to use the internet and I do make use of advanced communications technologies. I am also aware of historic precedent and make use of old technologies that remain valid and effective at reaching the public. 

 

So, get upset if you wish. Make lots of noise about this, please. The more important objective of encouraging people to get involved in our political process will have been achieved. The fact that you are advocating the suppression of constitutional rights to free speech will come out in the contest of ideas.  

 

Hi Pat, 

Hi Candidates for Council,

I’m a Director of Common Sense Crossings – a non-profit org that is focused on protecting the Greenbelt and Orleans with respect to the selection of the next Interprovincial Bridge. We have a website at at www.commonsensecrossings.com, and about a 300 person membership/mailing list that is very interested in this issue.

 

We’re sending the questionnaire below to all East End candidates, and we’ll publish your short (less than 500 words please) responses verbatim on our site the week of October 11, and we’ll also include a link to your site, if you include it in the response.

 

Please reply to me directly.

Pat Boule
Director, Common Sense Crossings.

 

Context:

The NCC is currently leading a study to select a site for a new bridge between Quebec and Ottawa.  No one option has been supported by the communities involved and they have raised valid objections to each of the three bridge options.  It has become abundantly clear that the bridge will do very little to alleviate the downtown Ottawa truck problem and it will exacerbate other transportation pressures at the 174/417 split and 174.  Questions has been raised about the validity of the traffic projections used to justify this bridge. 

Wow! Stop! Most of the support for building a new bridge is predicated upon a desire to alleviate the truck problem on King Edward. We have all seen it. It's not right and needs to be fixed. Big trucks like that should not be driving on arterial roads cutting across down town. It's dangerous. When I am walking down there I'm worried about being run over. That's a common impression and as a result most people really want a new bridge. For the whole city we are coming together to try and solve a problem. You are now casting doubt upon the solutions ability to resolve the primary problem. That would be terrible if we built another billion dollar world wonder and it didn't even fix the problem. Fixing the down town truck traffic is a must have in the requirements list for the new bridge project. 

 

So what can I do about it? #3 on the plan is to open a retail space somewhere in our ward. This is specifically for non profit community organizations to have a place to meet, plan and do work. A couple of computers, some bubble jet printers where we buy ink by the gallon, a meeting space and a lobby/entrance where we can show movies. This is paid for out of the office budget which Michel said was about 230K during the last debate.

 

It becomes much easier to help citizens deal with the issues that face us once this infrastructure is in place. Alone can I push the whole city council on an issue? Not effectively. Can I influence the entire city council with a group of dedicated citizens behind me? Oh yes! I can! With a passionate group of citizens I can probably effectively influence the provincial and federal governments as well. ;) The question then becomes not what can I do about it, but what can we do about it now that we have a meeting space, computers, wireless internet, and printers with lots and lots of ink?

Thirteen community groups have developed a consensus on the need to look at other options, such as a truck tunnel under the market, transfer of the funding to mass transit projects, or status quo.  The Alexandria Bridge was closed to Ottawa traffic all summer.  During this period there were lane reductions to the Chaudiere Bridge, which had little adverse effect on Ottawa traffic.  For Ottawa, the priority is not interprovincial commuters. The priority is to alleviate trucks in the downtown core and reduce the gridlock at the 174/417 split.  This is an issue of high interest and importance to east end communities and one which impacts Ottawa as a whole.  We offer you the opportunity to make your position clear on this issue.

 

Questions:

1:  Given the many other priorities and budget deficits facing all levels of government today, do you believe that this proposed bridge is a priority? 

I have spoken to many people in our ward. Over 90% of the people I polled said they wanted a new bridge built. Is it possible that many of the people I spoke to are unaware of the negative attributes of building a bridge? If you are right on that truck impact, absolutely. If I get elected contact me right away, I need to see your information, then we need to let everyone else know, then we organize and take action.

What do see as benefits to Ottawa and your ward if this bridge is built?

It should reduce commute times for people living in Quebec and working on this side of Ottawa. I'm not sure that's really advantageous to the people of our ward though. Our ward is going to take a hit for the city on this one. It will be a pain especially with all the construction while being built. Most people I have spoken to are willing to do it because of the perceived benefit to the whole of the city. Especially King Edward because we all recognize that what's going on there is wrong and needs to be fixed. 

2:  If you support this proposed bridge going forward, which of the three options would you support and promote if elected and why?

- Kettle Island (option 5)

- Green's Creek / Lower Duck Island (option 6)

- Greenbelt / MacLaurin Bay (option 7)

I don't care which of the three options are chosen. I am equally open to "none of the above". It's not about me. It's about the people that I represent. It's not about what I want, it's about what you want. It's not about what I can do about it, it's about what groups of citizens can do with an elected representative that understands his proper role in society.  

I have been asking people about this issue and so far over 90% want it built, the majority of people couldn't care any less about which of the three options are chosen. Of those that did express a preference the two Canotek options (option 6 and option 7) were more popular. 

Most people were not well informed about the bridge options, the needs for the bridge, the problems the bridge is designed to resolve (aside from King Edward truck traffic, almost everyone thought it should resolve this problem and based on this alone people were supportive of a new bridge), nor the problems the bridge will cause. 

I am democratically elected in a constitutional monarchy. I will help citizens with just about anything that is popularly supported, doesn't commit treason against the crown, violate our constitution or break common law. Common law is really simple, #1 don't hurt anyone. #2 don't hurt anyone's things. #3 no lying or fraud in contracts.

From: Davyd Balloch
Date: September 29, 2010 1:16:55 PM EDT
Subject: Ottawa

Hello
 
As we approach decision day, I would like to know your stand on the Ottawa Baseball Stadium (300 Coventry Rd), do you want to keep this stadium there and baseball being played out of it?

Based on your question Davyd, I am going to make the assumption that the City of Ottawa owns the baseball stadium. If that is the case then it is up to the city and council to make sure that the property is used, profitably. 

I am not a fan of using taxpayer money to subsidize private for profit enterprises. So dumping a whole lot of money into the facility in the hopes that a private team moves in to play is probably not going to happen. Although, if residents of Ward 11 tell me they want this and are in larger number than the dissenting voices, then I will vote according to how the majority has directed me.

 

 

 

 

The way my constituents tell me they want the money spent. Before taking a decision on an issue I want to hear from several constituents on that issue. As a representative of the people I need to gather the information required to make a decision and provide that to my principals who make the decisions. Notification to agent is notification to principle. Agency law 101. So set a manageable quorum size, hold a meeting, present the information and get a decision. Document the decision. If a larger quorum size gathers to topple the vote, let it happen. This is democracy in action. 

I have no preference one way or the other for the rail. I will gather my constituents that care about the city's transportation issues and let them form quorums to decide on the choices that are presented to me. 

We have to maintain our roadways and I think the city does a pretty good job of that already. I would like new roads to be designed to be safe for cars trucks and small vehicles like bikes, scooters, skateboards, rollerblades. It's rather simple to do. Just make the side walks bigger to accommodate small vehicles. Pedestrians should share the sidewalks because they fit together much better. If a small vehicle or pedestrian gets in the way of a car or truck someone could die. That's not going to happen with small vehicles and pedestrians so these two types of traffic need to share the road way safety features.  

Being upset with urban sprawl while demanding an economy with a growth rate is demonstrating a misunderstanding of logical conclusions. We can intensify and tear down & rebuild which would reduce the need to consume more empty land aka the urban sprawl. I would encourage the development of more single detached homes into duplexes and triplexes by documenting the development process and helping home owners that run into glitches, when I can. Housing is getting very expensive so let's bring that price down for everyone. A property owner can convert their home into a small multiple dwelling and now have a revenue stream from the capital invested in the property. If enough homes are converted like this it would eventually reduce rental rates in the city. 

I want to see more animals in the Greenbelt. Yes the squirrels are a pain when they chew into your stuff. All wild critters will bother us when they start playing with our stuff. That's why people get upset and kill the animals. The Greenbelt is set aside for nature? ok. Let people trap animals that live in the city and release them into the Greenbelt. These animals would be so much happier in the Greenbelt only they don't know it exists and if left to their own devices would probably never find it. That's two birds hit with one stone. Residents that are upset about wild creatures in their neighborhood can finally do something about it and we get a really vibrant and living Greenbelt. That stone didn't cost us much either, in fact it will probably spawn new businesses offering urban trapper services creating a little bit of new employment. 

Dear O'Neil Brooke,

I am contacting you on behalf of Campaign Life Coalition Ottawa.  We are a pro-life lobbying group who survey candidates during elections to get their views on life issues.  We would very much appreciate if you could answer and return to us the attached questionnaire.  Our supporters in your riding want to know your views.

There are several issues relating to abortion, family values and religious freedom over which you as an elected city councilor have control.

Please find below examples of how your vote on City of Ottawa Council can affect the life issues debate.

Many cities have a local Planned Parenthood office (or affiliate like the Canadian Federation for Sexual Health) which may receive taxpayer subsidies from the municipal government.  Planned Parenthood is the world's largest abortion provider and abortion referral service.  If municipal taxes are supporting Planned Parenthood then on behalf of our supporters we call for an end to their funding.  

A large percentage of federal MP’s and provincial MPP's start their careers in municipal politics.  For example, of the current federal members of parliament, at least 20% began their careers in municipal politics serving as councilors, mayors and school trustees.

The fact is, the city councilors of today are the provincial MPP's who tomorrow could decide to finally end the policy of forcing pro-life citizens to pay for abortions with their own tax dollars.

So that our supporters may cast an informed vote on Monday October 25, we are asking you to answer 3 short questions on life.

campignlifecoalition.com - website

Thank you on behalf of Campaign Life Ottawa

Chris Murawsky

Do You Support Ottawa Public Library Strategic Priorities?

The Ottawa Public Library's vision is to build a strong community by supporting literacy and lifelong learning, fostering inspiration and enjoyment, and connecting people to each other and the world. The Board of Trustees established priorities to guide work toward this vision. See the full strategic plan at www.biblioottawalibrary.ca. Please read the Library priorities below and, beside each priority, enter a single number from 0 to 5 to indicate your position on it. Strong opposition is indicated by 0 and strong support by 5.

Engaging and supporting youth, newcomers, entrepreneurs, and small business

2 - because it depends. Are these the segments of our population that regularly use the library? I think the library should focus on serving the segments of our population that most want to use the libraries services. From the way that this is worded it is not entirely clear that these are the groups that most want to use library? I know that a lot of retired people use the library, yet I don't see retirees as a a specific group that the library wants to engage.    

building print and electronic collections

5 - This is almost the basic definition of a library, so yes this is exactly what the Ottawa Public Library should be doing. 

Enhancing technology based access and services

3 - I have been working in high tech for almost 20 years now. A lot of money can be wasted implementing new technology programs with negligible benefit. What exactly does the library want to do with technology? Providing public access internet terminals is something that is important for our libraries to do. A few years ago there was talk of a "digital divide", where those with the money to buy computers and internet access would have unfair advantages over those that don't. Providing public access internet terminals in our libraries is a great way to ensure that people can still access information even if they don't have the money to buy a computer and pay for monthly connection fees.

Supporting lifelong learning, literacy , and reading for all

0 - I am strongly opposed to this statement because it is so broad and can be such a money sink. Trying to be everything to everyone is not feasible. If it was worded as "Supporting lifelong learning, literacy, and reading for those that need support, or want support" I would strongly agree. The requirement needs to be tightened up a bit so that the library is focusing its efforts on segments of the population that either want or need the services. 

Providing more and better hours of service

4 - Have the people that use the library asked for longer operating hours? The incremental cost of increasing operating hours is negligible compared to the capital costs of building the libraries and their collections, so it makes sense to improve accessibility by extending operating hours. 

Working with city departments and partners on key initiatives

3 - What key initiatives? Which city departments?

Extending public access to city information and services in branches

4 - It makes sense for the city to distribute information to the public through the library system that the city pays for. I am not sure about the services though, it would really depend on the service and if it is congruent to offer that service in the context of public library.

Upgrading and improving existing branches

2 - Given the tax burden residents currently have to deal with and the prevailing economic conditions I don't think now is the time to be upgrading facilities for non-essential services. That being said, if I can personally help in fund raising (not tax dollars) please let me know. I would like to see the library grow, I just don't see how it's appropriate to be spending tax dollars on this at this point in time. We do need to maintain our libraries, so a roof that needs to be repaired is not an upgrade and would be considered completely differently.

Developing new branches

1 - Additional information would be required before I would support this. How many people want new branches? How many of those people are willing to put their own money or time and effort into making a new branch. 

Enhancing accessibility

3 - What is meant by this? Increasing the size of the audio collection for the sight impaired? Installing ramps and other facilities improvements for the physically disabled? 

Demonstrating environmental leadership in new facilities

4 - This depends entirely on what is done and how it is done. The climategate scandal has exposed the whole carbon credit scheme / man made global warming based on CO2 as a fraud. Corn based ethanol as a fuel replacement is another fraud that is only enabled by the availability of cheap oil (energy return on energy invested in negative for corn based ethanol) add to this the increased starvation around the world caused by diverting food to fuel. 

There are opportunities for a library to be involved in environmental programs. A green roof on a library with supporting documentation to show others how its done and the benefits of a green roof might be one example. 

Reducing energy consumption from the grid by installing solar panels and wind turbines might be another. Including supporting documentation and an ability for the public to see the working parts of these systems can help home owners envision and create their own systems.

Installing a closed loop geothermal heat pump with supporting public information can really help this technology achieve more adoption.

There are many opportunities for the library to really help our society in this area, we just need to be very careful about what projects are supported and make sure that the library is not used to flog a dogma on a trusting public.   

Developing a new central library

2 - Why? Who wants it? How much will it cost? What benefit will the new central library have over existing facilities?

Ensuring effective staff and volunteer development

5 - In an information age a knowledgeable librarian is an incredible asset. I have gone into the library on a few occasions in recent years and spoke with some of the librarians. I was astounded by how broad their knowledge was. This is exactly what we need.

Utilizing technology to extend library services

3 - really depends on what technology, what services and at what cost.

Implementing new approaches to performance measurements

1 - What is wrong with the existing performance measurements? Without a really good justification this just seems like a handy way to create a reserve buffer in the budget or carve out money for consultants that are not really needed.

Building increased awareness

2 - I think most people are aware that we have a public library system here in Ottawa. I don't see the need for the library to engage in advertising.  

I handed out many flyers seeking input from the electorate on this issue. No one called to acquire the additional information so the answers above are reflective of my opinions alone and are subject to change based on the input from people within Ward 11. 

The Ottawa Citizen has written one small paragraph, barely two sentences and yet they have failed so badly. Is this just sloppy work? Is this incompetence? Is this craven prostitutes running amok?

Let's address each element of the Ottawa Citizen story. Starting with the title.

"O'Neill Brooke"

They spelled my name wrong. It wouldn't be so bad if they had talked to me and just wrote it down incorrectly, but they never called me. I have yet to speak to anyone at the Ottawa Citizen. So that means they were using either my web site or the city of Ottawa web site, both these locations have my name spelled, correctly. They failed to copy and paste properly.

"Brooke's main issue is stopping the fluoridation of Ottawa's water supply,"

It's quite obvious that the Ottawa Citizen has issues with my name so let me be explicit. My name is O'Neil Brooke. First name O'Neil, last name Brooke. If the media wish to refer to me, they may use my first name; O'Neil. If the media prefer to use my last name, precede it with "Mr." as in Mr. Brooke.

The Ottawa Citizen has mischaracterized my platform. My platform is Representation, Taxation and Water Fluoridation. Stating that my only issue is water fluoridation is likely to harm my reputation and subject me to ridicule because single issue candidates that do not address a broad spectrum of issues are quite rightly ostracized by the general public during an election. Punishment for defamatory libel is 2 years and libel known to be false is 5 years. I suggest Ottawa Citizen that you get your facts straight and correct your article. Our JP's are not used to private prosecutions but it is their duty and I would look at it as a fantastic learning experience.

"on the grounds that the anti-tooth-decay chemical is unsafe."

"anti-tooth-decay chemical" Really? Prove it. You are inferring the claim that hydrofluorosilicic acid is an anti tooth decay chemical when added to water. Where are the scientific studies to back up that claim? This is a cover story we have been fed so that toxic waste from the Florida phosphate industry can be transformed from a liability into a profit center.

Sodium fluoride in tooth paste will prevent cavities because it is a toxic poison that kills the little bugs on your teeth. The bugs eat sugar and secrete acid that eats into the enamel of your teeth. So bathing them in toxic waste kills them and prevents their waste from eating into your teeth. Just remember, rinse and SPIT! Take a look at the material safety data sheet.

"He's also critical of the city's H1N1 swine flu vaccination campaign (saying the vaccine hadn't been properly tested)"

The H1N1 vaccine was not tested. This fact was well known and publicized, by the Ottawa Citizen. It's not the lack of testing, it's the lack of informed consent. What was known about the substances in the AS03 adjuvant system used in GSK's H1N1 vaccine that could be cause for concern? Well polysorbate 80 sterilizes prepubescent female rats and may cause cancer based on the animal test data. Watch the young girls that were vaccinated last year. In 20 years we may find a lot of them are sterile. AS03 also contains squalene; a substance that has been used to induce multiple sclerosis and arthritis in rats for big pharma to test pain killers on. Was this easily verifiable information provided to the public in the disclaimer forms? No it was not. 

Medical testing is permitted on human subjects and at the Nuremberg trials following World War II it was well established that informed consent is an absolute requirement. The city of Ottawa public health department engaged in a criminal act of human experimentation without informed consent. Ottawa Citizen that is why I am upset with the city of Ottawa public health department. Ottawa Citizen, get your facts straight.  

' and of journalists, whom he describes as "craven prostitutes." '

You get points for actually printing it but seeing as how you can't even use the term in a full sentence yet, please allow me to elaborate. First let's get some definitions from the Merriam - Webster online dictionary.

Craven: lacking the least bit of courage : contemptibly fainthearted

and

Prostitute  : to devote to corrupt or unworthy purposes : debase <prostitute one's talents>


The media is supposed to be the fourth estate. The media is supposed to keep the electorate well informed so that the electorate can fulfill it's role of properly guiding elected officials. That is not the media we have. The media we have is the most advanced propaganda apparatus ever devised and it whores itself out to anyone with money, power and an agenda. Big pharma has already been implicated for influencing the United Nations into declaring H1N1 a pandemic. There is the money, there is the power and how about you start doing your jobs and figure out the agenda.

Not every single person in the media is responsible or even participating in the whoring (telling lies for money) that is going on. For the most part the people in the media that are not involved are just craven. They know what is going on, they just don't say anything about it.

If we are to have properly functioning society we need the fourth estate and if we are to have a fourth estate, you have to demonstrate courage. SPEAK THE TRUTH! 

Many people have told me that I need to court the mainstream media in order to win an election. Because so many people have repeated this, I can safely assume anyone else aspiring to elected office has faced similar pressure. The danger here is that if I successfully courted the media and won the election, I would be beholden to the media to maintain my connection and popularity with the electorate. That's a simple way to completely corrupt a politician from the first day they are in office. Totally unacceptable. 

I will maintain a direct relationship with my constituents thank you very much. You see, we (my constituents and I) live in the real world and you guys and gals in the media, live in a fantasy land created by the wizards of Hollywood. 

I do know that you operate under some flawed perceptions on the nature of our relationship (random media person that I may or may not know and I). I don't need you. If you want to remain relevant you need me.

You know what's funny? When I tell people that the media is dominated by craven prostitutes and then explain the definition; people chuckle, smile and agree with me. A lot of media companies have been going out of business and it's not just related to the economy. If it was caused only by the economy then it would be ad revenue that would drop. What's happening right now is that mainstream media circulation numbers are falling. The Ottawa Citizen dropped from 128,600 in 2008 to 123,856 in 2009. What's going on is not isolated to Ottawa. Across the board people are waking up and turning off the talking heads by the hundreds of thousands. ( 2008-2009, 2009-2010 ). Talking heads and repeaters, that's all you are when you behave like craven prostitutes and self centered navel gazers that willfully ignore an ugly reality in favor of a pleasant dream. If you are in the media and you want to be more than a talking head repeater, you MUST deal in the real world and have the courage to speak the truth even when everyone else would really rather you didn't. 

Is the Ottawa Citizen a craven prostitute? I don't know, Ottawa Citizen, you tell me. Either way, get your facts straight and stop publishing lies about me.
 

O'Neil Brooke

Candidate for City Council

Ward 11, Ottawa, Ontario

www.oneilbrooke.com

------------------------------

The spread of truth may be likened to a fire; first a feeble spark ignites a smoldering ember, time and intention blows this into a flickering flame that becomes a mighty blaze, ever increasing in speed and power. 

Dear Mr. O'Neil,

Please read and hopefully respond to this e-mail as soon as possible, with main question at bottom, greatly appreciated and have a great day!
 

Sale of Grant School Site to CMFO may put City in Legal Jeopardy

As a candidate in the upcoming municipal elections for the City of Ottawa, I wish to bring to your attention an issue passed by the current City Council that may end up in a costly legal battle for the City.  As a concerned taxpayer, I want to know what your position will be on this issue if you are elected ‑ will you vote to reverse it, or to leave it as it stands?

On August 25, 2010, City Council passed a motion (see attached) approving the sale of 2720 Richmond Road (former Grant Alternative School) to the Centre multi‑services francophone de l'Ouest d'Ottawa (CMFO).  There are two aspects of this sale that potentially could place the City in legal jeopardy.

• the grant of $1.94 million to CMFO
• the waiving of City policy pertaining to the public marketing of viable properties

 1)    Waiving of City Policy

City policy pertaining to the public marketing of viable properties was first waived at the Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee meeting on July 26, 2010 and then again at the Council meeting on August 25, 2010.

City policy for disposal of surplus property according to its Procedures Manual and Disposals By‑law states:

1.     Circulation should first be to internal departments, then to public agencies, and then to the public;

2.     The Disposals By‑law requires a notice to the public prior to the disposal of any real property; and,

3.     The disposal procedures for "marketing" described in the By‑law require public marketing prior to the final approval of any offer by the City.

The mandate of the Department of Corporate Services through the Real Estate Division of the Real Property Asset Management Branch is to ensure that the Surplus Real Estate Program continues with its goal of disposing of surplus properties based on a fair, open and transparent process with surplus assets being sold at market value.

As far as I know, by waiving the City policy pertaining to the public marketing of viable properties, the City never gave public notice that the Grant School property was surplus and never underwent the proper procedures for marketing the property.  Certainly this was not a fair, open and transparent process with surplus assets being sold at market value.

Furthermore, I believe that the Corporate Services & Economic Development Committee (http://ottawa.ca/city_hall/mayor_council/standing_committees/corporate/index_en.html#P114_12864) abrogated its responsibilities in several areas, specifically:

• Specific Responsibilities, 8. Real Property Asset Management, d.  states "In accordance with the provision of the Disposal Policy and by‑law, authorize the sale or other disposition of land, including determination of the compensation to be paid therefore, provided that such sale price does not exceed $500,000 and when Council has declared such land surplus. Recommend to Council disposals over $500,000.@
• Specific Responsibilities, 11. Economic/Business Development, c. states "Liaise with other levels of government and the business community regarding economic development issues.@

And, I believe that, by waiving of City policy pertaining to the public marketing of viable properties, both the Corporate Services & Economic Development Committee and City Council contravened the City=s Accountability and Transparency Policy (http://ottawa.ca/city_hall/policies/accountability_en.html) specifically the following:

Policy Statement

The City of Ottawa will promote accountable and transparent municipal governance guided by the following principles:

 1.   Decision‑making will be open and transparent.

 2.   Municipal operations will be conducted in an ethical and accountable manner.

 3.   Financial resources and physical infrastructure will be managed in an efficient and effective manner

I believe that the waiving of City policy pertaining to the public marketing of viable properties could leave the City open to legal action from any person or organization that may have had an interest in developing the Grant School site but who never knew that the City had declared it surplus or were given an opportunity to bid on it.

I also believe that the waiving of City policy pertaining to the public marketing of viable properties could leave the City open to legal action from any taxpayer on the basis that the City did not exercise its proper functions under its Disposals By‑law to ensure that the property was being sold at market value.

2)   $1.94 million grant to CMFO

City document Ref NE: ACS2010‑CMR‑REP‑0037, entitled "DISPOSAL STRATEGY ‑ 2720 RICHMOND ROAD ‑ FORMER GRANT ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL" submitted by Kent Kirkpatrick, City Manager/Directeur municipal on 26 July 2010 to the Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee of the City of Ottawa provides additional background on the sale of this property to CMFO based on a value of $3.94 million and incorporating a grant of $1.94 million to the CMFO.  The full submission can be seen at (if this link does not work, contact me for a PDF copy):

http://www.ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa/citycouncil/csedc/2010/08-17/08-FINAL%20-%20ACS2010-CMR-REP-0037%20-%20EN-%202720%20RICHMOND%20ROAD%20GRANT%20SCHOOL.htm

Under BACKGROUND, the section LEGAL/RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS states "Legal Services has been advised that CMFO is a non‑profit organization.  Grants are permissible to organizations that are not a "manufacturing business or other industrial or commercial enterprise.    On that basis, there are no legal/risk management impediments to implementing any of the Recommendations arising from this Report."

However, in the attached "FINAL VERSION BUSINESS PLAN SUMBITTED TO THE CITY OF OTTAWA   LAND PURCHASE PROPOSAL FORMER GRANT SCHOOL SITE 2720 RICHMOND ROAD, OTTAWA" dated June 17, 2010 prepared by Ronald Bisson & Associates Inc., this report indicates that several risk scenarios were run in which CMFO was the owner of the entire facility and that there was a high risk of financial failure in all cases if part of the facilities was vacant for extended periods.

As such, scenarios were considered which included shared ownership of certain portions of the facilities by both non-profit and for‑profit organizations but with the non-profit CMFO owning the land.  This is nothing less than a manipulation of City rules to allow the establishment of for‑profit institutions that will compete with other for‑profit institutions in the area that have not had the benefit of the City's largess in terms of a $1.94 million grant.

In this report, section 6.2.  Project's Three Components states  "The planned project comprises three separate yet complementary components. At this stage in the process, planning is in the design phase only. The components will be specified as decisions are made by the various organizations involved. An exhaustive analysis by an architectural firm will be needed to determine how these concepts can be implemented at the site. The three components are the following:

• Community centre
• Long‑term care centre
• Housing cooperative for seniors

In section 6.3, Summary of the Three Components, states "The project has the following partners. The partnership details will be determined at a later date.

• CMFO
• Centre communautaire Franc‑Ouest
• Coopérative Ami Jeunesse
• Centre Soleil d'Ottawa Ouest
• Action Logement
• Équipe de santé familiale de l'Est d'Ottawa
• La Cité collégiale ‑ daycare‑school and other services
• Dental clinic
• Caisse populaire ‑ service centre
• Montfort Hospital and Revera Inc.
• Coopérative pour le bien‑être des aînés francophones de l'est de l'Ontario
• Future members of the housing cooperative

Of the list of partners, I believe that at least the ones in blue [editorial note: blue coloration not used on the web site, those entries originally in blue have been underlined] are for‑profit organizations ‑ there may be others.

No dentist is going to operate a dental clinic in this facility unless it is on a for-profit basis.

Regarding Revera, their web site contains the following statements:

• "For over 45 years, Revera has been offering choices in community living, warm hospitality and compassionate care. Since our modest beginning, with one personal care home in Winnipeg, Manitoba, we have expanded to over 220 retirement and long term care homes, and skilled nursing centers, including 40 homes in select U.S. locations."
• "Revera is a fully owned subsidiary of a Canadian federal crown corporation ‑ the Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP IB) ‑ which is charged with managing the pensions of the federal Public Service, the Canadian Forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Reserve Force."
• Note that Revera already has 13 locations across all parts of Ottawa offering retirement living, and 2 offering long term care.
• Also note that Revera is definitely a for‑profit company.

Anyone with a bit of common sense can see that these above mentioned for‑profit groups will be in direct competition with other for‑profit groups in the community who have not had the benefit of a grant from the City.

Also, the CMFO needed the City to agree with their proposal so that they will have leverage to get additional grant funding from the provincial and federal governments for their $55 ‑ 60 million dollar expansion of the existing facility including a retirement home, long term care facility, dental clinic, medical clinic etc., and that this will further compound the issue relating to competition with for-profit organizations in the area.

Thus, by the City approving this sale to CMFO, the City also has become the facilitator for anything else that happens. 

Although the City can claim that they can provide grants to non-profits like CMFO, this $1.94 million grant to CMFO potentially opens the City to legal action for unfair business practices from any other for-profit organization (retirement home, dental or medical clinic etc.) that has not had the benefit of a multimillion dollar grant to get started.  Win or lose, this still could be very costly for the City.

In closing, as a taxpayer and concerned citizen, I want to know what your position will be on this issue if you are elected ‑ will you vote to reverse it, or to leave it as it stands?

Sincerely ,

David MacDonald

Hello David,

There are a couple points that you bring up here 1) possibility for inappropriate behavior on the part of the city. 2) potential for legal liability and 3) the use of tax payer money to setup this facility. and close it off with a question of what I would do about it.

1) Can the city break it's own rules? I think it can. I would need to consult with the city's legal counsel to make sure, but I think self imposed rules can be disregarded if council chooses to do so. If the city made the rule, then it should be within the city's power to change the rule or make exceptions to the rule. Just like you can choose to change the rules in your household, the city can choose to change the rules by which it operates. You do not have the same leway when it comes to laws imposed by external sources just as the city would not be able to selectively follow acts or statutes imposed by the province or the federal government.

Making an exception to the self imposed rules so that a greater public good can become a reality may be appropriate. There is a lot of history to this that I am not aware of, so I am not able to determine if this is an appropriate time to use this kind of power.

2) It is not appropriate for guardians of public funds to engage in activities that create liabilities for the public. Now when evaluating legal liabilities we have to realize that people can launch legal actions even when there is no reasonable expectation of winning. One form of this is called a SLAPP. Before making a determination as to whether there is any merit to the legal claims I would need to read a whole lot more and need to consult with legal counsell for the city. If the issue is important enough, then we need to proceed even if the threat of a SLAPP is real. We don't give in to terrorists and SLAPPs are just another form of terrorism, only instead of bombs, lawyers are the weapons of choice. If there is merit to the claims of inappropriate behavior creating a legal liability for the city, then we need to immediately stop the offending behavior. When you realise you are digging yourself into a hole, the first step is to stop digging!

3) 1.94 million. That's a lot of money! Now from the information you have provided this seems to be uncapitialized gains instead of out of pocket expenses. Either way, it's still a whole lot of money. How many people want this to happen? How many people know that this is happening? Before spending (or giving up a recievable worth) this much money I want to see significant public support. 

What would I do if elected? Well the first thing I would need to do is learn more about this. If I do get elected, please contact me so that we can sit down and talk. If there is inappropriate behavior here, it's simple, we stop it. There is a lot of money involved here so after having done research on this I would be providing the results of my investigation to my to my constituents and then asking them what should be done about this.

Hello,

We are the trade union representing the Taxi Drivers of Ottawa. We wish to pose the following six questions to you as a candidate in the 2010 Municipal Election. We will be endorsing candidates and making your answers to these questions known to our membership.

We appreciate you taking the time to address our concerns. Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call or email the undersigned.

Questions:

1. The City’s Licensing Committee, which holds disciplinary hearings against drivers, consists of three city councillors who may or may not have a legal background. Do you believe that this committee should be replaced and made to consist of independent citizens, legal professionals or perhaps retired judges?

I am not aware of any problems with the current system, so I don't see the need for change. Are there issues that you are aware of that I should be aware of? When looking at systemic changes there will be costs associated with it, how will those additional costs be paid and more importantly do tax payers support that additional cost? It's not really important how I feel about this, it is far more important to determine how our constituents feel about this proposed change. 

2. As it stands, vehicles when entering into the taxi fleet cannot be older than four model years old and vehicles can only remain in service until they are up to seven model years old. What do you think of this requirement?

As I understand it this was instituted so that we didn't have old rust buckets being used as taxi's and some people felt that this would reflect poorly on the city so the rule was made. I do not know what kind of financial hardship this places on taxi drivers, nor do I know how much taxi's make so it's difficult to determine if this is a reasonable rule or not. If safety and presentability are the important criteria can we come up with better requirements? 

 

While out talking with constituents, I did speak to one taxi driver and he mentioned to me that some companies have an exemption to this rule. Why do some have to follow the rules and others do not? The inconsistency does not seem to be fair and should be looked into.

3. Should bus lanes on city roads (not the Transitway) be opened for use by taxicabs, as is the case in most North American cities.

I don't see a problem with doing this. There is no additional costs associated with a change  of this nature, that I can see. If this issue came to me as a councillor I would contact a representative set of my constituents and vote according to their input. While I don't see any problems with it, I would still make sure that my vote is based on the input of citizens.

4. What is your opinion regarding the requirement for security cameras inside taxicabs?

I think it's an orwellian nightmare which creates another disincentive to using taxicabs. Why support an industry that has been turned into an extension of the police state. By mandating cameras in taxi's the city has effectively said that all taxi clients are criminals, only they have not been caught yet.

 

Now the issue of taxi driver safety is a very real and it is certainly within the rights of a taxi driver to choose to video tape within his cab. So while I am quite critical of a centrally mandated surveillance system, I do recognise the need to improve security for drivers and a drivers right to use a surveillance system if they choose to.

 

Another aspect of this is the financial cost of this system to taxi drivers. How can we justify forcing taxi's to pay for a system they may not even want? 

5. The City of Ottawa has begun to demand bi-annual criminal background checks from taxi drivers. Drivers must produce these criminal record checks themselves and at their own expense. What is your opinion of this?

How are the criminal records checks used? If a taxi driver gets arrested and charged for an offense that is unrelated to his occupation as a driver can this be used to negatively affect his ability to earn a living? Why? Do the negative consequences come before or after a conviction? I don't know the justification for this requirement and I don't know how this information is being used, so it's difficult to defend it.  

6. When the Accessible Taxicab Licences began to be issued, the understanding was that the city would give more Para Transpo business to these cabs. As it stands, very little business has been transferred. What is your stand on this issue?

This issue should really be split into two. First, was fraud used by the city to entice people into purchasing Accessible Taxicab Licenses? Second how much should the city be paying to support the Para Transpo program.

 

If there was fraud used, then we need to identify the culprits, seek prosecutions for the guilty and make reparations to the victims. 

 

Is Para Transpo a legal requirement imposed upon the city of Ottawa? If so then we just need to fund it, if not, then I would need to engage my constituents in further discussions before making any changes to it's level of funding.  

Thank you,

Amrik Singh Dhami

President – Ontario Taxi Union

CAW Local 1688

    tOM Trottier - CfSC Past President wrote:

    Dear Candidate,

    Citizens for Safe Cycling (CfSC) has been promoting cycling and cycling safety in Ottawa since
    1984. Based on that experience, we have developed a list of nine ways in which the city could
    get more people cycling -- meaning less congestion, better air quality, and less traffic through
    our neighbourhoods.

    You can read this list at
    http://www.safecycling.ca/news-and-projects/election2010/309-2010-city-election-platform-for-cycling

    We'd like your support -- as a candidate in the 2010 city elections -- for this platform. Could
    you please let us know whether you support it, and any other comments you have on it (up to
    500 words)? We would also be interested in learning how you would address cycling issues in
    your ward.

    We will be posting candidate reactions on our website (http://safecycling.ca) and publicizing
    them to our members, Ottawa cyclists, and other interested groups. Our template page is
    available at http://TomTrottier.com/ward14.html We reserve the right to edit for length and
    relevance to cycling.

    We would also appreciate it if you could give us the following information for inquiries by
    cyclists:
       * Telephone number
       * email address
       * website address
       * website page for cycling policies

    CfSC will not be endorsing any candidate in the city elections.

    Could you please send your replies to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ?

    Yours sincerely,
    tOM Trottier, for Citizens for Safe Cycling


    --
    tOM Trottier,  Past President,
    Citizens for Safe Cycling http://www.SafeCycling.ca
    Member, Ottawa Roads and Cycling Advisory Committee
    Opinions expressed are personal unless specifically
    attributed to an organisation
    Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair
    for the future of the human race - H.G. Wells
    P Est-ce c'est necessaire d'imprimer ce courriel? / Do you
    really need to print this email?

(note: email, mail and phone cut out of this post, not sure if Tom wants that indexed in google.)

Hello Tom,

My email address and phone number are available on the City of Ottawa's nominated candidate page. My web site is oneilbrooke.com and this email exchange has been posted here. 

Comments on Citizens for Safe Cycling's proposal:

1. Major cycling projects & 2. Completing the Ottawa Cycling Plan

This depends on what the people of ward 11 tell me. It looks like this part of the proposal would be expensive and I don't see how it is required, so my general policy applies. It's it's required, do it and do it well. If it's not required, stop and ask constituents before committing to anything.

You make a good point about road construction though. Cyclists should be taken into consideration and safe detours should be provided in construction zones. 

3. Integrating Cycling with Transit

I don't use the Rack & Roll service personally but understand how people use technology. If a technology is unreliable (it only takes a few failures) then people stop using it. Starting a service like Rack & Roll and then doing it badly is a waste of our money and makes the service useless to the people that would actually use it. Unless overridden by my constituents I would support the an implementation of the Rack & Roll service that would be reliable.

4. Police pro-cycling campaigns

My bike got stolen a few years ago. To add insult to injury the thief didn't just steal my bike from my back yard, the thief upgraded! Yup, another bike of lower quality was left by the thief. I called the police and they couldn't care less about the theft of my bike. I told the police about the bike that remained and asked them to come pick it up. It was evidence, the thief's finger prints would have been all over it. After many phone calls and several weeks someone finally came to pick it up and I never heard another word about this incident from the Ottawa Police Service. 

This is wrong on so many levels. Bike theft is property crime. While it may not be as significant an event as assault, rape or murder it is still a crime and needs to be treated as such by the police service that we pay for. Failure to properly address this crime will embolden criminals to continue in their ways and graduate to more serious crimes. The Ottawa Police Service needs to be educated. None of the police officers I have spoken to know their Oath of Office while it's almost unanimous among my constituents that they should know it! Ye, we need to educate the OPS and make sure that they treat property crimes appropriately.

5. More bike parking

My position on this is going to be entirely dependent upon the opinions of the electorate within ward 11. It looks like the Citizens for Safe Cycling are asking for new funding here and while more bike parking may be needed it is not clear that there is any legislative requirement that the city is required to fulfill it.

6. Keeping bike lanes snow-free

I have seen people in Ottawa bike during the cold months and while not for me, it makes no sense for the city to be consciously doing something to interfere with our citizen's mobility. So stopping the snow removal crews from blocking bike paths should be fairly easy. This does not mean the city should start snow clearing on bike paths though! I'd need more input from constituents before incurring additional costs for service expansion. 

7. Reinstate cycling safety and promotion programs

I certainly prefer this approach to the policing approach but it's not my money, it's our citizen's money so I would want to hear from them before I would commit any new resources to a cycling public education campaign. 

8. Cyclist representation to the City

Having the Roads and Cycling Advisory Committee meet more often is going to incur additional costs, but, this is the right thing to do if it's going to ensure that citizens with an interest in cycling issues are better represented.  Having this committee review the cycling detour routes before construction is authorized makes a lot of sense as well.

9. Let's measure up!

How about we save the hundreds of thousands of dollars it would cost to get consultants to do yet another review? If this is something that is really important to citizens who cycle, do the review yourself. If I get elected and you want me to, I'll make sure to distribute it to the rest of city council.

Dear O'Neil Brooke
 
My name is Susan Flemming and I am writing a series of articles for Arts Ottawa East (AOE). Membership in AOE now includes more than 85 arts organizations and many individual members, representing well over 20,000 individuals. This series of articles to be published in advance of the municipal election will advise our membership and the public at large about the state of the arts sector in the eastern part of the city, including the  Beacon Hill-Cyrville Ward.  In past elections, AOE has sent a comprehensive survey to candidates requesting their views on  a variety of arts and cultural issues. For the upcoming election however, they  would like to take a more personable approach and speak with you about the impact that the arts has had on you as an individual, whether it be attending a dance recital, participating in an acting class or even playing a musical instrument in your high school band. In addition, AOE would like your views on the current state of the arts sector in the eastern part of the city.
 
If you are willing to participate, I hope to speak with you in person or by phone during the last two weeks of September. Meetings can be arranged at your convenience.
 
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me by email or by telephone at 613-xxx-xxxx.
 
Sincerely,
 
Susan Flemming

After receiving this email I called Susan. It was a good conversation and I look forward to the interview that will be conducted in September.

It would be so much easier to try and be everything to everyone, but that's just not me. My campaign platform centers around the concept of representation and recognition of taxation as our culturally accepted form of armed robbery.  

On the one hand it just does not make sense to use money derived from taxes to fund bread and circuses*. Yes arts are important and culture is important, but, it does not do us any good if our cultural institutions are cynically exploited by politicians to achieve an end. It is far more meaningful if our culture is supported by local people, that is legitimate cultural development.

On the other hand, if there is significant support from the electorate to fund arts programs, than as your representative I need to support it. So far in my conversations with people, high taxes are the primary concern so unless I get clear direction from the electorate, I would be looking for ways to help our artistic community in ways that do not cost money. How can we increase the profile of our artists and artistic institutions?

I look forward to the interview, it will be interesting to see what questions are brought.  

* Roman politicians devised a plan in 140 B.C. to win the votes of the poor; By giving out cheap food and entertainment, politicians decided that this policy of "bread and circuses" would be the most effective way to rise to power.

A City for All … All for Our City …women speak up to the municipal candidates

(la version française suit)

Dear Mr. Brooke,

We are pleased to share with you a powerful message that women from communities across the city have prepared for you as a candidate in this municipal election. Released at a press conference at the end of June, the video “A City for All…All for our City”, presents a spoken word poem to creatively raise important issues that matter to all residents in the upcoming municipal election. This is an opportunity for you to hear a powerful statement of what these women and their communities want in the next City Council and in our mutual home Ottawa.  

“If you want our vote, come Election Day
You better listen up to what we have to say
Politics is not a game that you chose to play
It’s a civic trust-earned when-the vote goes your way
Si vous voulez nos voix,
Écoutez et suivez nos voix
We expect leadership, for you to act on our behalf
Listen closely now, can you deliver what we ask?”

                                                       

Throughout the electoral campaign, this video will be posted in the social media to inform candidates and voters.

 

We ask that you take a few minutes to watch the video at the following link and consider how you will integrate these ideas into your platform, so that together we can create a city for all in which we can all be for our city.

 

 

For more information, contact: Ashley Bowa, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Best regards,

Suzanne Doerge, on behalf of women in the CAWI network

Director

City for All Women Initiative (CAWI)

Initiative : une ville pour toutes les femmes (IVTF)

Une ville pour tous… Tous pour notre ville :

Les femmes adressent la parole aux candidates et candidats municipaux

Cher Monsieur Brooke,

Nous sommes heureuses de partager avec vous un message puissant, préparé pour les candidats et candidates comme vous dans cette élection municipale par des femmes de diverses communautés dans l’ensemble de la ville. Lancée à la fin du mois de juin lors d’une conférence de presse, la vidéo « Une ville pour tous... Tous pour notre ville » présente un poème « spoken word » qui soulève de façon créative les questions qui importent à tous les résidents et résidentes dans l’élection municipale prochaine. C’est une bonne occasion pour vous d’entendre un énoncé puissant de ce que ces femmes et leurs communautés veulent voir au prochain Conseil municipal et dans notre lieu de résidence commun, Ottawa.

 

“If you want our vote, come Election Day
You better listen up to what we have to say
Politics is not a game that you chose to play
It’s a civic trust-earned when-the vote goes your way
Si vous voulez nos voix,
Écoutez et suivez nos voix
We expect leadership, for you to act on our behalf
Listen closely now, can you deliver what we ask?”

                                                        

Cette vidéo sera affichée dans les médias sociaux tout au long de la campagne électorale pour informer les candidats et candidates ainsi que les électeurs et électrices.
 

Nous vous demandons de prendre quelques minutes pour regarder la vidéo (suivez le lien ci-dessous) et de réfléchir à la façon dont vous allez intégrer ces idées à votre plateforme, afin qu’ensemble nous puissions créer « une ville pour tous » dans laquelle nous pouvons être « tous pour notre ville ».
 

Pour plus amples renseignements, contactez Ashley Bowa, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

cawi-ivtf-logoFullColourSalutations distinguées,

Suzanne Doerge pour les femmes du réseau de l’IVTF

Directrice

Initiative : une ville pour toutes les femmes (IVTF)/

City for All Women Initiative (CAWI)
    
Ashley Bowa

Program and Administrative Support/  l'appui aux programmes et du soutien administratif

City for All Women Initiative (CAWI)

Initiative: une ville pour toutes les femmes (IVTF)

 

1439 Tedder Avenue

Ottawa, Ontario  K1H 6A5

613-867-0103

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

www.cawi-ivtf.org

"We must open doors and we must see to it they remain open, so that others can pass through."

"Nous devons ouvrir des portes et veiller à ce qu'elles demeurent ouvertes afin que d'autres puissent y passer."

Rosemary Brown

I wouldn't have had the opportunity for post secondary education had it not been for the social programs in Canada. Acquiring my post secondary education lead to a fantastic career in the information technology field that has lasted almost 20 years, so far. 

That being said given the current economic outlook I am going to need constituent support before I vote in favor of new social programs. I handed out over 1200 flyers so far asking for input on the child housing advocacy initiative, there does not appear to be much public support for any new expenditures in this area. 

Taxes are culturally accepted form of armed robbery. Stop paying your property taxes and see how long it takes for men with guns to show up demanding your property or your payment. Now for things the city is supposed to be doing, we as tax payers normally don't mind. It's all of the extra's and extravagances that have piled up over time and now constitute an unbearable burden that is quite literally throwing people out of their homes. Retired on a fixed income and taxes spike up over the years anyone?

I think the number one issue with social housing right now is maintenance. We know we have to maintain what we have otherwise it breaks and we then have to go out and buy another one. Maintaining the city's property should not be an issue, the fact that it is points to poor management. Good thing we are having an election! ;) The social housing facilities are not built to be luxurious, they are built to be functional and the city needs to maintain what it has, properly.

I think the number two issue we have with social housing is measurable goals. We don't feed the bears because we don't want them to grow dependent. As citizens we don't mind lending a hand when it is needed but we don't want to teach people to grow dependent on the system of social aid. How well does the city do in helping citizens that need social housing improve themselves so they can move out? When people move out that opens a space for the people on the waiting list.

    NORTH GOWER WIND ACTION GROUP, Inc.

    Member of Wind Concerns Ontario

    August 20, 2010

    Dear candidates for Mayor and Council:

    The North Gower Wind Action Group is interested in your views on the large-scale, industrial wind turbine project which is proposed for North Gower-south Richmond. We will be collecting comments and posting them on our website and to our membership of more than 300 families via email.

    As a member of Wind Concerns Ontario (WCO), a collaboration of 48 citizens’ groups throughout the province, we will also be sharing your comments on the WCO website.

    Please read carefully.

    The project: The North Gower-Richmond project is for 8-10, 190-meter (626-foot) industrial wind turbines to be built within several kilometers of hundreds of families. (You can see a map on the corporate wind developer’s website at http://www.prowind.ca under Projects, but the company advises that this map is not accurate or up to date.)

    In some cases, planned turbines will be only 550 meters away from homes. These towers are the size of a 50-storey office building and they will produce noise and vibration. Experience with other installations in Ontario shows that people within 2 km of industrial wind turbines are affected by the noise the turbines produce.

    This is an issue that concerns ALL OF OTTAWA.

    Our concerns are:

    -industrial-scale wind energy is unreliable (a 5-year study of Ontario’s existing wind turbine installations showed they produced about 24% of rated capacity); it requires backfill capacity from fossil fuel fired generators at all times; and it is expensive (Ontario is paying huge subsidies to mostly foreign-owned companies—without subsidies these businesses would not be viable). Wind power will NEVER replace coal as a source of power.

    -the European experience is not without problems. Health effects are being reported in European countries; however, setbacks in Europe are frequently 1-2 km whereas Ontario has established 550 meters, without scientific proof of safety.

    -Ecology Ottawa supports “low-impact” renewable energy development; industrial-scale wind is “high impact” for people and the environment

    -a consultants' report for the David Suzuki Foundation lists industrial scale wind LAST on a list of solutions for environmentally responsible power generation, due to its low potential for energy production and high impact on the environment

    -University of Toronto economics and law professor Michael Trebilcock, an expert in energy policy, wrote in the Financial Post in March that: “In terms of cost, CO2 and jobs, wind power attracts a failing grade. It gets worse, with poor marks for localized impacts on flora and fauna, for potentially adverse health effects on local residents from persistent exposure to low intensity turbine noise, for potentially adverse impacts on local property values and for an environmental review process which the Ontario Environmental Commissioner describes as ‘broken’.”

    -wind turbines do cause health problems. Despite industry-funded reports (which are not true medical studies, involving examinations and interviews of real people) saying there is no link between reported health effects and the noise and vibration produced by industrial wind turbines, other health experts say the proof is there. “There is ample scientific evidence to conclude that wind turbines cause serious health problems for some people living nearby … the reports that claim there is no evidence of health effects are based on a simplistic understanding of epidemiology and self-serving definitions of what does not count as evidence.”—Dr Carl Phillips, PhD, Alberta, testifying before the Wisconsin Public Commission on wind turbine siting rules, July 2010.

    The turbines are known to disrupt sleep, which in turn causes a variety of health problems, particularly for children. This effect is well documented in science for other sources of noise, such as traffic.

    -North Gower and south Richmond are completely inappropriate as a location for an industrial installation of this type; the turbines will be very close to hundreds of homes and a school. As Dr John Harrison, retired professor of physics, Queens University told North Gower residents in May, "There is no need to put these things right on top of people."

    -the presence of industrial wind turbines is now seen by realtors and lenders as a negative factor for property value “like a dump or a quarry” according to Brampton Real Estate Board President Chris Luxemburger. Property values can decline by 10-30%...in many cases in southwest Ontario, the properties have been rendered valueless, and corporate wind developers have had to buy homeowners out. In North Gower-Richmond, a conservative estimate of the property value loss is $45 million. That will affect all Ottawa taxpayers who will be picking up the slack. This is expropriation without compensation.

    -the industrial wind turbines can have a significant negative effect on the environment, other than the visual and audible. There is potential for the water table to be disturbed, and for birds and bats to be killed. North Gower is an important migration route for raptors (hawks and eagles).

    -Last, no one should believe there is no recourse against the Green Energy Act: more than 40 municipalities in Ontario have drafted bylaws or passed motions in support of a return of planning powers to municipalities.

    

    Our questions:

    1. What are your views on the proposed, large-scale, industrial wind turbine project to be situated near the village of North Gower and south Richmond?

    2. If elected, would you put forward a motion to City Council that would ask Ontario to return the planning powers it had prior to passage of the Green Energy Act (which removed municipalities’ powers to plan for renewable energy developments, and to protect their citizens) and actively work with Council members toward acceptance and passage of the motion? (More than 40 other Ontario councils have passed such motions---they already exist and can be adapted.)

    

    Do you have any other comments we can share with our members?

    If you need any further information or would like to speak with a member of our leadership group, please email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    You may also wish to view important documents at

 

http://northgowerwindactiongroup.wordpress.com

    

    We are hoping for a response before September 10, 2010.

    Thank you.

    North Gower Wind Action Group

June 23, 2010

Dear Ottawa City Council,

On behalf of the OTAG executive that attended the Financial Summit on June 22, 2010 we would like to make the following comments:

1) Thank you to Councillors Rick Chiarelli and Marianne Wilkinson who organized the Summit. While some Councillors had a good reason to be absent, it is obvious that Council does not view money management as a priority.

2) Since Council & staff showed no interest in this Summit, we did not invite our members to attend. The media also picked up on the lack of interest from Council. Our members’ time is valuable and Council should not approve motions that they have no plans of implementing.

3) It is perfectly okay to have a small meeting between OTAG and the Audit, Budget & Finance Committee or a small group of Councilors, but that can hardly be described as a Financial Summit. If Council is interested in hosting a Financial Summit, it should be advertised, it should be a full day, it should be in a bigger venue, the online and written documentation should be grouped by department.

That being said, there were a lot of recommendations that came from the discussion, the highlights were:

In 2008 Hydro Ottawa spent $53 million in Maintenance, Admin & Operating costs; in 2009 they also spent $53 million. If Hydro Ottawa can implement a budget freeze, Council should implement 2 year budget freeze – no new money. If the NCC can cut their budget by 25% and maintain services, there is no excuse to oppose a budget freeze for Parks & Recreation.

 

Auditor General to report on City administrations costs. A service is a tangible product that is received by a resident, admin is the support for providing the service. The City says this admin is 7%, OTAG says it is 25%. If the City will provide OTAG expense code level information we will provide detail on 25% of the City budget that can be frozen without affecting services.

 

The reason why Council does not have monthly budget variance reports is the same reason why the Summit was so poorly organized. Council is simply not interested in money management.

 

Auditor General to review the projected savings of LRT vs BRT, in capital, operating costs and how long it will take for the project to pay for itself through operating costs savings.

 

Compensation since amalgamation is up over 50%, benefits are up over 80%, but property tax, federal & provincial revenue is only up 30%. This 20% growth gap is unsustainable, yet Council did not invite the Federal and Ontario Ministers of Labour to attend the Summit nor have they sent a delegation to the Premier requesting a change in the binding arbitration process.

 

There was insufficient time to discuss Capital Costs, Down Loaded Services, Outsourcing, Core Services & Non Core Services. Response from staff on these issues was also insufficient, and without the budget at expense code level so we cannot have an accurate discussion on the impact of a budget freeze.

 

The City did not provide average compensation per person for Civilians in the Police, Fire & Paramedic force. We cannot afford to pay $105,000 per annum for office jobs that can be done for $50,000 per annum.

 

We highlighted 78 consulting and legal contracts where skills already exist in house, the City’s response was due to “2010 workload priority” an outside law firm was hired. Auditor General to review the use of consultants for all “2010 workload priority” cases.

 

Our corrective action from this experience is that unless there is a change in the attitude of Council; we shall organize our own Summit during budget time. In the mean time we will continue to push 2 year budget freeze – no new money.
Sincerely

Ottawa Taxpayer Advocacy Group, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
PO Box 93, 2808 Dunrobin Road, Ottawa, ON K0A 3M0

Citizens have a right to be heard and their input needs to be taken into consideration when elected representatives are making decisions. While I have not had the chance to meet the members of OTAG yet the information they put out appears very professional and their insights quite astute. Add the fact that OTAG are essentially donating their expertise, knowledge, time and effort out of their own self interest to have the city reduce taxes and run more efficiently, why wouldn't city council work with this group? As a councilor I would definately want to hear what they have to say on city finances before making decisions in this area.

From: JANE SCHARF

Date: Thu, Apr 29, 2010 at 10:02 AM

To: O'Neil Brooke

Points well taken thanks O'Neil

Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network

From: James Deagle

To: george guirguis

Cc: too many people to list in this space.

Sent: Wed, April 28, 2010 11:40:36 AM
Subject: Re: 2 million dollars a year can be saved by eliminating 9 City councillors

Hi George,

Thank you for your email. I have been considering your notion that we need fewer Council seats in Ottawa, and have concluded that while it may be true that Calgary has fewer municipal politicians per capita than Ottawa, you should consider the following points:

1) Do residents of Calgary feel they are better represented by having only 14 Councillors? (Please let me know if there any surveys or studies that have been done to measure the political efficacy of voters living in areas with fewer municipal politicians per capita.) Reducing the number of politicians simply increases the workload and further divides the attention of those in office as well as their respective staffers.

2) When there is a smaller per capital number of municipal politicians, it is easier to concentrate power and have agendas rammed through with little or no effective debate, and to have a Mayor commandeer City Hall with a slate of syncophant Councillors. No thank you.

 

3) Is smaller really better? Since the beginning of the so-called "globalization" era, the basic assumption has been that businesses and governments need to shrink their spending and their payroll, and consolidate wherever possible. The current economic situation shows this assumption to have been wrong (or at least seriously misguided) all along. Just ask the news media how "consolidation" of their industry is working out. On the political side, look at Mike Harris' "Common Sense Revolution" of the 1990's, which in the end seemed to be based on shell games and political trickery rather than a genuine desire to make government better. A lot of that government's "tax cuts" were simply efforts to offload provincial services into the municipal sphere. (Tax shifting, versus tax cutting.)

I can appreciate your desire to bring a business-minded approach to City Hall. While I believe that all politicians should be business-minded in what they do, they should not mistake their workplace itself for a private business.

 

Beyond the idea of saving a few bucks, I'd be curious to see how reducing the number of Councillors would make for a better City Hall. I'll gladly live in "Pay Ward" if it means having a more effective democracy.

Kind regards,
James

From: george guirguis

Subject: 2 million dollars a year can be saved by eliminating 9 City councillors
To: "James Deagle"
Cc: too many people to list in this space.

Received: Wednesday, April 28, 2010, 10:37 AM

2 million dollars a year can be saved by eliminating 9 City councillors

One example of wasteful spending in the City of Ottawa is the extra expenditure on City Councillors. Ottawa has 23 Councillors which is a more than we need to run efficiently.

The City of Calgary is a prime example of effective spending, with 14 Councillors for a population of 1,065,455. Ottawa has a population of 900,000 and does not require the extra 9 Councillors.

If we cut down the Councillor count to 14, we can save the City of Ottawa more than 2 million dollars. The annual cost for city Councillor Upkeep is more than 250,000 dollar a year. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bD93xfJmxM4&feature=channel

On behalf of George Guirguis Candidate for City Councillor, Bay Ward 2010,  we encourage you to continue following our campaign on YouTube.

 

George Guirguis Canada 3 (Campaigning Bay Ward Ottawa 2010)

George Guirguis for City Councillor
Bay Ward, Ottawa 2010    
Voting Day is October 25, 2010
http://www.youtube.com/user/GeorgeGuirguisCanada

George Guirguis strongly believes that we have to work together as one big family to protect taxpayer money against wasteful practices and change our city one step at a time. Ottawa is not just a place to live. It is a community that lives in my heart.  It is a shame that Ottawa has gone from high tech to high tax!

We are very confident that George Guirguis will win the race on Oct. 25, 2010.

George Guirguis: "Say yes to Bay Ward, Say no to Pay Ward"

Thank you.

Proudly Canadian.
Campaign Staff,
George Guirguis
Candidate For City Councillor
Bay Ward ( Ward 7) - Ottawa
Voting day is Oct. 25, 2010