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OTTAWA VOTERS' COALITION (OVC) - Questions |
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OTTAWA VOTERS' COALITION (OVC)
OVC POLICY (I - IV)
Candidate/Incumbent Survey
MUNICIPAL ELECTION 2010
INSTRUCTIONS Please CLICK the APPROVE or DISAPPROVE button for each OVC POLICY I - IV.
I. Board of Control (BoC).
1. Recognizing the success of Ottawa’s Board of Control existing from 1908-1978, OVC will restore the Board to maintain fiscal discipline over municipal finances and inter-Ward synchronicity.
2. The Board of Control will consist of five Members – one will be the Mayor with the remaining four elected at large from a minimum of five nominees on the municipal ballot.
3. The BoC will establish priorities for the year and the four-year term.
4. As represented by the Mayor or BoC Alternative, the BoC is effectively de facto chair of all Council committees and municipal agencies with veto power over them.
5. The BoC will provide oversight to city management.
Selected Disapprove. Insufficient information is available for me to support this concept at this point in time . What is the relationship between the BoC and city Council? Is the BoC replicating functions of City Council? If so what is the justification for thinking that the BoC will be able to do a better job than City Council? Wikipedia has an article on Ottawa's Board of Control, but it says at that time City Councilors were part time and as such didn't have time look into issues deeply. Today City Councilors are full time (paid over 90K per year) and we should expect them to study the issues.
II. Term Limits
1. The Mayor, members of the Board of Control, and members of Council will be limited to two consecutive terms will be limited to two consecutive terms.
2. Members of one group may seek election in another group.
3. Individuals may not run for more than one position at a time.
Selected Approve. Politicians are like diapers and need to be changed regularly, for the same reasons.
III Reduce City Council
1. The number of Councillors will be reduced to 15.
Selected Disapprove. Why should the number of councilors be reduced? City councilors are supposed to maintain good contact with the citizens in their wards. I don't see that happening but don't see this as a reason to reduce their number and make that job harder. It is justification to hold the incumbents accountable and those that have failed in this regard should not have their mandates renewed by the electorate this fall.
IV Councillor’s Voting Record
1. Councillor’s Voting Records will be maintained for five years.
2. Councillor’s Voting Records will be chronicled for reference on the Official City Website.
3. Councillor’s Voting Records will be annotated for cross-reference to the Minutes.
Selected Approve. Although I do not understand the limitation of 5 years on retention of this information. Why wouldn't we want to keep this information indefinitely? City Councilors are supposed to represent the views of the electorate as such we should make it easy for the electorate to determine if their elected representatives are doing their job properly.
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Position on Urban Gardening |
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To: all candidates for Ottawa City Council
Dear Candidate,
Congratulations on being endorsed a candidate for Ottawa's Council!
We seek to learn your position on allowing urban pesticide-free natural gardening on resident's private property in Ottawa, such as is practiced on the Allbirch Pollinator Garden in Ottawa's Constance Bay Village.
Currently, Ottawa Property Maintenance By-Law 2005-208 regards natural gardening as 'neglect' , cites natural gardens as neglectful and demands these pesticide-free gardens be mown down immediately. The Allbirch Pollinator Garden was so cited, though the violation notice was eventually rescinded.
There was wide expectation to change the by-law to allow natural gardening starting this season.
However, the necessary by-law changes have instead been postponed till 2011 at the earliest.
This leaves natural gardeners, including the Allbirch Pollinator Garden, still vulnerable to violation notices.
Do you support fixing this by-law to allow urban pesticide-free natural gardening?
Do you support fixing the by-law in time for this year's growing season?
Do you support the work of the Allbirch Pollinator Garden?
Thank you,
Highest regards,
Hank and Vera Jones, Allbirch Pollinator Garden
374 Allbirch Road, Constance Bay Village
Ottawa ON K0A 3M0
Do you support fixing this by-law to allow urban pesticide-free natural gardening? Absolutely! It is so sad, everyone says the environment is important but then people that are actually doing something to improve their own local environment are subject to sanctions. Conventional mown lawns are almost dead biologically. They do not provide any sustenance for local wildlife and are quite often bathed in a chemical soup just to maintain a pretty aesthetic appearance. The pollinator gardens provide sustenance for local wild life and are free of noxious chemicals that are harmful to us and our environment.
Do you support fixing the by-law in time for this year's growing season? I would like to see this addressed so that our citizens can go out and start more of these gardens.
Do you support the work of the Allbirch Pollinator Garden? I have not donated money or provided any other material form of support to this cause. I do like the idea and wish to see it expanded to other properties.
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