Campaign Artifacts

 

This time, vote wisely. Vote for Peter Karwacki for City Council.

Kumbaya

 

Bridging the gap one photo op at a time!

It's not like I have any advice for the Norweigians or for Rideau Rickcliffe for that matter. The historic colonial powers all have their presence in Rockcliffe..British, French and American. Sure, they want to 'maintain the character' of their neighborhood.

We must continually remind ourselves of our history, as painful as it might be and find new and creative ways to find reconciliation. 

Some have cited calls to action, others restitution but on a practical day to day basis it is simply the acknowedgement that wrongs were done, must not be forgotten and at the very least we ALL owe respect, appreciation and brotherhood if not love to the colourship.

Direct Call to Action

Residents, parents, voters, and community leaders in Rideau-Rockcliffe must step up:

• Acknowledge the real problems instead of ignoring them 
• Push for changes to current affordable housing policies 
• Demand alternatives to concentrated low-income ghettos 
• Put money and time into effective, direct initiatives like Roots & Culture Canada 

Hold your councillor accountable — oppose building more low-cost housing ghettos in only certain parts of the ward

Visit rootsandculturecanada.org or attend their upcoming events. Together we can build a safer, more empowered Rideau-Rockcliffe.

And Vote for Peter Karwacki for City Council

Hibou's Craig pops a question

 

Are you looking for Horizon Ottawa’s support?

Not particularly. They align with my platform but I will not pander to them.

Any beefs with Rawlson King’s voting record?

Kings pandering is annoying. He voted against sidewalks.

The big issue? Trucks downtown. He is strangely against the east end crossing proposal. I am a proponent.

There are other matters.

King is largely ineffective on council. His biggest asset apparently is that he is a black person.

  I am white so that is awkward.

..but I am not going to shy away from that.

Any thoughts on who’d make the best mayor?

Neil is my guy.

Regarding Horizon Ottawa

It is a progressive, municipal-focused grassroots organization (and incorporated not-for-profit) dedicated to advocating for socially and economically progressive policies at the City of Ottawa level.

I certainly cannot argue about that

Its stated mission is “to cultivate local solidarity around socially and economically progressive priorities so that Ottawa can become a city where everyone can thrive.” 

This is uncontestable.

In practice, the “point” of the group is to build community power, influence local elections and decision-making, and push the city toward priorities such as:

Stronger public transit (e.g., major bus fleet expansion campaigns demanding service levels based on population growth rather than current ridership).

Affordable and inclusive housing / “better urbanism” (increased density, walkability, mixed-use development, fighting urban sprawl).

Environmental protection and climate action, with emphasis on the needs of marginalized communities.

Greater public ownership/control of infrastructure and services (opposing privatization trends).

Reducing developer influence at City Hall.

Inclusion, equity, anti-oppression work, and meaningful reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.

More democratic and transparent municipal decision-making (less centralized power in the mayor’s office and senior bureaucracy).

If you check my blog I am in alignment.  

Horizon Ottawa pursues this through petitions, public campaigns, research/analysis, community events, and acting as a registered third-party advertiser in municipal elections (endorsing candidates they view as aligned with their values). 

This endorsement will likely just go to King. Why? Incumbents are favoured.

They have a detailed “Basis of Unity” document that outlines their core principles, including grassroots organizing, environmentalism, decolonization, inclusive urbanism, public ownership, and working with labour and social movements. 

Horizon Ottawa exists as an activist / advocacy group on the progressive/left side of Ottawa municipal politics, aiming to shift city policy and council composition toward outcomes they believe will make the city work better for ordinary residents rather than developers or entrenched interests. 

It has been active in recent election cycles and continues to run issue-based campaigns (transit, development, etc.).

My problem is not so much the "what" of Horizon Ottawa but the "how" . King's current methods are based on re election pandering and not what is best for the city.

A note about Bell"s Corners blog

Craig McCauley (online handles: Le Hibou / ottawaowl) runs the bellscorners WordPress blog (bellscorners.wordpress.com).He is a retired school teacher, longtime Bells Corners (Ottawa) resident, grassroots community activist, and local political figure who has run as a fringe/independent candidate in Ottawa municipal elections (including Ward 8 in 2014 and at least one mayoral race). The blog serves as a community news and views site focused on Bells Corners issues, and he also operates a free bike-taxi service there.On the blog, he posts and comments under the display name/avatar Le Hibou (French for “the owl”) with the username ottawaowl. His contact email on the site is ottawaowl2@yahoo.ca, and he is active on social media as

@ottawaowl

(including X/Twitter, Bluesky at bellscorners.bsky.social, YouTube, and Instagram).Note that “Le Hibou” also historically refers to a famous 1960s–1970s Ottawa coffeehouse/venue on Sussex Drive (unrelated to this blog except for the shared name). The blog itself is a local community outlet, not connected to the historic café.
Craig's ward  rideau-rockcliffe history lesson
https://bellscorners.wordpress.com/rideau-rockcliffe-by-election-apr-15-2019/

At'l Soak Ya -Something that doesn't show up in the newsletter

Credit CBC's Crummey

Rawlson King is a trustee on the Ottawa Public Library Board, the one that is expected to exceed budget for the new main branch by up to a quarter billion dollars after the thing is actually up and running.

Guess who pays the larger part of this. Affordable housing anyone?

Well maybe he is not responsible, but he and the other trustees are accountable. This is not something you can really brag about either.

The board has to approve the design scope, select the architect, approve the schedule, budget, approve the contract. Do they get away clean then?

Here is a history lesson. When Colonel By went over budget on the Rideau Canal they held a public inquiry. One is needed for this mess for the new main branch.

Make them accountable. I would.

Ādisōke (Central Library) Capital ProjectThe main area of budget pressure is the joint Ādisōke library project on LeBreton Flats (a partnership between the City of Ottawa, OPL, and Library and Archives Canada). This is a separate capital project, not part of the core operating budget.p

• Current forecast: The project is now projected to cost $352 million.
• Latest overrun: An additional $18.5 million is being requested (primarily for oversight, support services, and contingency). The City of Ottawa is expected to cover most (but not all) of this.
• Previous approved budget: $334 million (itself already well above the original ~$175 million target from years earlier).
• Status: Construction is ~85% complete, with further delays; current contractor schedule points to completion in December 2026 (about 12 months behind the prior contractual date). No confirmed public opening date yet.

Kipawa River Preservation ARCHIVE - good for rivers, good for the world

https://allaboutwhitewater.blogspot.com/2026/05/the-ultimate-kipawa-river-preservation.html

Here is a brief glimpse into my work as a river preservationist. The link is to a blog I have been maintaining since 2007 and for work I have been doing since 1984 to protect free flowing whitewater resources in Canada.

Opinions are running 50%

While I do not agree with the manner in which he expresses his opinions, I have met Celente of the Trends Journal and found him to be a moral, ethical and highly principled individual. He speaks from the heart - as he says, his tone is appropriate for the times. Its a big club... and we are not in it.

Its the same in Rideau Rockcliffe. Many will find my blunt tone a turn off. My question to you voters is "why are you not angry?, don't you care?"

I have found that of those who bother to read my opinions, half agree and half disagree. There are about 24000 eligible voters in the ward. If I could get 12,000 to agree with me that would be good. I'm expecting 3,600.

An interesting case is King's resignation from the Police Services Board during the infamous Trucker Convoy protest. He was begged to stay on by Mathieu Fleury but was intransigent.Why is this important? Its important because King quit when the going got tough. The going is about to get a lot tougher in Ottawa. I can assure you that if elected I will not quit.

I also will not pander. If elected I will do what is right for Ottawa, after considering the opinions of community council executives. I may or may not agree with them but right now we are in an election year. You owe it to yourself to understand the issues and vote for the candidate who will do what is right for Ottawa and the ward.

Volunteer Intake Form

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/19QEIxcEQRvwumPkoC_Km2m475lHXuEcuTvcAmWcfBCU/edit

This volunteer work will be in the field, door to door canvasing with myself. You will move in advance determining which households are interested and available for a visit.

Peter