Lawson makes sense but can he make it happen?

 

Not just "know what" I bring know how. Isn't that important to you as a voter?

You hear this line quite a bit...

" Ottawa should be a city that works for the people who live here.  Right now, it doesn’t feel that way. 

Costs are going up, but services aren’t keeping up.

Transit is unreliable. Roads are falling apart. Housing is harder to afford."

Alex Lawson (mayoral candidate)

If Lawson's complaints sound familiar it is because every politician is saying virtually the SAME thing.

The problem is not the "what" . We know the "what."

The problem is the "how" and the "know how".

Whether it’s transit delays, development decisions, major contracts, or how tax dollars are being spent, you deserve clear, honest information — and you deserve it before decisions are made, not after.

Joanne Chianello (council candidate, Kitch)

Think...what are the common factors over the last seven years?

I will not quit, but King did.

This time around, inform yourselves, vote differently, vote wisely. Vote for Peter Karwacki for Rideau Rockcliffe.

Ottawa has spent years talking about getting things done while everything has gotten worse. City Hall is spending big money and the results suck. We’ve got potholes, road closures, cancelled bus routes, and where’s the accountability?

Alex Lawson (mayoral candidate)

Flooding like that on July 1st may mean floodways?

 

5800 reports of flooded basements stemming from Canada Day rainfall of 167 mm.

What can be done? Most believe there are more storms like this to come in the future.

Floodways are engineered diversion channels, bypasses, or designated floodplain zones that safely redirect excess water away from vulnerable urban areas. They prevent billions in damages while frequently providing ecological and recreational benefits. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Floodway examples include:

1. The Red River Floodway (Manitoba, Canada)

A 47-kilometer artificial channel east of Winnipeg that diverts floodwaters from the Red River around the city and safely rejoins the river downstream. [1, 2, 3, 4]

• Why it’s successful: Originally dubbed "Roblin's Folly," it has been used dozens of times since its completion in the 1960s, preventing tens of billions of dollars in flood damages. During non-flood seasons, sections of the floodway are used for agriculture, recreation, and wildlife habitats. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

2. The Yolo Bypass (California, USA)

A massive 24,000-hectare engineered floodplain in the Sacramento River Valley. During high-water events, specialized weirs spill water into this bypass rather than letting it flood the city of Sacramento. [1, 2, 3]

• Why it’s successful: The bypass safely conveys roughly 80% of the region's major flood discharge. In the dry season, it serves dual purposes as productive agricultural land (primarily rice) and a critical wetland habitat for migratory birds and native fish. [1, 2, 3, 4]

3. The San Antonio River Tunnel System (Texas, USA)

An underground tunnel system built beneath the city of San Antonio to catch and divert floodwaters away from the highly popular, vulnerable downtown River Walk. [1, 2, 3]

• Why it’s successful: Instead of destroying the city's famous above-ground aesthetics, the underground tunnels safely capture excess runoff. This protects both residents and the tourism industry without disrupting the urban core. [1, 2, 3]

4. The Salmon River Management Plan (Nova Scotia, Canada)

 A designated "floodway" and "flood fringe" with a two-zone approach.

• Why it’s successful: It acts as a successful policy-based floodway model rather than a massive concrete project. Municipalities restrict development in the high-risk, central floodway, while allowing performance-based "cut and fill" developments in the flood fringe. This prevents life-threatening property damage while allowing the community to safely adapt. [1, 2, 3]

5. Setback Levees along the Elbe River (Germany)

The practice of relocating traditional levees further away from the river channel, effectively creating a wider natural floodway between the levees. [1, 2, 3]

• By widening the space the river can occupy, it lowers peak flood stages for nearby towns while simultaneously restoring rare floodplain forests and naturally improving water quality. [1]

The combined sewer systems in Manor Park and West Rockcliffe are problematic too. 

Infrastructure is behind the curve.

Possible work around also include:

• Dedicated Spreading Grounds: Converting local parks or low-lying areas into dual-use spaces (like L.A.'s Tujunga Spreading Grounds) that act as recreational fields dry, but safely pool massive amounts of street runoff during an emergency. [1]
• On-Site Retention Ordinances: Mandating that new commercial developments build underground storage tanks or permeable surfaces to capture rain where it falls, easing the instant pressure on municipal sewers. [1, 2]

• "Sponge City" infrastructure  to prevent urban flash floods
• The infrastructure upgrades currently being debated by Ottawa City Council
• Replacement of neighborhood combined or the preferred 'separated' sewer system

The flooded Queensway relies entirely on underground storm sewers and high-capacity catch basins to pump or drain water up and out into nearby creeks (like Watts Creek or Pinecrest Creek). 

On Canada Day, those local creeks and underground drainage networks were completely overwhelmed. The water on the highway had nowhere to flow because the pipes it connects to were already entirely full of water from surrounding neighbourhoods like Queensway Terrace North.

Tokyo vs. Ottawa: Different Scale, Same Strategy

Tokyo's G-Cans (officially the Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel) is the world's largest underground floodwater diversion facility. Located in Kasukabe, Saitama Prefecture, 50 meters below ground, it protects the city from typhoons and heavy rains using 6.4 km of tunnels and five massive, 65-meter-deep silos. [1, 2]

The central attraction is the colossal pressure-adjusting tank—a cathedral-like space held up by 59 massive concrete pillars—often dubbed the "Underground Temple". [1]

Here are the specific details to visit:

• Location: 720 Kamikanasaki, Kasukabe, Saitama. It is roughly a 60–90 minute trip from central Tokyo, reachable via the Tobu Noda Line to Minami-Sakurai Station (about a 3 km taxi or walk from the station).

While Ottawa does not need a $2.6 billion megastructure, the engineering philosophy behind Tokyo's vaults is exactly what is needed for the Queensway corridor: [1]

• What Tokyo Does: G-Cans captures water when the local rivers and storm drains overflow, holding up to 670,000 cubic metres of water until the main river levels drop. [1]
• What Ottawa Needs: A localized version of this. Instead of a multi-kilometer tunnel network, a highway like the Queensway requires a compact, targeted subterranean concrete retention vault built right within the highway shoulder or nearby transit right-of-way. It doesn't need jet engines; it just needs enough underground volume to hold the surface runoff until the municipal pipes clear.

Tokyo proved to the world that when surface space is non-existent and property rights are dense, the only viable engineering solution is to move the water straight down. [1]

How many more floods must occur before a decision is made?

Big Trouble Ahead - Big Ticket Waste Affects Your Parks

Peter Karwacki for Rideau Rockcliffe.

Big Spending Decisions Should Be Debated Before the Election, Not After

Peter Karwacki for Rideau-Rockcliffe.

When City Hall lets major downtown projects run tens of millions of dollars over budget, it’s neighborhoods like Rideau-Rockcliffe that pay the price. Every hidden overrun means less money for our local roads, our community safety, and our neighborhood parks like Bathgate.

In the 2022 election, nobody was seriously talking about a $419 million Lansdowne project or a $95 million landfill purchase. Those weren't front-and-centre issues on the campaign trail. 

Voters were focused on immediate neighbourhood concerns — traffic, parks, local services, day-to-day accountability.

Then, during the term, the bandwidth shifted. Major capital decisions appeared, were negotiated in closed sessions, approved on divided votes, and presented to residents as necessary after the fact.

This time, nobody is talking about the $100+ million cost overrun on the new central library — a project Councillor Rawlson King has direct oversight of as a member of the Ottawa Public Library Board — or the local share of the new hospital project, which one health-policy analyst has warned could climb toward $1 billion. Those costs will put sustained pressure on the municipal budget for years to come.

And Lansdowne? 

"We are seeing with the move of the Charge, the loss of [electronic dance music festival] Escapade, the loss of CityFolk ... that many of the promised revenue streams promised are already in jeopardy" Menard

This is not how responsible government should operate. Decisions that commit hundreds of millions — or billions — of taxpayer dollars, and shape the city for decades, deserve open debate while voters still have a direct say. They shouldn't surface after the election is already decided.

Real leadership at city hall is measured by what you're willing to surface and slow down before money is committed — not by how many park projects get approved or how smoothly the agenda moves.

I've spent my career in project management and metrics. The first rule is simple: identify risks and verify assumptions early, while options still exist. Once contracts are signed and votes are taken, the ability to course-correct drops sharply.

Ottawa has paid for the opposite approach too many times. Optimistic projections, limited public scrutiny, and rushed approvals lead to higher costs and fewer choices later. The pattern is consistent: big spending and hidden overruns surface mid-term, and residents are told it was unavoidable.

Leadership means changing that pattern. It means demanding that major capital projects, land acquisitions, and infrastructure commitments come forward with full business cases, independent reviews, and public discussion — well before an election, not after one. It means being willing to say "not yet" or "show the full picture," even when that's uncomfortable.

Park equipment for Bathgate might cost $1 million but as a member of the Ottawa Public Library Board, our current Councillor had a front-row seat—and direct oversight—as the new central library budget ballooned from $175 million to over $350 million. If we can't trust the incumbent to catch a 100% cost overrun on a board he sits on, how can we trust him to manage the upcoming multi-billion dollar hospital and transit decisions?"

We need proactive accountability at City Hall, not after-the-fact explanations. I will bring my career experience in project management and risk verification to Council to ensure your tax dollars are respected. Let's start demanding the full picture before the contracts are signed. 

On election day, vote for a change in how Ottawa spends your money—vote Peter Karwacki.

---

Sources

1. Lansdowne 2.0 — Approved by Council in November 2023 at approximately $419 million. The Auditor General of Ottawa's Agile Audit of Lansdowne 2.0 (Sprint 1, June 2024) and follow-up reports warned the cost could reach nearly $493 million due to optimistic estimates. (City of Ottawa/OSEG announcements; Auditor General of Ottawa; CBC News)

2. East-end landfill — The City of Ottawa purchased the Capital Region Resource Recovery Centre for $95 million, plus taxes and closing costs, in early 2026. (CTV News Ottawa; CBC News)

3. New central library (Ādisōke) — Original budget approximately $175 million. Budget has since risen to approximately $334 million, with an additional $18.5 million requested in 2026, pushing the total toward $352 million, alongside major delays. Councillor Rawlson King serves as a trustee on the Ottawa Public Library Board. (CBC News, May 2026; Ottawa Citizen; Ottawa Public Library Board Members)

4. New Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus — Original total project estimate approximately $2.8 billion, with the City of Ottawa's local share formally requested at $150 million (against an original local-share estimate in the $300–700 million range depending on source). In a June 2026 report, Ontario Health Coalition analyst Robert Fraser warned the local share could approach $1 billion if costs continue to climb, and that the total project price could run billions beyond the original estimate. Mayor Mark Sutcliffe has said the city isn't expecting its $150 million ask to increase. Delays into the 2030s have also been reported. (CTV News, May 2026; Ontario Health Coalition, June 2026)

Substance over Form

Leadership - What I'm Willing to Stop from happening

Rideau-Rockcliffe doesn’t need another councillor who is good at moving motions forward. It needs one who is willing to stop the ones that shouldn’t be moved at all.

That distinction is rarely discussed on the community barbecue circuit. It shows up in the fine print of staff reports, in the footnotes of financial projections, and in the quiet moments before a 20–5 vote on a $95 million land deal negotiated under NDA.

Real leadership at city hall is not the art of consensus. It is the discipline of verification.

I have spent my career in project management and metrics. The work is not glamorous. It involves building dashboards that surface problems early, demanding independent verification before money is committed, and refusing to accept “we’ve always done it this way” as an answer. Those habits do not translate into warm applause at community association meetings. They translate into fewer surprises after the fact.

Ottawa has seen what happens when that discipline is missing:

• Major capital projects approved with optimistic assumptions that later required public inquiries.
• Oversight bodies receiving reports later described by the Auditor General as inaccurate or vague.
• Performance metrics for transit and policing tracked on paper while actual outcomes for residents remained unchanged.

A leader who treats these as someone else’s problem is not leading. They are managing optics.

What leadership looks like in practice

It looks like insisting on independent third-party review of any deal larger than a set threshold before council is asked to vote.
It looks like requiring public disclosure of penalties paid or settlements reached under confidentiality agreements.
It looks like treating the Auditor General’s recommendations as binding management tools rather than suggestions to be noted and filed.

I am not promising to make every resident happy. I am promising to treat the city’s $5 billion annual operation with the same professional standards I have applied throughout my career. That means reading the reports, challenging the assumptions, and being prepared to be the vote that slows things down when the evidence does not support the rush.

The current approach has produced activity without corresponding improvement. More newsletters, more motions, more events. The problems — in transit reliability, in police accountability structures, in long-term infrastructure decisions — have not disappeared. They have simply been managed around.

Leadership is not the volume of activity. It is the quality of the outcomes that activity produces.

Rideau-Rockcliffe has the right to expect better than competent administration of the status quo. It has the right to expect a councillor who will apply rigorous scrutiny to the decisions that will shape this ward and this city for decades.

This time around, inform yourselves, vote differently, vote wisely.
Vote for Peter Karwacki for Rideau Rockcliffe.

The King Newsletter

Councillor King's newsletters aren't short on content. 

A single August 2025 edition covered recognizing community award winners at Flo's Seniors Gala, Overbrook Day, and a run of business drop-ins with Mayor Sutcliffe — Schoolhouse Pizza, Edinburger, the Beechwood Diner — plus an appearance at a neighbouring MPP's corn roast and vendor fair. 

That's a normal newsletter for him: a steady stream of openings, tours, and community events, each one a photo standing next to someone.

Room for a seniors' gala and four separate small-business visits, and no room anywhere in the newsletter record for the fact that the City's own Accessibility Advisory Committee had, a year earlier, formally warned Council that a program on Ottawa's streets was endangering seniors and people with disabilities. 

One is an event. The other is oversight. 

A ward with as many seniors as Rideau-Rockcliffe deserves a councillor who treats the second one as at least as newsletter-worthy as the first.

It's a constant flow of events and a constant lack of substance

See July 2026

What the newsletter actually does

The core content is a motion directing staff to build a standardized encampment reporting framework and public dashboard, "unanimous support" from colleagues, rolling out this fall as part of the Unsheltered Homelessness Outreach Model. 

That's a data/reporting-infrastructure motion — not a funding commitment, not new shelter beds, not new supportive housing units. 

It's process, not capacity. Translation? All talk, no action.

Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

Put this on your dashboard:

At this point we do not need another  dashboard because we already know there is a problem, do something concrete please.  I would work to provide more:

Temporary housing

Improved housing

New affordable housing

Guaranteed income supports

Group and supportive housing

Co op housing

Community housing

Encampment cleanup with housing options

Homeless sweeps with temporary housing

This time around, inform yourselves,

 vote differently, vote wisely. 

Vote for Peter Karwacki for 

Rideau Rockcliffe.

Campaign Web Page

https://peterkarwacki.blogspot.com/p/peter-karwacki-for-rideau-rockcliffe.html?m=1#

E-everything

 

 Infrastructure for e- everything

The AAC's (access advisory ) core complaint was never that e-scooters exist — it's that riders end up on sidewalks because the City hasn't built enough dedicated space to keep them off. 

That's an infrastructure failure, not a device-versus-device conflict. The same failure is what pushes seniors on mobility scooters into the same squeeze.

Bikes, e-bikes, e-scooters, and mobility scooters aren't competitors for space. They're all low-power vehicles that need dedicated, separated infrastructure to keep them out of conflict with pedestrians and with each other. 

I've ridden bikes as my primary transportation for over a decade, and the case for physically separated infrastructure isn't cyclist advocacy — it's the same accessibility argument the AAC has been making about scooters and sidewalks. 

If "connected mobility" is going to mean anything for seniors ageing in place in Rideau-Rockcliffe, a separated bike lane project has to come with a parallel accessibility standard for the pathway next to it — not as an afterthought, but as a condition of approval.

The City Already Has a Committee for this. It Was Overruled. Twice.

This isn't a hypothetical gap. Ottawa's Accessibility Advisory Committee — the body legally mandated to advise Council on accessibility for seniors and persons with disabilities — has already fought this fight, over a related issue: shared e-scooters on sidewalks and pathways.

Build the network right and every one of these groups stops competing for the same six feet of sidewalk.

What I'd Do Differently

• Require that any physically separated bike lane project include a parallel sidewalk/multi-use pathway accessibility standard — winter maintenance level, minimum width, curb-cut compliance — approved alongside the bike lane, not after it.

• Design separated active transportation infrastructure to accommodate the full range of low-power vehicles — bikes, e-bikes, e-scooters — so they're not forced onto sidewalks where they conflict with pedestrians and mobility scooter users.

• Treat Accessibility Advisory Committee recommendations with the same procedural weight as Transportation Committee or Transit Commission input, including a requirement that Council record and justify any vote that departs from an AAC recommendation on a safety matter.

• Put mobility scooters and low-power mobility devices explicitly into the City's "connected, accessible mobility" language — not folded silently into "active transportation," which in practice has meant cycling infrastructure this population is legally barred from using.

Vote for Peter Karwacki for Rideau-Rockcliffe.

───

Sources: Ontario Highway Traffic Act guidance on mobility scooter classification (Halton Region Older Adult Advisory Committee fast facts; Globe and Mail); City of Ottawa Accessibility Advisory Committee mandate and meeting record; AODA Alliance report on AAC Motion AAC2022-1/20 and the June 21, 2024 AAC motion (aodaalliance.org); City of Ottawa "2024 E-Scooter Season and Extension of the Pilot Program," Public Works and Infrastructure Committee, March 27, 2025, and City Council, April 16, 2025; Capital Current reporting on the unanimous Council vote, April 29, 2025; Councillor Rawlson King newsletter, May 9, 2025 (rideau-rockcliffe.ca).

The National Capital Swimming Hole

Probably the most fun free thing in Ottawa, ever. You see, it's doable with imagination.

Another NCC win. The best mayor We never got.

Nussbaum is the one who got away.