Sidewalks are a good thing...aren't they?

 

In a bizarre turn of events our councillor, King fights for NO sidewalks.

You cannot make this shit up.

Why? Likely the locals don't want people walking through their neighborhood...including those with disabilities...but they say "sidewalks will harm trees and are more urgently needed elsewhere on busier roads and near a local school."

Bottom line you see the impact of political expediency. In a wanton grab for Manor Park votes a DEI politician argues against accessibility.

It was stupid and lazy both intellectually, politically and ethically.

Wisely council shot down the motion in a 16-7 vote.

References:

More Information:

Manor Park sidewalks to go ahead after council vote

King failed in his bid to shorten planned sidewalks that have divided the Ottawa neighbourhood.  His sign in Manor Park urged people to reject a contentious plan to build sidewalks in the neighbourhood. (Francis Ferland/CBC).

Arthur White-Crummey · CBC News · Posted: Apr 08, 2026 5:29 PM EDT

Listen to this article

Estimated 3 minutes

Social Sharing

 

city policy is to add  to local roads in tandem with other work to save money and gradually build out a pedestrian services.

"If we don’t take the opportunity to put sidewalks in when we do the street rebuilds, we are not going to have that opportunity again for 70 or 80 or 90 years,"  said Lieper.

Alta Vista Coun. Marty Carr spoke of the importance of accessibility.

"We try to build things for everyone, so if we can build things that make a difference in one or two people’s lives, that is what is important here," she said. "I do think when there are people representing to us and telling us what their needs are, we need to listen."

In a bizarre twist of logic Mayor Mark Sutcliffe supported King’s motion seemingly in contradiction to his longstanding support of status quo administration. He called it a "difficult decision" and said he understands both sides of the debate. 

[If he found this difficult we have bigger fish to fry]

"I do understand the points that were made by my other colleagues on council who were saying, 'Look, we can't make an exception here, we have rules,'" he said. "We apply them universally and we don't want a situation where every neighborhood is different."

Thanks to:

Arthur White-Crummey is the municipal affairs reporter at CBC Ottawa. He grew up in Ottawa, spent years in Saskatchewan covering the courts, city hall and the provincial legislature.

Raise Transit Levy and/or Fares or Cut Services

Why are staff estimates so far off?

The shell shocked councillors will maintain the status quo. They mean well - but are unable to do what must be done...calling it " unacceptable"

See above note as well on the state of public washrooms. I ALSO HAVE A SEPERATE PIECE ON MY BLOG.

Accountability demands their dismissal.

Take transit?

There must be better but less ambitious service, higher fares, higher transit levy? - its not happening!

( insert infuriated emojii)

On the 95..Transit Hell

review

On the 95⁸

I used to take the bus to work from Orleans all the way to Cognos at Uplands and Riverside.

The trip in the morning was often jam packed it also involved a transfer to the 87 at Hurdman Station.

On rainy days the windows would steam up. Sometimes the air was so heavy you could hardly breath. Sometimes somebody would fart. It could be horrid.

It was not unusual in those days for some woman, usually a student, to be talking very loudly about her breakup. There was no shame.

You might share the aroma of some deli treat, or possibly fresh fish wrapped in newspaper. Perhaps some guy, wearing a rather large back pack would be doing a pole dance in front of you.

Some days coming home late I would be overcome by a feeling of great desperation. Those were hard days. People were depending on me.

I met my good friend Diana on the bus just short of Cognos as I heard about layoffs. We consoled each other.

As I waited at Hurdman with my friend Sunita, an elderly man, about 80 was struck and killed by a bus at a cross walk. She came with me as I covered him with my own coat and hat.

I used to look forward to the spring when I could put my bike on the bus rack and cycle part way to the office, a beautiful ride along the Rideau River and blessed reprieve.

I wrote this poem which was later converted into a song by suno ai.

https://suno.com/s/KI9cXJSzsaj3hEcB

How the world REALLY works

 

How the world "really works"

1.physical realities - physics,
2.human incentives,
3.power dynamics, and
4.institutionalized systems

Rooted in energy, biology, evolution, and social organization, our modern way of life depends on solar energy and these four key materials: 

ammonia (for fertilizer), 

plastics, 

steel, and 

cement. 

It seems too basic but follow the logic.

These things enable food production, infrastructure deveopment, transportation systems, and manufacturing at global scale.

Fossil fuels still dominate because they offer the highest energy density and versatility—renewables like solar/wind are unsuitable for heavy industry, shipping, aviation, and seasonal storage although nuclear options may change that.

China used more cement in two years than the U.S. did in the entire 20th century.

This is why plans to reduce carbon based fuels fly in the face of realities and risk economic retreat or technological limits.

Globalization amplifies this: supply chains move goods efficiently but create vulnerabilities from large single source suppliers dependent on cheap energy and  enforcement by military power.

2. Human Behavior: 

People respond primarily to incentives—monetary, social, status, reproductive, or survival-based incentivies. Evolutionary psychology requires social groups (kin, tribe)  and this leads to  competition.  

Extrinsic rewards like money and status drive behavior often supplanting intrinsic motivation for creative or social priorities.

Money really is the root of all evil. 

Markets channel self-interest into productivity via prices and competition; governments use coercive taxes and laws a ruse of legitimacy.
Corruption, rent-seeking, and short-term thinkiing emerge because individuals and groups try to optimize things for their own gains.

Leaders vs. followers, firms vs. regulators - these dynamics explain most dysfunction rather than any inherent human evil.

3. Power Structures: 

Elites and oligarchies tend to be ruled by small groups. Leaders with better information, skills, and control of resources dominate, even in democracies or radical movements. Some others may rise via talent, disruption, or crisis—but the pattern persists and it's structural. 

In politics, business, NGOs, or technology, small networks set agendas. Inequality grows in stable times as elites consolidate their own advantages, until war, revolution or  depression reset it.

While democracy and rule of law may mitigate this via accountability, elections, rule of law, and a free press they don't really eliminate it. Voters face informational problems. The truth may be out there but it can be hard to find. This explains how an organized, vocal and irate minority like MAGA can outmaneuver a majority.

4. The international system of nation states is proving to be unworkable - it lacks overarching enforcement. States prioritize survival and power because others might threaten them. They need enough power to be secure against threats. They need power to deter rivals preemptively which explains why there is recurring great-power competition. Might is right so that  "rules-based order" often bends to military, economic, technological superiority.

The U.S. dollar's reserve status gives leverage via sanctions and finance; China uses infrastructure loans and manufacturing dominance for its power.

Secular cycles last roughly 200–300 years involving population growth.  Growth demands resources, causes overproduction, and leads to unemployment.  Inequality spikes and eventual results in instability or conflict/plague or possibly reforms.

Empires such as the USA decline with the kind of decadence and division seen today. 

Meanwhile,  physical and biological constraints endure. Pandemics, climate shifts, or innovations 

 may arise and cause shocks.

There is no dark Master Plan to all this, rather the world works through a myriad of decentralized processes, the coordination of individual markets, social norms, and evolution by states, corporations, and elites which exert controls and policies. 

To be clear, only the abundance created from access to energy and technology has lifted billions from subsistence living.

The trade-offs have been environmental costs, inequality, and fragility to disruption.
People are living longer in health and face less extreme poverty with exceptions.
Humans benefit from understanding that life,  their reality,  rewards the understanding of these grand constraints and THEIR own support of institutions that harness simple human motiviated self-interest in exchange for collective gains.

Unfortunately our systems are nonlinear and human foresight is limited. We make mistakes. This can be alleviated through the use of AI tools.

Finally we are never "wrong" about maintaining energy, food, or materiel for the common good.  We KNOW the world works through physics, biology, and evolved human nature interacting with institutions.

We are rewarded by our adaptability, clear-eyed analysis of trade-offs, and our building of systems where individual incentives better match long-term results for all.

DINKS

 

DINKS Dual Income but No kids

After living in Ottawa for almost thirty years I have many friends who have chosen either not to have children or to have possibly one child. They are DINKS - dual income with no kids.
The result has manifest itself last year.
Canada's population fell for the first time since confederation 

Statisically the count should have fallen sooner but was being propped up through immigration. The drop was about 100,000, the size of a small city.

Planetwide its the same problem -static  or low growth population.
• China: Largest absolute decline — net loss of ~3.2–3.3 million (–0.22% to –0.23%).
worldometers.info +1
• Japan: ~ –0.55% (loss of hundreds of thousands).
• Russia: ~ –0.42% (loss of ~600,000).
worldometers.info
• Germany: ~ –0.51% (loss of ~430,000).
worldometers.info
• Italy, Poland, South Korea, Thailand, Spain: Smaller but notable declines (–0.1% to –0.8%).
Subsaharan Africa and SE Asia continue to balance the drops.

The truth? Canadians are not having children at replacement levels. It has become too expensive to have a family, own a home, get a degree, and its showing up in the statistics.
Jobs are scarce: people are moving from the hinterland into the cities.

You do not need to be a weatherman to know which way the wind is blowing.  The trend is down with no obvious resolution.

My recommendation? When a couple wants to be married do not charge for it, no license fees please, instead, give them a free night at the Chateau Laurier and a bottle of wine.

Find a way to give young families an affordable place to live, care for their school age children because this population drop trend is a threat to the very fabric of Canadian society.

Current events are are portending future trends.

see eeeeeee oh!

 

SEE eeee Oh!

I know that being the CEO of a company is demanding, difficult and rewarding. I was the CEO of two different hospitals.

This is what I learned first hand. You can hold an opinion, have many very good reasons to hold that view and some board member will disagree with you for their own very good reasons. There will be political struggle at the highest level to see things through.

You arrive in the position with political capital. You are the new kid in town, everybody loves you. Then as you make decisions you piss people off, and you lose political capital and finally after about five years, you have no political capital and the knives can come out.

In our OCTranspo case we have a CEO that seems to be a good fit, for all the right reasons but it would be foolish to think that there are no skeletons in the closet for the reasons I mention above.  "There were no findings" is a very coy response to what we all know intuitively.

This is also why the average term of a CEO is about five years. It is also why they are the highest paid person in the organization they head. They have all the power and all the responsibility but they also have all the accountabiity.

Let Mr. Leary do his job they way he surely knows how to do it and hopefully he has learned a few things along the way.

Our patience is probaby a lot less than it might be at this late stage.

No Kings Please

 

Ironically, Canada's head of state is a King thereby confirming that the form of government is not as important as the substance of the humans that comprise the government.

While marching in the street is a demonstration and communication of a powerful idea, in a democracy it is no substitute for the vote outcome following the mid term elections in the USA.

ALTO - a raised railbed please

 Alto_Elevated_Railbeds: are the preferred option

The Alto project must be constructed using elevated railbeds (tracks built on viaducts, bridges,

or other raised structures) which are very common on high-speed rail (HSR) systems worldwide.High-speed trains require extremely straight, level, and stable alignments with minimal gradients
and curves, so engineers frequently elevate tracks to cross rivers, valleys, roads, urban areas,
or uneven terrain without sharp deviations or at-grade conflicts. This approach also reduces
land use, avoids flooding risks, minimizes vibrations for nearby areas, and allows for smoother
high-speed operation.
en.people.cn
Why Elevated Railbeds Are Used in HSR
● Engineering needs: HSR demands precision (e.g., tight tolerances for ballastless track).
Elevating sections on concrete or steel viaducts helps maintain level profiles over
obstacles.
● Practical benefits: It enables grade separation (no level crossings with roads), preserves
farmland or ecosystems below, and supports rapid construction techniques like precast
segmental girders or launching gantries.
● Prevalence: In some networks, like China's, bridges and viaducts make up the vast
majority of the route (e.g., ~86-88% on certain Beijing-Shanghai HSR sections).
en.people.cn
Notable Examples of Elevated HSR Sections
Here are prominent cases from around the world:
● China (world's largest HSR network): Extensive use of elevated viaducts and bridges.
Many lines feature long stretches on concrete box-girder viaducts built with industrialized
methods (e.g., 1,000-ton girders moved by gantries). Long-span examples include theTongling Yangtze River Bridge (630m main span, road-rail), Almonte River Viaduct in
related contexts, and numerous crossings over rivers and valleys. China's approach
often prioritizes elevation to cross dense or challenging landscapes eficiently.
structurae.net
● Japan (Shinkansen): Many sections run on elevated concrete viaducts, especially in
urban or mountainous areas. Examples include elevated platforms and tracks at stations
like Sendai or along the Tohoku and Joetsu Shinkansen lines through Saitama. The
system integrates elevated structures seamlessly with tunnels and at-grade segments.
en.wikipedia.org
● France (TGV): Iconic viaducts, such as the twin TGV viaducts over the Rhône River near
Avignon. French LGV lines include numerous bridges and elevated sections to maintain
high speeds across varied terrain.
happypontist.blogspot.com
● Spain (AVE): Features like the Almonte River Viaduct (one of the longest for HSR) and
other long-span bridges. Elevated tracks are common for crossing rivers and valleys.
structurae.net
● Germany and other Europe: Viaducts such as the Froschgrundsee and Grümpen
Viaducts on German HSR lines. HS1 in the UK (Channel Tunnel Rail Link) includes the
Medway Viaduct and other elevated structures.
structurae.net
● United States (emerging HSR):
● California's High-Speed Rail project includes major viaducts, like the Hanford
Viaduct (over 6,300 feet long in the Central Valley) and planned sections in the
Tehachapi Mountains (e.g., Bena Road Viaduct). Many overpasses and elevated
segments are designed for grade separation.
iceusa.com
● Other proposals (e.g., Brightline West, Texas Central) incorporate elevated
designs where needed.
● Other regions: Thailand's Bangkok–Nakhon Ratchasima HSR has elevated sections
over features like the Lumtakong dam. India's upcoming lines and South Korea's Honam
HSR use precast segmental viaducts.
youtube.com

Visual Context

Elevated HSR often appears as sleek concrete viaducts with the trackbed raised 10–100+

meters (or more in extreme cases) above the ground, supported by piers. China's factory-style

bridge production and Europe's graceful spans (e.g., over rivers) are particularly striking. Some

of the world's highest railway bridges overall carry (or are designed for) rail trafic, though

dedicated HSR examples tend to prioritize length and smoothness over extreme height.In short,

elevated railbeds are not rare—they're a standard feature of modern HSR engineering. Purely

at-grade lines exist in flatter, less obstructed areas, but elevation is the go-to solution for

reliability and performance in most networks.

Music and Lyrics - Creativity is King

Artificial intellgence engines generate music and vocals based on my lyrics. 

1. SENSING LOVE

https://suno.com/s/S0oXw9b5GR7NdMRO

2. I think I'll like you

https://suno.com/s/8N3bjBVgnpZi6n40

3. Exquisite Good byes

https://suno.com/s/gioxKuZeBxxTaekI

4.A Breath of Whitewater

https://suno.com/s/qSSpSRQLFFiXykti

5.Summer of Susan

https://suno.com/s/pkMnyRi6UQqc6TqB

6.Rhythm Thoughts

https://suno.com/s/4Pfb2tIhp3gXD069

7.We love Snow for Christmas

https://suno.com/s/n39vUL1gkFKbGESw

8.Someone to Love

https://suno.com/s/lzXqTA6VAGsWSAmB

9.Three Women on the Trail

https://suno.com/s/6CSpeRXlxAd3AALD

10. The Cold Town

https://suno.com/s/6G8aMYVXKsynxqwM

11.The Painful Voice

https://suno.com/s/t29zdjOK89KX4cGE

12. Friends on Rough Water

https://suno.com/s/xbAcUipa2RIJ7sO7

13. Kissed by the River

https://suno.com/s/jMHqRweidqvesrwk

14. The White and the Light

https://suno.com/s/nwpp1w3r9H9CY5gr

15. The time of our lives

https://suno.com/s/x9EofUCxmBPMjIAP

16.Lovin' , Losin', Leaving

https://suno.com/s/lcPyGMsD7TKDtNj9

17. The Company of friends

https://suno.com/s/xkYnPuqDhBAAcYCm

18. Lady of the Lightl

https://suno.com/s/tFXQiWpLKUYfsw2E

19. The Mirror Cracked

https://suno.com/s/WHqlNGFeiKfbjaYB

20. Gatineau Love

https://suno.com/s/q7T8RfDRsidxqnOh

21. In the Zone

https://suno.com/s/KI9cXJSzsaj3hEcB

What's going on?

 Nicole Foss provides a glimpse into the future.

Blog - Applied Systems Thinking

  https://share.google/QcPVMM2Y79hnIGNOp

We are trying to understand the world. 

I once invited Foss to speak at St. PAUL'S university right here in Ottawa.

She is largely unknown, but she is brilliant in her prose and conceptual understanding.

1. It’s essential to stop believing all politicians and all legacy media who have been lying to you about everything important.

2.independence from centralised systems will be incredibly important

3.We need to work together across tribal lines

4.The US bombed (with a double tap strike no less) an elementary school and incinerated 180 children and their teachers. Loss of moral high ground. This is a war crime.

5.The current conflict may be only the beginning of energy infrastructure destruction. [Its assymetric..$20,000 iranian drones take out billion dollar gas infrastructure]

The Way to Break the Incumbency Habit

 

The Way to Break the Incumbency Habit? In 2022 over 100 candidates tried to defeat incumbents. Exactly none were successful.

First, to achieve change....people must be aware of the need to change. Check it out  -prosci

The populus,who vote, must be informed, engaged and active.

People must have the skill to debate tough issues and agree to disagree if necessary.

This is not about positive or negative.  You need both.

Relationships are at stake. The incumbents support each other ( I'm OK, you're OK)
As a group, without doubt, we have one of our worst performances...but if you ask them, uniformly, "we got stuff done".

Landsdowne was approved but was not discussed last election. A new dump was purchased. Again, this came from no where.
LRT and public transit is in a shambles.
Other stated objectives went to the sidelines.
Businesses are closing but just wait until the federal government slashes another 30 000.
So will voters hold this gang of 25 to account? As well they should, and must?

This is not about personalities any longer, it is about results. The council imbued with power, responsibility also has accountability to the voters. The judgement comes but once every four years.
Voters, do your duty

A trike may be your ticket to fitness

Are you a  senior in Rideau Rockcliffe?

I know most eligible voters live with their partners in their own homes.  

With age comes sore hips and knees. Some also go with a wonky heart that requires a beta-blocker to keep in rhythm, but no faster than 80 bpm, even while exercising. 

Aerobic fitness is poor to terrible in Rideau Rockcliffe seniors. Always out of breath.

There is an alternative exercise which is all good but a bit expensive. Seniors can still pedal, with or without clip-in shoes on a exercise bike. And it shouldn't hurt. 

It can be boring, even with a TV or music.

You may want to consider a recumbent tricycle (2 front wheels, one back and a very comfortable reclined lounge seat).

 These are fast, fun and easy on the joints. They are not “Grandma’s tricycle”.

Further, an “E-assist motor”can be added. To make it easier?. I have one and love it. My fitness is actually pretty good. . Things are looking good for me and they could look better for you.

For those with total knee replacement you may find your knee more normal in feeling and operating with recumbent cycling after 5 weeks when you can both make a full rotation of the crank and get up from the low seating position.

For those with balance issues you have Triking to prevent falls.

Trikes can be ellaborate with a full suspension models. 

You are never too old to exercise and the truth is that you should exercise like your life depends on it...because it does; the trick is finding something you enjoy and which does not hurt your body.

Gotta Go - any politician who fails to provide the basic human services

 

Gotta Go, in life and in death.

I recently travelled to the world's most populus city, Tokyo, Japan. There are more public washrooms on a single block near the Shibuya crossing than there are in all of Ottawa.
And further, if you did find a public washroom in Ottawa, chances are good it would be locked or have no hot water, no heat, dirty, graffittied, no light - worse than an outhouse.
Why, in Ottawa we accept this as public infrastructure is a mystery to me.

Let me make this plain. The way a city and community treats its citizens is the true mark of its character.

Its not about Ottawa Senators, Landsdowne or the market, its not about diversity  or bilingualism.

The provision of basic public sanitation is the most fundamental and basic of all civic services.
Are there worries of the expense to clean and maintain them? Folks you are going to pay in so many other ways if you do not provide basic rest room service.
Some cities charge a small fee, others in Japan provide clean, graffitti free wahrooms, literally in the middle of nowhere, these have warm, hot and cold water with electronically controlled bidets.

What are we, mouth breathers?

Anyone that choses to ignore this problem in Ottawa deserves the stockade, forget about re election.

Update: After hours of council discussion at the Finance and Economic development meeting ( which I watched) Rawlson King said exactly...nothing.

QR codes make candidates more accessible

 

You need name recognition, you need people to see your opinions and assess your qualities.

The QR code gives them easy access.

For example, Peer Metrics

Black History Month

February is Black History month. What the heck is that? Elon Musk recently advised that it is "ok to be white." 

 Apart from being tone deaf, being white in society has much more to do with mind set than skin color. There is a divide which is exacerbated in pubic by a dismissal of history. Make no mistake, colonial, religious and political oppression has led us to where we are today.

 Any honky whitey that does not feel a least a twinge of guilt is responsible for perpetuating a systemic bulwork that simply needs to be fixed. Society has proven to be resilient and resistant to any attempts to prevent splitting and lumping. The barnyard is as intact as ever. 

It still is a jungle out there. This means 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 owe respect, appreciation and brotherhood if not love to the colourship.

A musical interlude

 https://suno.com/s/lzXqTA6VAGsWSAmB

Lyrics by me, music and vocals by Artificial Intelligence engine...Suno

Someone to love

The impacts of AI will be far reaching. It has been estimated by knowledgeable others that within 5 years 50% of current entry level white collar jobs will be done by AI and AI agents.

Ottawa Buys a Dump - make 'em an offer they cannot refuse

 

Well it sure seems like a good deal.

According to the late Scott Adams you can only truly understand the value of a decision by looking at both its benefits/ positives as well as the costs/ negatives...especially when the issues are complex.

Adams also insisted that the evaluation can only be meaningful if the next most attractive option is compared to the chosen option. 

There were at least three options:

1.incineration,  Building a facility that could burn waste and use the steam for energy could cost between $497 million and $862 million. (No stated revenue/ benefits)

2. continuing to use the current dump alongside a private facility, ( cost of private facility use not estimated). The Taggart Miller site was going to be a landfill whether the city bought it or not. It had all the  necessary approvals!

3.creating a new municipal landfill. Creating a new landfill ranked third of those three alternatives  costing between $439 million and $761 million (staff) no benefits discussed.

So the fourth option???

4. Buy from Taggart: $95 million plus taxes and closing costs.

Is it likely that staff estimates were crafted to lead council to the decision?

Instead we have Mark Suttcliffe's word on it. He said, city had to pay for  a waste facility eventually. He said Ottawa will save over the next century with this purchase.
He said Ottawa would spend four times as much if no decision was made.
He said another solution might save taxpayers a few dollars a year for the next 10 years and cost them hundreds and hundreds of dollars more.

I interpret this to mean there were  options...what was the next preferred? 20-5 approved the dump purchase.

This $100  million purchase was not an election issue in 2022.  Taggart started acummulating the land in 2005. It got its last approval in 2024. Two decades in the works...pretty good planning.

The City of Ottawa is purchasing the Capital Region Resource Recovery Centre, a private landfill in the east end (Boundary Road area), for $95 million plus taxes and closing costs. The 192-hectare site, owned by Taggart Miller Environmental Services, has a 30-year lifespan. It will replace the Trail Road landfill. 

Key Details of the Landfill Purchase:

• Location: The site is located on Boundary Road, between Devine Road and Highway 417, in the rural southeast - just south of the Amazon warehouse.

• Cost: The purchase price is $95 million, approved by council in a 20-5 vote in January 2026.

Taggart Miller bought seven of the eight parcels for a combined $8.15 million over a five year period. 181 hectares, or about 94 per cent, of the site has been appraisaled at ~$23 million and to that add the cost of paperwork/provincial approvals done by Taggart. Maybe $10 million - that is a tidy profit to say the least.

Taggart could operate a dump but the sale of land is the real moneymaker....so good for them?

• Capacity & Lifespan: The facility is approved to accept up to 450,000 tons of waste annually, over 30-years.

• Rationale: The current Trail Road landfill is near capacity.  By purchasing the site...it will be exclusively Ottawa waste not, say, Cornwall's or Toronto's waste.

• Opposition: Residents and local groups have expressed concerns regarding the secrecy of the deal, potential traffic (expected 800 trucks daily), and environmental impacts on nearby areas like Carlsbad Springs. The vote following a closed-door council meeting, passing with 20 in favour and five opposed. 

Councillors with rural areas in their wards were opposed. Since Urban and suburban councillors don't have to worry about landfills this dump is the ironic counter to the usual 15-9 vote splitting. Payback is a bitch if there was any. Probably just a coincidence.

The ministry's approval required traffic controls, odour abatement  and leachate treatment ...but you know, its a dump!

 Approvals were in hand in 2017 (the permit changed in May 2024 to include residential waste) despite concerns for leachate in well water, traffic from trucks and...odour. 
The Taggart Miller site was going to be a landfill whether the city bought it or not. It had all the  necessary approvals!

• Timeline: Staff has the authority to negotiate a final agreement by the end of March 2026. 
While the site is designed for landfilling. Future waste-to-energy technologies or incineration ON SITE are possible.

Reference: Ottawa councillors vote to allow staff to finalize purchase of dump site | CBC News https://share.google/Vr2Q8Kdpw6zsmDUfe