Address to Ottawa City Council - Concerning the Kanata North Vacancy

The Councillors decided (in a 15-8 ) vote split that Cathy Curry should be appointed... but this is what I said to them before they decided NOT to select Marianne Wilkinson, an incumbent...

https://youtu.be/hdWCwmbxQpo. What I said at 4:27:56.... but here it is.

Mr. Mayor, councillors, fellow candidates, Mesdames et and messieurs…

Il me fait une grand plaisir à parler à tous ce matin.

Thank you for letting me present myself …. for Kanata North councillor.

Mike Patton reminded me that whether I was given 5 minutes or 500 minutes there would be no combination of words in the English language that would sway your vote in support of me or any other but former councillor Marianne Wilkinson.  At 83 years old, she will be, no doubt, your inevitable choice.

But I have been afforded the time, and I will do my best, to convince you that that there is possibly a better alternative.

Ottawa, with its $4 Billion-dollar budget, faces problems that tower above potholes, garbage, minor variances and snow clearing – there is:

• the existential climate emergency threatening the planet, 

• the desperate affordable housing emergency – there are 400,000 new Ottawans, forecast, and, rate payers face doubling property taxes in 23 years which could force some of them right out of their homes.

• there is the ongoing and deadly covid pandemic emergency 

• People of colour the disenfranchised fear Ottawa’s systemically tyrannical police force. This is an emergency as one was legally pummeled to death by an officer using reinforced gloves.

for any that still use it, 

• there is the embarrassingly problematic transit system emergency 

This is all happening during a crisis of confidence in this very council which is divided on every single matter of consequence in a 15 to 8 rural - urban vote split.  

Our democracy says that only an free, fair and public election gives Kanata North the voice it needs. Present council has already decided that an appointment will give council the kind of vote it needs and it needs to save money and not give a predictable upper hand to any incumbent. 

So there is no doubt that Ms. Wilkinson is the logical choice … but what difference would it make to Kanata North if those contentious council votes were cast 15 to 9 or 16 to 8 ?  

Ms. Wilkinson, now drawn out of retirement, is so well loved a former councillor, there is a foot bridge named for her!  …Every ward community association has cast its endorsement for her! She surely has the special sauce required to give Kanata North the leadership needed to address the looming crises.  

Would his worship ever dare mute Ms. Wilkinson? as he did Ms. Deans concerning the ill-fated petition for LRT judicial inquiry?  Would her gravitas sway the decision to expand the urban boundary to Taggart friendly Tewin?  With her experience Ms. Wilkinson has the financial chops to dissect the looming budget with the required acumen to garner more funding for Kanata North and deliver the goods for her community and business improvement associations.

… there remains the vote split. 

Does Ms. Wilkinson add to the current impasse - or worse, exacerbate it? 

If you maintain the status quo, the Kubaya moment will not happen! Rural issues are not urban issues. The politics of the situation are real and intractable. Anyway, the budget has almost no latitude, the city is stuck!

Leadership is not in short supply. The problem is there are too many contentious leaders.  

So, I am asking council to take a different route and choose a set of helping hands instead.  

None would represent Kanata North better than Ms. Wilkinson, of that there can be no doubt but I recommend you avoid even more vested interest on council at the present time and help the city move forward towards its goals. 

His worship once joked that he dreaded the call from Ms. Wilkinson on ‘line one’.  There would be no need to dread a call from pragmatic and helpful me. I propose to bring Kanata North concerns to council in a fair and unbiased manner for the good of Ottawa while remaining free of acrimony.  

I have already provided you with my resume-  I won’t repeat it here except to say my experience supports my preference to work with staff and council to HELP bring your plans to fruition and help you all make better decisions and do more with less by acting as a social pollinator on council, helping to find common ground. 

I will help move the dial on that 15 – 8 split.

We need to increase competent public engagement in municipal politics. We need more than 38% of eligible voters going to the polls. We need to lift the veil of secrecy concocted in the current LRT PPP which is the very antithesis of democracy. 

If you want people to engage and volunteer then I urge you to do the unpredictable, the seemingly illogical and unorthodox thing and appoint me as the temporary councillor for Kanata North for the next ten months.

Merçi.

Filling the Kanata North Vacancy: I'll do it.

I checked on the Ottawa.ca site. Nowhere is there a mention of the vacant councillor's seat or the process for filling it.

I volunteer.

 

What does a real emergency look like?

We have had five emergency declarations over the past two years.

Flood emergency: Sand bags, volunteers, homelessness, and a lot of work

Tornado emergency: Blown transformers, property damage, homelessness

Covid 19 emergency: Closed businesses, closing of public venues, people out of work, sickness, death

Housing emergency: Lack of affordable housing, people are being sheltered in motels. Many do not have the income to support a basic standard of living right here in Ottawa. Food banks are stretched with 50,000 citizens of Ottawa using the services of the ottawa Foodbank.

Climate Emergency: The lack of immediacy has resulted in the lack of resources to impact the climate change that is affecting everyday life. The future of human life on the planet is at stake.

Out of all of these "emergencies" which are understandable as true emergencies? Which have garnered the resources immediately, and which will have the most dire consequences if left unaddressed?

We are faced with short term pressures and long term consequences.

And we are off to a predictable start....

The climate change emergency has been declared. Now the emergency measures need to be declared.

Rideau Rockcliffe has been excluded from the influential finance committee. ..even on an exofficio ( non voting) basis.

The dynamic at council is continued.
Ward 13 is home to 2,293 OCH households + nearly 5K tenants.

Here is the city of Ottawa's idea of emergency measures. Officially declare a climate emergency for the purposes of naming, framing, and deepening our commitment to protecting our economy, our eco systems, and our community from climate change; Establish a Council Sponsors Group comprised of representatives from the Standing Committees on Environmental Protection, Water and Waste Management, Planning Committee, Transportation Committee, Transit Commission, the Ottawa Board of Health and the Councillor Liaison of the Environment Stewardship Advisory Committee; Direct City staff to include the following in the review and update of the AQCCMP: a) An analysis of how the AQCCMP’s long term target to reduce GHG emissions 80% below 2012 levels by 2050 compares to the IPCC’s targets for limiting global warming to 1.5 ºC b) Midterm (2030) corporate and community GHG emission reduction targets c) Climate Change mitigation and adaptation priorities for next five years (2019-2024) to embed climate change considerations across all elements of City business; Direct City staff to include the following in the Energy Evolution Final Report: a) Status update of Energy Evolution Phase 1 actions b) New concrete actions and resource implications (staff and financial) to achieve GHG emission reduction targets c) Use an equity and inclusion lens in the prioritization of actions d) Funding and savings options for the City when implementing emission reductions; Direct City staff to report back, within the 2019 calendar year, on a spending plan for the Hydro Ottawa Dividends Surplus that would help reduce community and corporate GHG emissions beyond the scope of the City’s current climate targets while also saving money; Direct City staff to complete a vulnerability assessment and develop a climate resiliency strategy to reduce the impacts of a changing climate; Recognize climate change as a strategic priority in the City’s strategic plan and accompanying budget directions for the remaining Term of Council; and Work with senior levels of government to accelerate ambition and action to meet the urgency of climate change and provide additional resources for municipalities and the public to reduce their GHG emissions and build resiliency to climate impacts.

Results- thanks to voters and candidates

Here are the results

Rawlson won. It does not matter that the ward issues of better road maintenance, snow clearing and slower traffic were not in his planks, rather he zoomed in on poverty and housing. What do you think will happen over the next three years? Will voters notice that their voiced concerns are not actually priorities at city hall? It is democracy at work! And people truly deserve the government they get. 

https://youtu.be/uKEGdSmnzyc

The great priviledge is being able to go door to door, and meeting voters on the street.  The campaign was hard work but fun. 

Thanks again Rideau Rockcliffe, and fellow candidates, congratulations to Rawlson King our new councillor.

If you have not decided yet... read this blog post.

You have to do your homework, there is no shortcut.

Everyone brings positive things to the table...

But I am your best choice because of my unique experience, skills and frank communication style.

Election Night Info: Stay tuned to this blog!

Election Night Location: TBD

Principal Contact: myself

Phone Number: 613 304 5844

ELECTION RESOURCES:

Statements from all candidate in English on Rogers TV: (I am on at 15:53 ) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nq_W3oi89_c

Déclarations en français sur TV Rogers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpSMoV_zWxA 

Interviews of each candidate by the Presidents of Community Associations: http://www.lindenlea.ca/2019-by-election.html

The New Edinburgh News also has a bio and response from each candidate in its April edition:

http://www.newedinburgh.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/NEN-2019_04-April-WEB.pdf

CBC news candidate profiles: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/rideau-rockcliffe-byelection-ward-council-1.5032415?cmp=rss

Video of Overbrook debate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=P7JQY5BVWWM

Ecology Ottawa questionnaire: https://ecologyottawa.ca/2019/03/25/rideau-rockliffe-2019-by-election-candidates-complete-responses/

The results of the mock council session at the Rockcliffe forum: https://rockcliffepark.ca/2019/03/09/candidates-forum-for-rideau-rockcliffe-by-election/

Here's a fun site to have a look at.  You can even participate in a mock vote and see what mock results are after 16 rounds of ranked voting.  An interesting exercise.

https://bellscorners.wordpress.com/rideau-rockcliffe-by-election-apr-15-2019/

Everybody talks about the environment....doing something about it is another thing.

The time frame for action is frightening. We will need to focus on the interventions upon which there is high agreement, and high confidence specifically in areas we can control, like modes of transportation, the buildings we inhabit and our dietary preferences.

Transportation: In future people must travel less, and shift to more sustainable choices like car sharing and hybrid and electric cars. using more efficient modes of travel, e.g. swapping cars, trucks and planes to buses and trains is required.

Buildings: using smart thermostats or more efficient air conditioners is only part of the solution.

Diets: We need toconsume about 30% less animal products.The livestock sector is estimated to account for 14.5% of greenhouse gas emissions globally, more than direct emissions from the transport sector.

Sources: IPCC - summary for policy makers

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the main multilateral forum focused on addressing climate change.

Globally, economic and population growth are the most important drivers of increases in CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion. The contribution of population growth between 2000 and 2010 remained roughly identical to the previous three decades, while the contribution of economic growth has risen sharply.

Between 2000 and 2010, both drivers outpaced emission reductions from improvements in energy intensity. Increased use of coal runs counter to decarbonization of the world’s energy supply. [1.3, 5.3, 7.2, 14.3, TS.2.2]

Energy demand growth results from improvements in wealth, lifestyle change, access to modern energy services and adequate housing, and urbanisation.

I have studied the motion recently prepared to mobilize the city to address the gag crisis. I can summarize it as follows:

a climate emergency names, frames, and commits to protecting our economy, ecosystem, and community from climate change as a strategic priority in the City’s strategic plan and budget

the Chairs of the Standing Committee on Environmental Protection, Water and Waste Management, Planning Committee, Transportation Committee, Transit Commission and the Councilor Liaison of Environment Stewardship Advisory Committee act as the steering committee

Set the GHG targets for the Air Quality and Climate Change Management Plan necessary to limit warming to 1.5C;

Prepare a Climate Change Resilience Strategy and plan

We need to be clear in what we are trying to do.

Building codes and appliance standards, if well designed and implemented, have been among the most environmentally and cost-effective instruments for emission reductions (robust evidence, high agreement)