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Media Release April 29, 2008
Councillor Doucet calls for a Plan
B to Transit Option 4
Clive Doucet to highlight need for better routing of
light rail.
April 29, 2008, Ottawa, Lansdowne Park, Coliseum Building, 7:00
p.m.
“We got the technology right but we got the routing wrong,” states
Capital Ward Councillor Clive Doucet. “The four transit options
only differ in choice of vehicle technology. There is no routing
choice between the options. The recommendation of electric light
rail is the best technological choice but there are no alternate
routes offered. The routing is a major shortcoming and a
recipe for another light rail failure.”
Councillor Doucet is calling for a Plan B to include light rail
routing alternatives which would be lower cost, which would increase
ridershipand which would attract fundingfrom other governments. “We
need choices that will improve our chances of success – we
don’t need another costly all-or-nothing approach. Why can’t
we get real options – not another take it or leave it plan?”
Option 4 is a bus plan, not a plan for electric light rail.
Every other city getting assistance for electric rail service
is doing so with a new or extended rail service not with the replacement
of an existing bus service over the same route.
The current proposed light rail option replaces a portion of the
existing transitway bus service. It does not servenew areas of
the city with speedy, efficient light rail. Its ability to attract
new riders will be limited. This means it will not qualify
for provincial or federal funds. Only the new suburban busway extensions
will attract new riders and funds from other levels of government.
Backgrounder >>
Media Release April 15,2008
The
largest ever FCM public survey endorses 1% of the GST be transferred
to cities
Ottawa - Councillor Clive Doucet was delighted to see that the
largest
survey ever conducted by the Federation of Canadian
Municipalities (FCM) revealed that 90 per cent of respondents say that the federal
government should provide financial support to municipal governments.
Canadians are saying to Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, that
his job includes potholes. Canadians are saying to Stéphane
Dion that he was right; the surplus should be spent on community
infrastructure, roads and public transit. City infrastructure,
after health care, is a top priority for Canadians.
Canadians are supporting the request of Mayor Miller of Toronto,
and city councils across the country that the GST be returned to
6% from 5%, and the extra 1% be transferred to municipal governments.
The message to the federal government is clear, Canadians want
a share
of their taxes redirected to cities and they want it now!
Sixty eight per cent (68%), a robust majority of those polled,
said they would support the idea of the GST being increased to
6%, if the extra funds were allocated directly to cities on a permanent
basis.
Councillor Doucet and his fellow councillors, who marched on Parliament
Hill in December 2007 in support of the One
Cent NOW! campaign, agree with the survey’s
findings. It was the first
time ever in the history of the city that councillors, endorsed
by their council, have marched on Parliament Hill. They congratulate
the FCM for such a useful clarification of the real preferences
of Canadians. It’s not about tax cuts. It’s
about spending our money differently and more effectively.
Media contacts: Catherine Henry (613) 580-2424, ext. 25287,
Tara Pearman, ext. 27441
Visit the Federation of Canadian Municipalities website for more
information on the survey
http://www.fcm.ca/english/media/press/april152008.html
 Clive
to speak at Celebridée at the Tulip Festival
May 8, 2008, 2 p.m. Mirror Tent, Major's Hill Park
www.tulipfestival.ca/en/Celeb_Events/
Why
clean air matters
" It has long been a preoccupation of mine that
we are growing the City of Ottawa blindly in a way which degrades
the quality of the air we all need for good health. But it's
a message that is very difficult to get Council to believe
poses an imminent
threat to our health",
Clive Doucet
Media Release, April 7, 2008
Councillor Doucet calls for fresh air summit
in Fall
Ottawa – Air pollution, and the fine particulate matters associated
with it, are closely related to a wide variety of health problems,
including asthma, cardiovascular disease, strokes, cancer, immune
deficiency diseases and low birth weights.
Ottawa’s air quality is the same as Toronto’s but
without the same level of heavy industry. Local pollution comes
from many different sources, including cars, diesel trucks, factories,
power plants, residential fireplaces, wood stoves and agricultural
burning.
At ‘Why Clean Air Matters’ held yesterday, April 6,
at the Mayfair Theatre, hosted by Councillor Clive Doucet with
guest
speaker
Dr.
Tom Kovesi, it was clear that the people attending the event wanted
Ottawa’s air quality cleaned up and had ideas about how to
do it.
They wanted the City of Ottawa’s air pollution mapping project
extended to include risk assessment for local health. For example,
if the poorest air quality in Ottawa occurs at the intersection
of the 417 and Carling Avenue - should the province be widening
the Queensway?
Children are especially sensitive to air pollution because their
airways are narrower, they tend to breath through the mouth, and
they have a higher breathing rate relative to body weight and lung
surface area than adults. Lung growth in children is also adversely
affected by air pollution.
Councillor Doucet is committed to working with his colleagues
on council to bring forward a Fresh Air Summit this fall at City
Hall and to develop a Clean Air Mandate for the city.
Media contact: Catherine Henry, (613) 580-2424, ext. 25287 or
580-2487
 April
10, 2008
Refuge and refugee cities and neighbourhoods
Cities have always had a good side of
the tracks and a bad side. All that has changed is the economic
forces
which
create
them.
In Elizabethan London, the Lord Chamberlain was worried about the
entertainment industry, bear baiting, cock fighting and of course
the theatre... more>>
Ottawa
has the worst city political administration in the country.
But it’s important to remember it wasn’t always so. We used
to have one of the best. We were out front with an award winning,
pilot light rail project and had a deal inked for a comprehensive
Barrhaven to the University of Ottawa rail line at half the
price of comparable projects in Vancouver and Seattle. more
>>
New
Report on Transit in Vancouver and Seattle
Both Vancouver
and Seattle have many transit and transportation challenges.
They are divided
by waterways and harbours. Neither are easy places to get around.
Seattle has very steep hills and even more challenging water
courses. more>>
Ward
Report for March 2008
Capital Ward Cup,
metered parking, more >>
UPDATE:
Feb. 6/08.
Commons committee to probe Baird's role in Ottawa civic election
From The
Tyee, Jan 23, 2007
John
Baird, Light Rail Killer
Did Tories' new enviro minister undercut
a big light rail project to settle a political score?
A Tyee special report, by Laura Drake
Last week, John Baird, the Conservatives' new Environment Minister, hopped
a ride on a low-emissions hybrid bus to a press conference in Western Ottawa.
Once there, the Ottawa based Minister, described by many as the rising star
of his party, announced $230 million in funding for the development of green
technologies, part of a downpour of environmental initiatives rained down by
the government last week.
For complete article and comments go to the The
Tyee
Media release:
The Ottawa/Russell Water Supply Agreement
January
29, 2008
Mayor Larry O’Brien will host Russell Mayor Ken Hill for
a signing ceremony of the Ottawa Russell water supply agreement
tomorrow at City Hall.
The 28-kilometre fresh water pipeline to Russell Township is nothing
to celebrate.
It is a new step in urban sprawl.
It is the result of the inability
of many rural areas to address pesticide and nutrient pollution
of our groundwater. By making Ottawa’s water available to
the Township, there is no pressing need to deal with the root causes
of groundwater pollution.
This decision was also made within the context of many areas within
the city’s boundaries not having access to piped water.
Councillor Doucet voted against the extension of the city’s
water pipeline to Russell Township and believes that it is irresponsible
environmentally and financially to expand City services in this
way.
Where do we stop? How many more Townships will come knocking on
our door to solve their water problems? While many argued in favour
of helping our neighbours, most failed to ask the important question – why
are we in this mess in the first place?
Dec.
29, 2007
My New Year’s resolution – Don’t
buy from polluters
Well, it’s been quite a year. There’s been Mr. Mulroney
(former Conservative Prime Minister, 1984-1992) with his “I’ve
got nothing to hide,” except $225,000 or maybe $300,000,
and ‘now I pay the taxes, then I didn’t’. There’s
been the Mayor of Ottawa with his “I believe with every fiber
of my being I’m innocent,” (after criminal charges
were laid for alleged influence pedalling during the election)
and John Baird (federal Minister of Environment and Ottawa West-Nepean
Member
of
Parliament)
with his ‘now you see it, now you don’t $200 million
for Ottawa’s light rail project. And at year end he was in
Bali with the ‘now you see it, now you don’t’ international
climate change agreement. Does anyone know what they agreed to
except more talks? >>more
New Inquiries to the City
tabled in committees. (Updated
Feb. 27) >>more
Green streets for pedestrian safety
Ottawa, August 31, 2007, Metcalfe and Isabella . more >>
Tree Update: April
30.
Listen to an interview with Clive and Pamela White by Shelagh Rogers
on
Sounds
Like Canada,
CBC Radio.
Read Clive's poem Greetings
from a Tree Being to a Human Being,
Threat of Queensway expansion is back
March 1, 2007 update. Click here for details
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