I need to get this off my chest - the conservative free market supply bro arguments are killing affordable housing for people. I’ll outline a few examples. The only way out of this mess is for governments to get back to actually building not-for-profit housing. #Ottawa #Ottnews Today we received a memo from city staff outlining that the conservative government is allowing one off applications to expand the urban boundary. This means any speculative landowner can apply to expand Ottawa’s boundary, at the expense of everyone else.

The most inefficient spenders at Ottawa City Hall have been the very same people who have repeated the slogan “keep taxes low”. They have done the exact opposite. Here’s how- 🧵 #Ottawa #Ottnews 1) They have put pressure on everyone’s taxes and the environment by expanding Ottawa’s sprawl. That decision alone is billions in cost to our city over time $465/person/year. cbc.ca/news/canada/ot…

I know everyone is exhausted but the city is committing a lot of money just 2 months before being officially declared lame duck (meaning we couldn’t spend more than $50,000 on any one item). #Ottawa #Ottnews $150 million was recently approved for staff to work on a contribution to the new civic and parking garage, which will pave over a large park, trees and greenspace in the core. It is a provincial responsibility we’d be paying for and could end being a tax levy.

Some quick thoughts on the strategic Lansdowne leak today. #Ottawa #Ottnews

1) City Report still isn’t out, we had to get the OSEG report from journalists, and a week to consider this not ideal.

2) The transportation to and from this site remains a critical element not fixed 3) The 1200 units proposed have not been planned based on the site itself but there to help the $330M financial deal - tax increment financing (city debt to help pay for facilities which is purportedly paid back by future tax uplift from units instead of going to city wide tax).

The big question on my mind lately is:

When will residents of #Ottawa stop being lied to by authorities?

We are hearing over and over again that enforcement is taking place but that is clearly, and verifiably, a lie. #OttawaOccupied #Ottnews In some cases this is in real time, where the evidence to refute what is being said is displayed for all to see.

In some cases we are seeing active facilitation by authorities of illegal activities (such as new encampments, fuel resupply, allowing vehicles back in to occupy)

In the absence of any clear plan communicated to residents, here is what I would suggest needs to occur:
1) Every action should be geared towards protecting the residential areas of #Ottawa, stopping the noise, violence and harassment people are enduring 2) Begin ticketing and towing existing vehicles that are part of the convoy parking illegally in our residential areas, when it is safe to do so.
3) Allow for protest on Wellington and in the Parliamentary precinct and begin cordoning off for people in that vicinity

This is important for #ottnews media and #Ottpoli candidates because I’ve been seeing it mentioned repeatedly. The transit budget is not 50/50 (fares/transit levy). The operating budget is nearly $700 M. In “normal” years we collected $200 M in fares. Lately, we collect much less This is important as people debate lower cost or #FreeTransit. We’ve been collecting about 1/5th of normal fare volume. Think about that. We are already so close to free transit, it’s a low fraction of the operating budget. $40 million? For universal transit in #Ottawa? Wow.

Voting records matter. Let’s take a trip down memory lane on now uncontested appointment, candidate Sudds. 1) Voted to give a Porsche dealership a $2.9 million tax break. 2) Didn’t want to use the word ‘emergency’ when it came to homelessness in Ottawa, while sitting as CPS chair 3) Voted to massively expand Ottawa’s sprawl, despite claiming to care about the environment. 4) Voted not once but twice to just accept the new design for the Chateau Laurier without pushing for more changes.