They're Damned Mad !

No one should be surprised at the level of anger being expressed at the Lansdowne Live public consultations.

The future of Landsowne Park is not entirely the cause of this anger. It's the catalyst that's bringing it to the fore. And Citizen Ellie hopes it continues into the upcoming round of public consultations on the budget.

What's the real cause ?

For the 100,000 or so who voted for Larry O'Brien in the last municipal election, they're mad because nearly three years of this council's term has been wasted thanks to a small group of conspirators who decided they didn't care for Larry's politics and set out to "get" him. Instead of dealing with important issues, council sessions became platforms for those who hoped the heat would be such that Mayor Larry would step down, leaving an opening for someone from within to fill the mayor's chair.

For others, the current punitive level of taxation is the bugbear. Pensioners, in particular, are especially concerned because no matter how well one plans for retirement one must face the fact that city taxes are the biggest uncontrolled expense faced by any household because property tax is not tied to household income.One of Citizen Ellie's sources says the city's current operational model results in at least a 5-plus percentage increase every year. The "official number" might be 4.9% as it was last year, but that doesn't take into account the additional bucks flowing into city coffers from that great money-grab, market-value assessment. It doesn't take into consideration the additional bucks flowing into city coffers from water and sewer charges,development fees, user fees and the myriad other surcharges the current council has imposed on taxpayers in recent years.

For others, its the never-ending waste and boondoggling surrounding city projects such as the LRT.

And for others, especially those living in the rural parts of the city, they're angry because they haven't seen any benefit from amalgamation. They are paying city-sized taxes for services they have yet to see. Paved roads, sidewalks, water and sewer come immediately to mind. Most chose to live in what have now become the rural areas within the city's boundaries because they didn't want to pay for a whole mess of services (such as OC Transpo) which they would never need. They've seen their taxes skyrocket.

The good news is that people are starting to organize. There are at least two groups which have taken up the taxpayers' cause -- the Ottawa Taxpayer Advocacy Group (Ottawa TAG) and the Carleton County Landowners' Association. And it looks as if these two groups are joining forces. Great. There is strength in numbers.

You might be surprised to learn that Ontario has never completed Ottawa's amalgamation process and there will be a city-wide forum on governance for Ottawa next year. Mayor Larry, mindful of this, commissioned a study on governance which is gathering dust on a shelf at city hall bcause the "lifers" on city council take the poition that they, and only they, know what sort of governance is best for the citizens of Ottawa. (The sort of governance which keeps them in their jobs !)

The Carleton County Landowners have organized three events to help prepare rural input for said forum. Retired Senator Eugene Whelan will speak at the meeting on November 19 at 7 p.m. at the Carp Fairgrounds. Ade Olumide of Ottawa TAG will speak at the November 26 meeting at 7 p.m. at the Richmond Ciommunuity Centre. Councillor Clive Doucet (who has embraced the cause of de-amalgamation) will speak at the meeting on December 3 at 7 p.m. at the Kinburn Community Centre.

One of the problems Ottawa TAG and some members of the Carleton Landowners' Association have is a lack of knowledge of the Ontario Labor Relations Act and its impact on such approaches as privatization. And this goes to the credibility of the organization/s. Take OC Transpo, for example. Some think the solution is privatization -- sell it to a private sector operator who will lower wages, cut staff and implement efficiencies, making the system profitable.

Unfortunately this won't work. When an operation such as OC Transpo is heavily unionized, successors' rights clauses in the Ontario Labor Relations Act come into play. Unless the private sector operator is prepared for and can afford war, the private sector operator has to take the current employees along with their current union contract. Not too many private sector operators are prepared to do this. And unlike Britain's Margaret Thatcher who took on the miners, there are few, if any, politicians at the provincial and municipal levels in Ontario with the brass balls to take on sucessors' rights.

Credibility is a key issue for any organization wanting to take on the "lifers" on city council. And the least little gaffe which opens the door to councillors and their friends in the major media to point their fingers and adopt the familiar oh-so-patronizing attitude that while they work for us, we're too stupid to understand what they do. This can be the killer for any organization trying to change the status quo.

Citizen Ellie's advice to both Ottawa TAG and the Carleton County Landowners is to be very sure of what you speak. Building credibility is the key to success. And the time is ripe for a taxpayer revolt !

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