East Ottawa Star
Published: Friday, January 30, 2009 Calling on councillors to respond to strike questions Picking up where we left off last week, we still do not have responses from anyone at the city or our local councillors to the questions posed. Then again, should we really be surprised? Perhaps a joint letter or editorial from councillors Bellemare, Bloess, Jellett and Monette in response to last week’s column and this week’s questions could appear. Hey guys, I will gladly give up my space here next week for your response. Moreover, I will donate my small column stipend for next week to our local resource centre if you communicate with your frustrated constituents. Nonetheless we will soldier on thanks to many readers who offered up their own valid questions. And as promised, below you will find a selection of what your neighbours and friends (identified by initials) want to know. A.W. writes: “In addition to the original $200,000 and now extra $500,000 in funds (to mitigate the impact of the strike) the city has finally opened up, has the city also written cheques to all the charities whose collections were reduced directly due to the strike?” A.W. also asks: “How many of the councillors have a bus pass (and use it) and can honestly say they understand what it’s like to be stranded without any transportation, not just inconvenienced by longer/slower traffic to and from work?” M.B. wants to know why the city isn’t more proactive and prominently displaying its position on Ottawa.ca or a dedicated website so riders can better understand the issues without the hype of editorial writers (yours truly included) or bias of appointed talking heads? A.T. asks, and I’m paraphrasing here a bit, what about all those potholes? Is there any thought to accelerating the usual spring maintenance schedule to fix or patch up some stuff now? Indeed, with all the extra traffic on the roads it is likely the local garages are doing a brisk business in wheel alignments, ch-ching! A few readers want to know why they can’t use the 174 bus lanes during rush hour. Yes, I know the answer, but obviously the city has not done a good job of communicating the safety, congestion and Highway Traffic Act non-applicability issues to citizens. As for my question: “When is too much human suffering enough for both the city and ATU 279?” Yes, my views in support of the city are well known but at this point there are no winners in this dispute. We are now past of Day 50 of the strike and while folks are coping, there are still too many people who are prisoners in their own houses and apartments. The media has only uncovered the tip of the iceberg on this front. One final thought: How many of us will remember this strike when we vote in November 2010? Hmm, a key question for all of us. = = = = = Comments can be sent to Walter Robinson at orleansouttakes@transcontinental.ca. |