Ottawa Sun
Published: Saturday, June 25, 2005

Words of farewell and fares and foes

Walter Robinson says his goodbyes to his column, and offers a few parting shots to politicians, press and public.

Today marks the end of this series of my rants and pontifications on all things political on these pages.

I have recently accepted an executive position in the life sciences world and as such will be unable to continue writing given my travels and new duties. However, I have reserved my remaining 750 words for a few parting shots, I told you so blasts and plaudits.

First up is Mayor Bob Chiarelli of course. In a recent speech to the Orleans Chamber of Commerce, he was quoted as saying that transportation gridlock in Toronto has led to that city having an "unproductive economy." As much as we all love to dump on the big T-dot now and again, Leaftown is still responsible for about 25% of Canada's trillion dollar plus annual GDP. And if this is unproductive, I hazard to think what efficient and productive would look like.

As much as I've chided the mayor in this column for over four years -- and yes I would have backed Brian McGarry had he stuck it through to next year's municipal race as opposed to pulling the chute a baffling 16 months before election day -- you can't argue with success.

Like him or not, as a politico, you have to respect the fact that the guy has been at the helm for eight years (ignoring his success won't make it disappear), built an effective machine of campaign and in-between elections support, manages to lead his council and all the while keeps up a torrid community engagement pace that would tire folks who are half of his 60-plus years.

Turning to the recent OC Transpo fare hike decision taken by the city, kudos to council for biting the bullet and dare I offer a gleeful, I told you so as well? On Wednesday, council voted (by a slim 11 to 9 margin) to hike transit fares by 37.5% over the next five years. Despite the moaning and groaning from the cars-are-evil-and-public-transit-is-the-21st-century-urban-messiah-crowd, it was a sensible and long overdue decision.

Presently non-transit riders subsidize every second trip taken by regular transit users. As I argued in my December 2004 budget series (I told you so), the city should strive to move to a 65% to 80% fare-box recovery ratio. Faced with ongoing capital replacement costs and stratospheric fuel charges, it only makes sense to hike fares. We should also remember that some of this impact will be mitigated by the higher gas tax related transfers that will come back to the city via new federal and provincial transfer agreements.

Affected transit riders should now lobby forcefully that council strike a better balance between reinvesting these revenues into our proven bus rapid transitway system and the as yet unproven, unbuilt and unsubstantiated by study after study after study, light rail concept.

Turning to my federal Tory friends if I can offer one parting piece of advice to the braintrust around Mr. Harper it is this: Don't talk strategy, just execute it! From telegraphing the fact that you wanted to defeat the Liberal government to boasting ad nauseam that Mr. Harper will hit the Ontario summer barbecue circuit (a wise decision by the way), the secret of on-the-ground politics is visible, well-planned and seamless tactical execution of un-communicated and invisible strategic imperatives. As Elvis stated so eloquently over four decades ago: A little less conversation, a little more action.

My final plaudits are reserved for my Sun colleagues and more importantly, you the Sun reader. During the course of Y2K, I engaged in some heated radio and television panel debates with Sun publisher (then editor in chief) Rick Gibbons in which we found ourselves on different sides of the contentious issue of federal tax help to assist financially struggling Canadian NHL franchises.

Unlike many of his "hockey is great, we can't lose our game, it's about civic pride and that's the extent of my weak argument" peers in the media, Rick's arguments were more mature and rooted in the economics of the game, the history of subsidy support for various industries and the intangible importance of the Senators to this city. Even though our debates made question period look like a love-in, nonetheless he asked me to write a column for the Sun which has been one of my greatest professional and personal privileges.

And the support the Sun gave to me (through Rick and Mike Therien) in asking me to return to these pages shortly after my difficult 2004 election loss in Ottawa-Orleans will never ever be forgotten. As for you the loyal Sun reader, thank you for the honour of allowing me into your thoughts to inform, entertain and even infuriate (hello City Hall) you every week.

Please continue to challenge the Sun's great writers like Earl McRae, Sue Sherring, and Michael Harris (just to name a few) as you have done to me with your arguments, criticisms and suggestions. Your insight and feedback makes them and this paper the best that it can be.