LRT settlement approved for $36,718,500
17 yays, 4 nays Settlement has been approved. City council has agreed to pay $36,718,500 in the two lawsuits combined.
Newsroom
Some councillors opposed to LRT settlement
Councillor Diane Deans let council, most particularly the mayor, know how unhappy she is with the proposed settlement. She yelled into her microphone that she feels the city is about to waste close to $37 million.
City's tallies spending to get to proposed LRT settlement
Tally of the city's legal and consultant fees to get to today's proposed settlement: $2.4 million.
Council discusses how it could pay for LRT settlement
Councillor Peter Hume has proposed to authorize the city treasurer to offer interim financing for the settlement and then prepare a permanent funding strategy in time for 2010 budget deliberations. We might not know for a while what the impact of all this is going to be when it comes to taxpayers.
City discusses possible LRT settlement
The motion to accept the proposed settlement is currently being discussed. One city official says the engineering designs that the city would get as part of that settlement would be useful to the city -- and worth millions of dollars.
News of LRT lawsuit
Nick Gamache is at City Hall...
After a quick discussion about whether to go in-camera, councillors decided to discuss the terms of a proposed settlement with the companies that are suing Ottawa over the cancellation of the north-south LRT project. The proposed deal states that the city would have to pay one lump some payment of $36,718,500 to the plaintiffs. City lawyers say that is the best possible deal for the city at this point.
September 01, 2009
On the Air
More from Paula Waddell, Executive Producer of Ottawa Regional News...
A big cheer went up in our newsroom last night when weatherman Ian Black popped up on the screen and said "It's 5 o'clock. The news starts now."
CBC Ottawa has now launched its two new early local newscasts - Ottawa at 5 and Ottawa at 5:30. Both programs were followed by Ottawa at 6.
All the reporters made their deadlines, all the scripts were done in time...we had a few close calls, items fed from the rest of the country came in later than expected. We are calling it a success from the bench but it will be the audience that will decide if it likes the options of getting local news earlier in the evening.
August 31, 2009
Launch Day!!!
This from Paula Waddell, Executive Producer of Ottawa Regional News...
So far no one in the newsroom looks ready to take orbit...the stress and tension of meeting earlier deadlines seems to be under control. No major problems, yet!
It's less than two hours to go before our debut of Ottawa at 5:00, Ottawa at 5;30 and Ottawa at 6.
Get this...a radio reporter was the first to file and meet the TV deadline. Evan Dyer's piece on tobacco and drug-smuggling on the St. Lawrence River is ready to go. The quality of the pictures shot on the river with a flip-cam are surprisingly good! Evan's first report on this story was rolled out on CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning this morning. I hope people heard the plug for coverage on our newscast tonight.
We have good local stories tonight...and we are live at 5 p.m.! I know my parents will be watching. They love CBC News no matter what...I hope the rest of our audience likes the changes.
August 27, 2009
More Local CBC News - Sooner!
This from Paula Waddell, Executive Producer of Ottawa Regional News...
What can I scratch off the to-do list in the next fifteen minutes?
Viewers must be questioning some of those wonky wide shots during our newscasts in the last couple of days. Mastering robotic cameras is a little tougher than I thought. There are a few things to learn by launch day.
The CBC is going to be first in this city to deliver local news and weather in the evening. On Monday August 31, viewers will see CBC Ottawa's expanded local news programming. We are adding 2 new local newscasts: CBC News: Ottawa at 5:00 and CBC News: Ottawa at 5:30. Ottawa at 6 remains our flagship supper hour news program. Lucy van Oldenbarneveld will host all programs.
August has been a blur of organized chaos. Reporters are filing early, preparing for the new deadlines. We are conducting rehearsals, wrestling new technologies and helping staff deal with change. All this and we continue to deliver CBC News: Ottawa at Six. We have such a talented team of journalists here.
During this economy, it's a great feeling to be talking about "expanding" not 'cutting" local news. We're going for it.
July 30, 2009
The onslaught wins...
Two weeks ago, when CBC Ottawa first broke the news of Rogers decision to no longer take PBS programming from WPBS in Watertown, reporter Kate Porter spoke to a company spokesperson. The spokesperson told her that Rogers had thought long and hard about the decision to air the Detroit PBS affiliate in Ottawa, rather than the one from northern New York. But it told her the decision was final. Well we here at the Ottawa Blog predicted an onslaught of angry viewers writing to Rogers. And an onslaught is what Rogers got. Today it changed its mind. Rogers customers in Ottawa will continue to get WPBS in Watertown. Thing is, one wonders why Rogers couldn't see this one coming? Maybe the folks at Rogers believe there's no such thing as bad publicity.
July 22, 2009
The comments' section...
This from the Ottawa blog's moderator...Andy Clarke...
There's been lots of discussion around here the past couple of days about the reaction to the incident in Kanata on Sunday morning where five cyclists were injured. Reading the comments section below the original web article on the incident, reminded me in a way of the dog debate -- you know the one that pits dog owners who want Fido to be able to run free, and without restraint, versus those who believe that any dog off its leash is trouble waiting to happen. There is very little middle ground in that debate. And reading the comments attached to the bike story, there appeared to be very little middle ground between drivers and cyclists. After a while, the comments section basically degenerates into a mutual recrimination session between the two, each taking shots at the other side for the transgressions the other side apparently routinely commits.
So there was lots of talk about that, and what it meant. I wanted to write something up for the blog commenting on the comments. But it was a struggle. And so for a different perspective I turned to the imaginative brain that belongs to CBC Ottawa web journalist Kerry MacGregor. Kerry can consistently be counted on to deliver a different take on events of the day. She suggests that this is one of those instances where our own perspectives change depending on what we're doing. When we're driving, we curse those cyclists who we believe are taking up too much of the road. When we're cycling, we rail against aggressive drivers who don't give us enough room. When we're walking, we're prepared to be pissed off at both -- drivers who are in too much of a rush to turn right against the light, or cyclists who think the sidewalk belongs to them. Her point is that all those feelings can be expressed by the same person. I'll admit that I occassionally cycle on a sidewalk to cut the wrong way down a one-way street on my bike, but if I see someone else do it, I think..."look at that idiot".
What do you think? Is there any middle ground here? We'd like to hear your thoughts.
July 21, 2009
Alexei Kovalev...Sens saviour?
This from reporter Chad Pawson...
Russian hockey star Alexei Kovalev put a Ottawa Senators jersey over his head for the first time this morning. He was introduced to the media by Senator's General Manager Bryan Murray at Scotiabank Place. He was surrounded by school-children wearing Senators jerseys. There was also Justin Payer, the first fan to buy a Sens jersey with Kovalev's number 27 on the back. Kovalev stood with Murray at the podium and took questions about helping the Senators return to their form of two years ago. That's when the team made it to the Stanley Cup finals. He says he wants to be the "spark" that the team is missing. He also says he would like to see Dany Heatley remain a Senator. Kovalev is 36 years old, but says he still has a lot of hockey left to play. He says he'd like to play until he's 50 years old. However, as he walked through the basement of the building from the media room to his stall in the dressing room to pose for photographs, I couldn't help but notice a stiffness to his left leg. He seemed to walk with a slight limp, like his left knee was sore. Here's hoping it's only a little lactic acid from his latest round of golf.
What about Corso Giacomo Panico, or Stu Mills Way?..
This from Nick Gamache...
A couple of months ago, I worked on a story about the controversy surrounding a new street in Ottawa. Some residents of a new development off the Vanier Parkway weren't (and still aren't) happy with their street name: Madeleine Meilleur Private. Madeleine Meilleur is the Liberal MPP for the area. Officials at the city of Ottawa say Meilleur's name was put forward, and given her contribution to the area over the years, naming a street in her honour only made sense. Some residents disagree. They told me at the time it was unacceptable to name a street after a serving politician. Some of them are still hoping the city will change the name. A friend of mine recently sent me a picture from a small town near Montmagny, about an hour east of Quebec City. I know the street sign has nothing to do with me. At least I hope not, because if it does, I missed the unveiling ceremony! The street was probably named after one of my ancestors... but still, makes a young reporter think...
July 17, 2009
A new museum for science and tech...
Our arts reporter Kate Porter is working on a story today about a new location for the national Science and Technology Museum. It's been reported in a couple of places that the old Domtar site along the Ottawa River is under consideration. Bloc MP Richard Nadeau appears to be the source for that suggestion. But Kate's reporting suggests M. Nadeau may be getting a little ahead of himself. Plans for a new museum are indeed afoot. But the folks at Science and Tech appear to want a building that symbolizes the museum's raison d'etre, and it's not clear a heritage site along the Ottawa River does that. At the very least, it appears to be a little early in the process to be suggesting that space is where the museum will end up. We'd like to hear your thoughts on where a new Science and Technology museum should go, and what it should be. And stay tuned to CBC Radio Ottawa for more on the story.
July 16, 2009
An update on the WPBS story...
Reporter Kate Porter spoke to Rogers earlier today. It says it thought long and hard about the decision to air the Detroit PBS affiliate in Ottawa, rather than the one from northern New York. But Rogers says the decision is final. All in a Day will have a full interview with the both the president of the Watertown PBS affiliate, Tom Hanley, and the program director, Lynn Brown, about the Rogers decision just after 4 this afternoon. WPBS is expecting a lot of support from its Ottawa area viewers. It sounds like Rogers is prepared for the onslaught. What do you think of the decision?
What, no more Bill Saiff?
Ottawa at Six reporter Cory O'Kelly is working on a great story. We'll let him pick up the tale...
We got a call from a viewer letting us know that cable giant Rogers is informing customers in Ottawa this week that come August 18th it will drop the PBS affiliate in upstate New York -- known to many in this area as WNPE/WNPI -- and replace it with a PBS station from Detroit.
Why does this matter? Well WPBS in Watertown holds a unique place in the hearts of Ottawa Valley TV viewers. For more than 35 years, Ottawa area viewers have been supporting the station with donations of thousands of dollars annually. A lot of the programming available on the station -- British imports like the soap EastEnders, or comedies like "As Time Goes By" -- are geared towards, and supported by, the Ottawa area audience.
Here's how important Ottawa is to the northern New York PBS station. I spoke to program director Lynn Brown this morning. We were supposed to do a phone interview. Instead, she was at a border crossing on her way to Ottawa to do in-person interviews with CBC Ottawa. She says the WPBS station in northern New York cannot afford to lose its Ottawa viewers.
As for a response from Rogers, it's struggling to find someone to speak to us on-camera. It told WPBS that the decision to take the Detroit PBS station is a result of "streamlining". As well, Rogers didn't bother to inform WPBS in Watertown of its decision. The station got Rogers on the blower only after it was informed of the decision by an Ottawa area viewer.
CBC Ottawa will have more on this story throughout the day. Stay tuned.
July 09, 2009
Giacomo Panico, intrepid reporter.
The newsdesk can be a lonely place at 4:30 in the morning. Other than security guards and cleaners, pretty much your only conversations are by telephone with fire and police to check-in on overnight events. This morning I made my usual call to the fire department, only to be told that they were at that very moment responding to a fire just two blocks east of our studio. The popular 73 North restaurant on Sparks Street near Metcalfe was on fire. So what better way to report on a morning story than to trot over with a small portable camera and cover the scene. Here's some of the action. The details: officials say the fire started in the kitchen; damage estimated at $100,000.
July 08, 2009
And here I was hoping to take the Day off...
This from Alistair Steele, who's blogging from the last council meeting before September...
So much for Shannon Tweed Day. Both that day, and this one, may soon be days Acting Mayor Doug Thompson will want to forget. On his first day on the job as Acting Mayor, the Osgoode councillor told the Ottawa Sun he's proclaiming July 15th Shannon Tweed Day in honour of the former Playboy Playmate and current partner of Kiss bassist and shameless self-promoter Gene Simmons. That's the day Kiss is playing Bluesfest, and Tweed, who once called Ottawa home, is coming here to party. Not so fast, Mr. Thompson. Some of his colleagues on council have reacted with outrage. Perhaps the former "actress" is not the best role model for young women, they're saying. Not to mention what some of the other people who have earned their own days will think. I just asked Jan Harder if Acting Mayor Thompson "misspoke". "Ya think?" she replied. Pressures mounting on Thompson to rescind the gesture.
June 26, 2009
By the way...
This from Rebecca Zandbergen...
An interesting 'by the way' from the Gatineau Police this morning. During a follow-up phone call with Gatineau police today, I was told that the 26 year old injured in yesterday morning's shooting outside an Aylmer strip club is actually 16. The reason for the confusion? Police misread the young man's date of birth.
The other teenager shot outside Cabaret Le Pink at around 3 o'clock yesterday morning was 19 year old Daniel Valladeres. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
New boss, same as the old boss...
This from Nick Gamache...
It was a close one... a very close one. Yet at the end of the day, André Cornellier is still the head of ATU local 279. The election to pick a new executive was seen as a referendum on Cornellier's leadership. A lot of drivers have been unhappy with the way he's handled the tentative "no strike/no lockout" deal with the city. Unionized workers say Cornellier has yet to explain to them why that deal would be good for them. They even forced the executive to postpone the vote on the issue until September. So the table was set this week for a changing of the guard... But that didn't happen. Cornellier was running against three opponents. If you combine the votes of those three candidates, a lot more people voted against Cornellier than for him. The final results: Cornellier 689 votes; Garry Queale 616 votes; Farah Abesteh 303 votes; and Normand Deschamps 288 votes. The opponents split the vote and Cornellier survives to fight another day. He says he's relieved he won. He knows how close the vote was (especially when you consider he got 50 per cent of the vote just three years ago). Cornellier says his next task is to explain to his fellow workers why the "no strike/no lockout" deal is a good one... Given this week's results, it looks like that won't be an easy sell.
June 25, 2009
Bus driver rage...
This from west Quebec reporter Nick Gamache...
Bus drivers likely rank low in the list of people you'd want to see involved in a road rage incident. But that's exactly what happened in Gatineau last month. Both an internal investigation and one conducted by an outside investigator led the Outaouais Transit Corporation to fire a driver who had been working for them for seven years. A spokesperson would only confirm some of the details because the STO still considers the incident a human resources matter. But here's what we know: the driver was riding down Gréber Boulevard in Gatineau last month when - for an unknown reason - he apparently deliberately hit a pedestrian and kept on driving. Many passengers witnessed the whole thing. It's not clear what kind of injuries the female pedestrian suffered, but she was well enough to speak to the people who conducted the investigation for the STO and describe what happened. A spokesperson for the transit corporation says they had no choice but to fire the driver. The STO also worked with the Gatineau police service, but nobody at the force could confirm whether their investigation is still ongoing, or if charges would be laid.
Bus driver rage...
This from west Quebec reporter Nick Gamache...
Bus drivers likely rank low in the list of people you'd want to see involved in a road rage incident. But that's exactly what happened in Gatineau last month. Both an internal investigation and one conducted by an outside investigator led the Outaouais Transit Corporation to fire a driver who had been working for them for seven years. A spokesperson would only confirm some of the details because the STO still considers the incident a human resources matter. But here's what we know: the driver was riding down Gréber Boulevard in Gatineau last month when - for an unknown reason - he apparently deliberately hit a pedestrian and kept on driving. Many passengers witnessed the whole thing. It's not clear what kind of injuries the female pedestrian suffered, but she was well enough to speak to the people who conducted the investigation for the STO and describe what happened. A spokesperson for the transit corporation says they had no choice but to fire the driver. The STO also worked with the Gatineau police service, but nobody at the force could confirm whether their investigation is still ongoing, or if charges would be laid.
Giacomo Panico comments on the comments.
It's been interesting to see the comments on the commuter cycling infrastructure story I featured earlier this week on Ottawa Morning. Many of the posted comments seem to fall on either side of the car vs bike vs pedestrian divide, which is perhaps unfortunate, because I think this is missing the bigger picture. It's unfortunate, but as long as commuters are forced to share the road, it's safe to say there will be battles for the road. I'm not saying the battles are justified and that efforts shouldn't be made to change people's attitude and behaviour, but let's not lose sight of the bigger issue here.
A bike lane shouldn't be viewed as a magic solution to solve the conflict between cyclists and motorists. Just as on-street bike parking racks won't solve the whole of problem of where to park your bike. But what these and other investments in cycling infrastructure do is, very publicly demonstrate (to everyone, including motorists) that the city is committed to incorporating bike riders into its transportation plan. Is Ottawa serious about encouraging people to leave their car at home and ride a bike to work instead? If so, then where's the money? Quite simply, Ottawa has not been funding its cycling plan. Lots of talk and plans, but no action.
Ottawa certainly isn't the first city to treat commuter biking this way. What's different in Montreal and Toronto is that municipal leaders there made cycling a priority in their transportation plans, and put some real money behind it. You can certainly argue that their motivation is by necessity, because their cities are chocked full of cars. The point is they want it done, so they're backing it up with some serious money to make it happen.
June 24, 2009
Living dangerously, Giacomo Panico style
Wednesday morning on Ottawa Morning, you can hear part two of Giacomo Panico's series on commuting by bicycle in the city of Ottawa. You'll find part one by clicking here. But we have a web exclusive for readers of the Ottawa Blog. Click on the picture to see video of Giacomo taking his life into his hands by cycling down Albert Street to Lebreton Flats during morning rush hour.
June 22, 2009
Sexing up municipal governance...
This from Alistair Steele.
What's "interesting" and what's not is always in the eye of the beholder, but if you weren't among the few dozen people gathered for a panel discussion on municipal governance at Carleton University last Thursday evening, you'll have to rely on my judgement. It was called "Our Ottawa: Power and Decision Making at City Hall." The panelists were city clerk and solicitor Rick O'Connor, his deputy Leslie Donnelly, Carleton Public Policy and Administration prof Chris Stoney and Bob Brocklebank of the Federation of Citizen Associations and the Glebe Community Association. Dr. David Zussman from the Telfer School of Management was on the bill but canceled the morning of the event. Zussman also chaired the mayor's Taskforce on Governance.
The discussion coincides with something called the Mid-Term Governance Review at City Hall. It's a dense 61 pages of sober self-analysis, and council's voting on it this Wednesday. A lot of work has gone into this document, much of it by two of those panelists mentioned above, O'Connor and Donnelly. They helped draw up 10 white papers dealing with everything from how decisions are made, to who makes them. They also looked at the issue of public participation -- how your voices are not only heard, but listened too. Throw in recommendations from the mayor's task force, and you've got a new road map for "getting it done" at City Hall.
A biking mecca?
The CBC's Giacomo Panico has an interesting two part series starting Tuesday morning on Ottawa Morning. The city has something of a reputation as a recreational cyclists mecca. But what's it like for commuting cyclists? Giacomo takes a closer look starting tomorrow morning. And if you're a cycling commuter we'd like to hear your thoughts as well.
So long Nortel...
And so this appears to be the end. The Canadian tech giant is being broken up. As of this morning, it's no longer listed on the TSX. Nokia Siemens will take over Nortel's wireless assets. It held a conference call with analysts this morning to talk about the future. Here's what Nokia Siemen's is saying about the takeover on its website. And here is its message to Nortel employees.
Discussions are continuing on the takeover of other parts of the company that are worth something. Kathleen Petty interviewed OttawaU professor Tyler Chamberlain this morning about the end of Nortel. You can hear that here.
Somewhat ironically, Nortel gets delisted on a day when Canada's Industry minister is hosting a day long forum called "Canada's Digital Economy: Moving Forward. "
We'd like to hear your thoughts on Nortel's imminent demise. What do you think it means for r and d in Canada? What do you think it means for the Canadian technology sector? Does the sector need a flagship like Nortel that spends lots of money on research and development, or does it matter? Let us know.
June 15, 2009
Think globally, act locally: the debate comes to city hall...
Alistair Steele is at today's corporate services committee meeting...
This is where local politics meet global reality, and some of the city councillors on Ottawa's corporate services committee are clearly uncomfortable with the convergence. With the photographs of horribly wounded children displayed on the large screen behind them, councillors are listening to delegation after delegation exhort them to stop hosting military trade shows on public property. Last month, for the first time in two decades, the CANSEC conference was held at Lansdowne Park. Peace activists were there, and they're here now. But some councillors seem offended by the notion that, by allowing CANSEC and similar conference organizers to lease public space, they're somehow compliant in the slaughter that's happening in the world's war-ravaged regions. Rick Chiarelli has just accused one woman of "crossing the line" by drawing a direct link between the decision here today, and the deaths of innocent civilians abroad. Diane Deans objected to one woman's comments about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And a clearly emotional Eli El-Chantiry, who came to Canada to escape death and destruction in Lebanon, told one delegation, "We're not promoting killing children anywhere." Unable to continue, he switched off his microphone and angrily turned his back on the man.
June 11, 2009
Driven to distraction...
This from Alistair Steele...
Politicians are used to competing for media attention, but this morning Ottawa West-Nepean MPP Jim Watson really had to put on a show. Watson -- who's also minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing -- was standing at the podium outside the Lisgar Street entrance of Ottawa City Hall, where he was announcing $17.9-million dollars in provincial funding to replace aging OC Transpo buses. One of the gleaming new hybrid vehicles served as his backdrop. Watson was just seconds into his speech when there was a loud bang off to his left. Everyone but Watson turned to see a dark-coloured minivan that had just been driven over a metre-high wall separating two nearby parking lots. Neither the female driver nor the two children inside the van were hurt. The van, which was perched at a 45-degree angle, didn't appear too badly damaged. Watson later thanked reporters and camera operators for NOT abandoning his news conference to film the accident.
June 10, 2009
The main branch of the library gets a new home...
This from Alistair Steele at Ottawa city hall...
As my colleague Rebecca Zandbergen is reporting this morning, the future location of Ottawa's new main library branch has been officially announced at city hall. There's already one concern about the new address: It's awfully close to Barbarella's, a downtown strip club. The Sun's Derek Puddicombe asked councillor Jan Harder whether she had any qualms about the new neighbour. She scoffed and asked Derek how he knew about the strip joint. Actually, because a city staffer had pointed it out to him a few minutes earlier.
May 19, 2009
An update on the Bob Guertin story...
This from Nick Gamache...
Someone in the mayor of Gatineau’s office calls it a “kiss and make up session”. Marc Bureau met with Quebec’s Municipal Affairs minister Nathalie Normandeau on Friday. The minister was in town for a meeting of the Quebec Union of Municipalities. That visit took place only a few days after the minister scrapped a controversial 28 million dollar deal to renovate the aging Robert-Guertin arena. The city thought the deal respected public-private partnership rules, but it didn’t. The minister also said the city should have put out a call for tender, but didn’t. Mayor Bureau was disappointed – really disappointed – when he found out about the minister’s decision. Bureau thought he had a good deal. He also thought (because his city manager told him) that other cities had reached similar agreements elsewhere in Quebec. Bureau said he wanted to get some answers from Normandeau. According to officials in his office, the meeting went well, the air was cleared, and both Normandeau and Bureau appear ready to work together again…
May 07, 2009
Alex Cullen tells CBC News he's not running....
in the marathon during Ottawa race weekend. He's apparently got foot problems.
May 06, 2009
A journalist's job is not all action and adventure...
This from Alistair Steele at city hall...
After getting a brief taste of the drama to come when Larry O'Brien's criminal trial starts up again next week, pulling transit commitee duty today seems like drawing the short straw. Especially since councillors are dealing with a transit tunnel proposal that's already been released. I'm not going to lie, it's dull stuff. Here's hoping it gets livelier when public delegations start a little later this afternoon.
Where have I heard this before?
Nick Gamache spent yesterday at Gatineau city hall, where he experienced a sense of deja vu...
The proposal was unsolicited.
The owner of the local major junior hockey is among the businessmen behind the deal.
And the city didn't put out a call for tender...
No, I'm not talking about Lansdowne Park.
What I'm talking about is another sports venue: the Robert-Guertin arena in Gatineau.
Just over a month ago, Gatineau mayor Marc Bureau called a special meeting of councillor on a Friday afternoon.
He told councillors the city's general manager had negotiated a deal with the Gatineau Olympiques to fix and upgrade the aging rink.
Councillors had two hours to review the deal before they had to vote on it.
The motion passed, but ever since, a group of councillors have been crying foul.
Yesterday, during comité plénier - the meeting before full council meetings - the issue came up again.
Councillors are asking questions about the 28 million dollar deal (some say the deal will actually cost the city 50 million). They are wondering what the cost/revenue breakdown for the city will be, and asking if they even gave the city manager the authority to negotiate with the Olympiques...
All that more than a month after the deal was signed!
Councillors who support the project say something should have been done with Robert-Guertin a long time ago, and they should be glad that serious local businessmen are ready to help.
Now that does sound familiar.
