City of Ottawa

[Fading Isle]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

Watson 2.0.

Just look at how quickly he jumped on the story about Ottawa being an overrated tourist destination but not a peep when the LRT is down. Exactly what a "pro-business" mayor who doesn't actually use transit would do.

And it turns out that “story” comes for a random guy in Romania who runs a bunch of — website aggregator domains… deeply pathetic look from our new mayor.

https://mobile.twitter.com/_llebrun/status/1618768136593088513

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Fading Isle

And it turns out that “story” comes for a random guy in Romania who runs a bunch of — website aggregator domains… deeply pathetic look from our new mayor.

https://mobile.twitter.com/_llebrun/status/1618768136593088513

Bigger problem is that our local media (in nearly every city it seems) picked this up and ran with it. This sort of garbage "study" should not be taken seriously by anybody. It's just a list of cities around the world.

City News made a version of this article for every city, but the Vancouver one has a positive spin:

Vancouverites are allowed to be smug, Toronto ranked most 'disappointing' Canadian city: analysis

https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2023/01/24/toronto-vancouver-disappointing-canadian-cities/

In Montreal, looks like it might just be City News that carried this story. As far as I can tell, Quebec City media ignored it completely. Shows that those two cities in Quebec have more self-confidence than the rest of us.

[Richard Eade]

I think that this mayor has proven himself to be completely untrustworthy.

He ran on a platform of “openness” and “transparency”, yet everything he has done so far has been to cloud what the city is doing. From removing the citizen members from the Transit Commission – remember, it was only a Citizen member who was pointing out problems – to his latest triumph over openness; the secret agreement between the city and RTG/RTM.

He pushed that into a backroom with the head of OC Transpo, and the City Manager, and now we are never to know what happened. The details of the deal, including any financial details, are confidential, we are told.

During the campaign, he said everything that he knew people wanted to hear, but he has certainly NOT ‘Walked the Talk’. How can he possibly think that he has earned any trust at all?

[rocketphish]

Who comes after Steve Kanellakos? Council is looking for their next city manager

Taylor Blewett, Ottawa Citizen
Published Feb 03, 2023 • 2 minute read

Council is looking for the city’s next top bureaucrat.

A hiring panel of councillors and the mayor met Friday, two months after the abrupt resignation of city manager Steve Kanellakos, to kick off the process of finding his permanent replacement.

They should be in a position by May to recommend to council a preferred candidate for the job, which comes with a salary range between $270,488.40 and $392,655.90. Sitting at the top of the city’s org chart, the city manager reports to the mayor and council and is responsible for leading the execution of their priorities for the city’s nearly 13,000 employees.

Chief financial officer Wendy Stephanson has been steering the ship as the council-approved interim city manager since Nov. 30. Kanellakos resigned “effective immediately” the day before, and that morning, Justice William Hourigan released his report on the findings of the public inquiry into LRT Stage 1. The report had some harsh words about Kanellakos, including that he engaged in a deliberate effort to mislead council about the trial running of the system, and then provided the commission of inquiry a dishonest justification for his conduct at the time.

The city is contracting executive headhunting firm Odgers Berndtson to support the hiring process, including the preparation of a long list of candidates and helping the hiring panel of Mark Sutcliffe and councillors Tim Tierney, Catherine Kitts and Shawn Menard as they narrow down their choices and interview frontrunners.

Members of council were invited to submit preliminary comments on the desired qualifications for the job, which were published with names withheld. Two of the five respondents suggested the hire should be external, while Sutcliffe said he had no preference on that.

“Personal experience plus feedback from employees and residents suggests a culture shift is needed in the city organization to restore confidence and faith in its function, so it may be worth including that as part of the new city manager’s mandate,” one councillor wrote.

“I favour internal candidates typically, but with recent history, I think it’s worth seeking candidates externally this time (unless there is an exceptional internal candidate).”

Suggested another: “We need to recruit someone who is already understood to have the public interest at heart. Perhaps a CEO of a major local institution that is beloved?”

Thanks to the province’s “strong mayor” legislation of last year, Sutcliffe had the power to name Kanellakos’s replacement and the new top planner without involving his council colleagues. But in keeping with his commitment not to use the new provincially imposed powers, he delegated this authority to council.

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...l-is-looking-for-their-next-city-manager

[Williamoforange]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Who comes after Steve Kanellakos? Council is looking for their next city manager

Taylor Blewett, Ottawa Citizen
Published Feb 03, 2023 • 2 minute read

Council is looking for the city’s next top bureaucrat.

A hiring panel of councillors and the mayor met Friday, two months after the abrupt resignation of city manager Steve Kanellakos, to kick off the process of finding his permanent replacement.

They should be in a position by May to recommend to council a preferred candidate for the job, which comes with a salary range between $270,488.40 and $392,655.90. Sitting at the top of the city’s org chart, the city manager reports to the mayor and council and is responsible for leading the execution of their priorities for the city’s nearly 13,000 employees.

Chief financial officer Wendy Stephanson has been steering the ship as the council-approved interim city manager since Nov. 30. Kanellakos resigned “effective immediately” the day before, and that morning, Justice William Hourigan released his report on the findings of the public inquiry into LRT Stage 1. The report had some harsh words about Kanellakos, including that he engaged in a deliberate effort to mislead council about the trial running of the system, and then provided the commission of inquiry a dishonest justification for his conduct at the time.

The city is contracting executive headhunting firm Odgers Berndtson to support the hiring process, including the preparation of a long list of candidates and helping the hiring panel of Mark Sutcliffe and councillors Tim Tierney, Catherine Kitts and Shawn Menard as they narrow down their choices and interview frontrunners.

Members of council were invited to submit preliminary comments on the desired qualifications for the job, which were published with names withheld. Two of the five respondents suggested the hire should be external, while Sutcliffe said he had no preference on that.

“Personal experience plus feedback from employees and residents suggests a culture shift is needed in the city organization to restore confidence and faith in its function, so it may be worth including that as part of the new city manager’s mandate,” one councillor wrote.

“I favour internal candidates typically, but with recent history, I think it’s worth seeking candidates externally this time (unless there is an exceptional internal candidate).”

Suggested another: “We need to recruit someone who is already understood to have the public interest at heart. Perhaps a CEO of a major local institution that is beloved?”

Thanks to the province’s “strong mayor” legislation of last year, Sutcliffe had the power to name Kanellakos’s replacement and the new top planner without involving his council colleagues. But in keeping with his commitment not to use the new provincially imposed powers, he delegated this authority to council.

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...l-is-looking-for-their-next-city-manager

“We need to recruit someone who is already understood to have the public interest at heart. Perhaps a CEO of a major local institution that is beloved?”

Got to assume that was Menard, and how about no lets not pick a candidate with an identifiable political bias, whos interest at heart wasn't actually wanted by most of the city the last time they ran for mayor.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by Williamoforange

“We need to recruit someone who is already understood to have the public interest at heart. Perhaps a CEO of a major local institution that is beloved?”

Got to assume that was Menard, and how about no lets not pick a candidate with an identifiable political bias, whos interest at heart wasn't actually wanted by most of the city the last time they ran for mayor.

Really obvious that one huh. External should external to Ottawa. One of the deputies from the big US cities where salaries are lower. Clean slate.

[McKellarDweller]

I've been listening to the council budget meeting. It's presently been interrupted by cringey protesters for the past 1/2 hour or so.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-FQXczhzow
Edit: back on at 10:53

[J.OT13]

I would be hugely supportive of this appointment. Such a breath of fresh air after Stevo's back room dealings and secrecy with the former Mayor. It would be a great move on Sutcliffe's part to gain support from those who voted and campaigned against him.

Surprised to see Denley, who's usually more Conservative support Munter for City Manager.

Denley: CHEO boss Alex Munter could be Ottawa's next city manager

The former city councillor and onetime mayoral candidate not only has experience running big operations, he's a pragmatist who can potentially reach across political divides.

Randall Denley, Ottawa Citizen
May 16, 2023

Ottawa’s search for a new city manager has taken an interesting turn. Among the potential contenders for the job is Alex Munter, former city councillor, mayoral candidate and current CEO of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario.

Asked to confirm a rumour coming from city hall, Munter said Monday, “I have been approached by the recruiting firm and I’m considering it.”

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe wouldn’t talk about potential candidates because the process is supposed to remain confidential. The mayor did say that while the job search firm has presented a list of candidates, no interviews have been conducted yet. Sutcliffe and three city councillors sit on a hiring panel. He said the group is expected to recommend a candidate to city council in about a month.

Munter would be an intriguing choice to head a city bureaucracy that badly needs a shakeup and new ways of doing things. He’s that rare combination: an outsider with an insider’s knowledge. Munter spent a dozen years in municipal politics, serving on Kanata city council, the former regional government and Ottawa city council. In 2006, he ran for mayor but was defeated by Larry O’Brien.

As a politician, Munter was a consensus builder with an ability to find common ground among disparate groups. That’s a skill that would help Sutcliffe deal with a divided city council.

Munter is certainly qualified for the job. After politics, he accumulated a wealth of senior management experience. He headed the Youth Services Bureau, then became CEO of the Champlain Local Health Integration Network. He has run CHEO since 2011. Munter has been a visible and outspoken champion for the hospital, and he’s fluently bilingual.

Munter’s potential interest in returning to city hall is both surprising and not. At CHEO, Munter is the boss, not the number two person. He has spent his career saying what he thinks, a quality that is somewhat less appreciated in a city manager, who typically works more behind the scenes.

And yet, a decision to move back into city government makes sense, too. Munter thrived in that sector and he’s 55 years old. If he wants to take on one more big challenge before he retires, the time is now.

There is a vast difference in scope between the CHEO job and the city manager’s job. The children’s hospital has 4,500 employees and a budget of about $500 million. The city has 17,000 employees and a $5.5 billion budget. Despite that, the hospital job and the city manager position have similar pay. Munter makes $330,000 now. The new city manager will earn between $270,000 and $392,000.

Munter and Sutcliffe would make an intriguing team. The mayor is slightly right of centre, Munter somewhat left. Both have their natural constituencies on council and in the community. For those embittered by the mayoral defeat of former councillor Catherine McKenney, a Munter appointment would send the message that Sutcliffe’s administration includes all points of view.

Left-wing councillors shouldn’t get their hopes too high, though. Munter is a pragmatist, not a dogmatic left-winger. IF he were to become city manager, his job would be to serve the mayor and council, not boost the cause of one faction.

Late last year, Munter even got a shout-out from Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who praised Munter’s work combatting a spike of illness at the hospital. “He’s done an incredible job thinking outside the box,” Ford said. “He comes up with the best ideas, he texts them over to me, and then we implement them. So he’s doing a great job.”

Choosing a new city manager is one of the biggest things this city council will do. That person will set the tone for a city bureaucracy that needs to be more agile and responsive to residents. Next to the mayor, the city manager is the most important person at city hall.

It’s good to know that Alex Munter’s name is in the mix. He has served his community well for many years.

https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/denley-cheo-boss-alex-munter-could-be-ottawas-next-city-manager

[J.OT13]

Munter will not be seeking the City Manager job, opting to stick with CHEO. Honestly, this news was almost as devastating as hearing Reynolds is no longer in the running to buy the Sens.

OUT OF THE MIX: Alex Munter will stay at CHEO as hiring process for next city manager nears conclusion

Taylor Blewett, Postmedia
Published May 25, 2023

https://ottawasun.com/news/local-news/ch...wcm/224f5116-ada7-434f-9c8b-e54c37d8e503

CHEO boss Alex Munter will not be Ottawa’s next city manager.

After confirming publicly that he was considering the opportunity to serve at the top of the city hall org chart, the president and CEO of the Eastern Ontario children’s hospital announced Wednesday that he would be staying with CHEO.

In a hospital-wide update, Munter wrote that “while very flattering to be approached, I want to let you know that my (heart) and my focus is and will continue to be with CHEO.

Munter was not giving interviews on the subject Thursday, but CHEO spokesperson Patrick Moore confirmed it was Munter’s decision not to pursue the position with the city.

“I wish Mayor Sutcliffe and council the best of luck finding a new city manager, it’s a really important role for our community,” Munter wrote in his Wednesday message to staff.

The city manager’s role was vacated by Steve Kanellakos last November, two days before the release of the LRT public inquiry report. City chief financial officer Wendy Stephanson has been serving as the council-approved, interim city manager in the months since.

The city contracted executive headhunting firm Odgers Berndtson to support the process of selecting a permanent replacement for Kanellakos, who held the job since 2016.

Ottawa Citizen columnist Randall Denley reported last week that Munter was a potential contender, with Munter confirming to Denley that he’d been approached by the recruiting firm, and was considering the opportunity.

While Munter has headed CHEO since 2011, he would have been anything but a newcomer to the municipal governance sphere. Between 1991 and 2003, he served on Kanata city council, the former regional government and Ottawa city council, and in 2006 he ran for mayor, losing to Larry O’Brien.

Described as “the primary agent of council,” in the job description, the new city manager will be paid between $270,488.40 and $392,655.90 annually, for a job that involves connecting “the values and priorities of council with the administrative resources, operations, and alignment needed to meet those priorities.”

According to a timeline for the city manager hiring process, laid out in a city staff report earlier this month, a confidential long-list of candidates for the position was presented May 12 to a hiring panel consisting of Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and councillors Tim Tierney, Catherine Kitts and Shawn Menard.

Over three meetings on May 19, June 2 and June 9, the panel was to conduct first and second interview rounds with selected candidates, and receive the results of reference and background checks. They would then recommend a candidate for city council to consider and give final sign-off to, with a report to council expected sometime next month.

Thanks to the province’s “strong mayor” legislation of last year, Sutcliffe had the power to name Kanellakos’s replacement without involving his council colleagues. But in keeping with his commitment not to use the new provincially imposed powers, he delegated this authority to council.

https://ottawasun.com/news/local-news/ch...wcm/224f5116-ada7-434f-9c8b-e54c37d8e503

[Proof Sheet]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Munter will not be seeking the City Manager job, opting to stick with CHEO. Honestly, this news was almost as devastating as hearing Reynolds is no longer in the running to buy the Sens.

https://ottawasun.com/news/local-news/ch...wcm/224f5116-ada7-434f-9c8b-e54c37d8e503

I don't blame him at all.

[harls]

Originally Posted by Sun Article

In a hospital-wide update, Munter wrote that "while very flattering to be approached, I want to let you know that my (heart) and my focus is and will continue to be with CHEO."

It probably pays a hell of a lot more to stay with CHEO too.

[J.OT13]

I don't blame him either. Maybe he thinks CHEO needs him more than the City. Maybe he thinks the City is a lost cause; we did elect Sutcliffe, who's somehow even more boring and visionless than Watson.

[rocketphish]

Wendy Stephanson named permanent city manager
Council hiring panel considered 10 candidates to replace Steve Kanellakos

CBC News
Posted: Aug 23, 2023 12:02 PM EDT | Last Updated: 29 minutes ago

City council is keeping Wendy Stephanson on to head Ottawa's municipal bureaucracy.

Stephanson became interim city manager after Steve Kanellakos stepped down from the position last year, two days before the release of findings of the scathing LRT inquiry report.

On Wednesday, after a hiring panel reviewed a list of 10 candidates and shortlisted three, councillors emerged from a closed-door session and voted to leave Stephanson in the job with a five-year contract.

As the head of the administration, Stephanson will earn an annual salary starting at $392,655.

Before stepping in for Kanellakos, Stephanson served as the city's chief financial officer.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/wendy-stephanson-named-permanent-city-manager-1.6944987

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

I don't blame him either. Maybe he thinks CHEO needs him more than the City. Maybe he thinks the City is a lost cause; we did elect Sutcliffe, who's somehow even more boring and visionless than Watson.

The city is a lost cause. Sutcliffe was basically elected to manage decline. Sure, voters may not think of it that way. But when the priority is low taxes and high spending for police, the net effect is basically managed decline.

I wouldn't expect better either. The Ottawa electorate is basically going through what Toronto did when it elected Rob Ford.

[rocketphish]

Ottawa's new city manager on priorities, trust and a budget book everyone can understand

Joanne Laucius, Ottawa Citizen
Published Oct 19, 2023 • Last updated 2 hours ago • 10 minute read

Ten departments, 17,000 employees, an operating budget of more than $4.1 billion and a capital budget of about $1 billion. Ottawa’s top bureaucrat is responsible for a lot of juggling.

Wendy Stephanson, then the city’s chief financial officer, became interim city manager shortly after the abrupt resignation of Steve Kanellakos last November — only days before the first regular meeting of the new council and what would turn out to be a damning final report from a provincial inquiry into the problem-plagued Phase One of the LRT system.

In his departure letter, Kanellakos shared his belief that “this is the time to do the right thing and allow the organization to find a new leader who can deal with implementing the recommendations from the inquiry unfettered from the long complex history of the project or the findings of the commission report.”

Stephanson, a 28-year Ottawa municipal administration veteran, was one of 10 candidates for the permanent job as city manager. She officially took the position in August.

She sat down to talk about her journey, rebuilding trust and her plans to demystify the city budget.

Are you an Ottawa native?

A: I actually grew up in Burlington, Ontario. My dad took a job in the Smiths Falls area, which I’m gonna say when you’re 13 years old is horrific, moving from what I thought was a big city to a Smiths Falls, population 9,000, going into Grade 9. I could not believe he was forcing me to do this. So I went to high school there and absolutely flourished. I loved it. I was involved in so many extracurricular activities. And it was where that I got got the liking for leadership.

Q: You studied business at Carleton University and became a Certified Professional Accountant in 2021. What interested you about the workings of a municipality?

A: I always had an affinity for business, for numbers. I landed a job in the federal government when I got out of school. I worked there for four or five years. And then this opportunity came along for the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton in social services. I was going to be pulling together a group to collect overpayments of welfare. I brought my experience working at the Canada Revenue Agency. My colleagues thought it was insane to leave a federal job and work for municipal government. They tried to counsel me to stay, but I wanted to take the opportunity.

Q: It sounds like a difficult job.

A: It was really tough. But I think it’s just the approach that you take. Your clients are dealing with tough situations in terms of starting their lives over again and still paying back the money. It wasn’t easy, but we were quite successful at it. In fact, that unit still exists today.

Q: In 2000, with municipal amalgamation, you landed at the new City of Ottawa.

A: At that point, I had taken every opportunity to work in audit and consulting services. It’s where you get a broader view of the organization. We were helping people solve problems, complex problems. Then amalgamation came along. The focus had to be on bringing everyone together. So I got the opportunity to lead the team that brought all of the finance functions together in the new city.

And, after amalgamation, I went back to audit for a while. They were building something from the start. I led a group that dealt with property taxation and property assessment issues, and that very much became my specialty. Then I had the opportunity to move up to deputy treasurer. I took on the chief financial officer role in 2019.

Q: Then the pandemic hit.

A: I had just stepped into that role. You think you’re prepared for everything, right? I spent a considerable amount of time with the previous treasurer. We picked up every rock, looking into every nook and cranny, and talked about these things. She was gone for three months, and then the pandemic hits. What happens to the city’s finances? Revenues tank and expenses go up. We’ve got this massive gap.

That was when I leaned on my contacts across Ontario and across Canada because we all had the same issues. The problems were not unique to us. That’s when you leverage your networks with respect to trying to get assistance from other levels of government. We did a lot of lobbying, obviously. You have to leverage your networks, not just across Ontario, but across Canada.

Q: How would you describe the role of city manager?

A: It’s like a bowtie.

You take the bowtie and you turn it sideways. You have the top triangle, and that is city council. And you have the knot in the middle, and the bottom triangle, which is the administration, all the staff delivering those services. City council sets its priorities. They set the direction for the city. I’m the person in the middle that makes sure the administration is implementing those decisions of council and those council priorities. Those term-of-council priorities drive our four-year plan. But decisions come out of every committee and council meeting and we have to respond to implementing those things.

Q: The pandemic really changed transit and work patterns. How is the city planning to deal with this massive shift?

A: We were very fortunate in the beginning because we had assistance from other levels of government that really helped us not have to make big decisions around how we offer service. Now we have to have a look at our operations to say, “Why makes sense? What kind of service do we need compared to the ridership we have?”

We’re going to have to give a level of service in terms of the number of people using it. In the next little while, we’re looking at our routes to say how can we do this? How can we deliver our service to ensure that we’re getting our ridership, what we need, but then recognizing that ridership is low in some areas. Maybe you don’t need a bus every five minutes. Maybe every 10 minutes is fine. But we have to look at optimizing it.

Q: The city is growing fast. What are plans to renew the administration to serve a larger population?

A: We are going to see a turnover as a result of retirements. One of my focuses is to bring stability to the organization because we’ve seen lots of change. But the other piece behind that is making the right investments in terms of getting our people ready for different roles in the organization as the opportunities become available. And the flip side of that is making the city an attractive place to come and work. It’s really about building up our brand.

Q: Ottawa has an aging population. What other demographic changes does the city have to keep in mind when it comes to how it does things?

A: We have to react to how some younger people interact with the city. We have to change the way we’re connecting with people, depending on how they consume their services. Online media, social chat. If you look at young millennials, they don’t want to pick up a phone and talk to somebody. It’s a matter of interacting online. You have to direct some of your outreach depending on the demographic.

Q: Many people in the federal public service have returned to the workplace for only a few days a week. What about city workers?

A: A large majority of our workforce doesn’t work in the office. We have about 17,000 full- and part-time staff. About 3,000 are administration. We have people working partially from home. It’s open in terms of the department with respect to the service they provide to our clients and our residents.

Q: Federal government offices are emptying out. What will happen to these buildings and how will it affect Ottawa as a city?

A: That will have an impact on some of the revenues we have coming in. It also have impacts on our downtown core. We want our downtown to be vibrant. We’re going to work with the federal government and all levels of government to ensure that we still have the downtown vibrancy.

There’s lots of talk about residential conversions. We’ve started to look at how we can use these buildings differently, but we haven’t solved that problem. Every building is is unique in terms of how it’s constructed. Plumbing typically runs up the middle, along with elevator shafts. When you look at trying to build homes, it become challenging from that perspective. The age of the building is key.

Q: Lansdowne 2.0 allocated $3.9 million for affordable housing. What’s the timeline on that?

A: The timing of that depends on air rights. When that happens, that money will flow into our 10-year long-range plan for housing. That investment, if we get matching funding from other levels of government, goes further than $3.9 million. If you take $3.9 million, then get $3.9 million in federal funds and we get provincial funds, that’s significantly more investment. It’s a bit early to talk about what’s going to happen, but we know we can leverage that money to make an investment in affordable housing.

Q: The budget process begins next month. What will be different about it this year?

A: We’ve been asked to make the budget easier and simpler to digest. You’re going to see some products that accompany the budget that hopefully achieve that. The budget is 900 pages full of numbers. We’ve got a really nice document to be available November 8 that talks about the city, our priorities, some facts around the different services, the key figures behind it. We want to see how the public responds to it, how council responds to it.

Then it will be about how we can continue to evolve this to make sure we’ve got budget literacy, not only with council, but with the community as well. It will be printed and posted online, kind of like a magazine. This is to get some discussion going to figure out the priorities and understand the trade-offs.

Q: What are your priorities as city manager?

A: My priorities are really around re-establishing trust with council and with our communities as well.

Q: What do you feel were the factors behind that lost trust? Was it the convoy? The pandemic? The LRT inquiry?

A: There were a number of factors. When you look at the public inquiry (into LRT) and the release of the inquiry report, that was the breaking point. I look back in terms of the lessons, but I’ve turned the page, and I’m going to look forward in terms of moving the organization and moving the city forward to rebuild trust. You hear my excitement talking about the budget book, which is really about being open and trying to simplify things and communicating more than we ever have.

The budget’s part of that process. We really want to demystify it in terms of making sure that everyone understands it. And important things like transit. We need to get our ridership back. During the shutdown this summer, we communicated everything we knew. We share everything. We want to make sure all the information is out there.

Q: How will you lead compared to your predecessor?

A: I don’t want to compare myself. (Kanellakos) was a great leader. I worked for him a long time. Every leader is different.

Q: What words would you use to describe yourself as a leader?

A: I think the first word for me is authentic leader. What you see is what you get. Communications are really, really important to me. Trust and respect. I’m very collaborative in terms of my leadership style.

Q: Where do you live?

A: I’ve lived everywhere in the city. I’ve lived urban, I’ve lived suburban and I’ve lived rural. But I’ve enjoyed all parts of the city, and that’s what I love about it. I live in the rural west end now.

Q: How do you get to work downtown?

A: I don’t have to be here all the time. Typically, I drive, based on the schedule I have and going to various sites across the city, depending on the day. I drive and talk on my wireless, get some work done. I typically come here early and I leave late. When I’m going home, there’s a certain part of the commute where you see the mountains across the river, and it just takes the stress off me. It’s like you’re going to a whole other world.

Q: How do you unwind?

A: I live near the river, so the river is my happy place. I kayak, I standup paddleboard. Looking out at that view just de-stresses me immediately. I love Constance Bay. I like the beach. I don’t think you’ll ever find any place like that anywhere.

(This interview was edited for length and clarity)

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/new-city-manager

[J.OT13]

We’re going to have to give a level of service in terms of the number of people using it. In the next little while, we’re looking at our routes to say how can we do this? How can we deliver our service to ensure that we’re getting our ridership, what we need, but then recognizing that ridership is low in some areas. Maybe you don’t need a bus every five minutes. Maybe every 10 minutes is fine. But we have to look at optimizing it.

Cleary she's never taken OC Transpo, or even looked at a schedule. Five minutes is unheard of, outside the Confederation Line. Ten minutes would be an improvement over what we have.

Amazing how we can promote to City Manager someone who's this clueless about an essential service provided by City she's worked at for nearly three decades.

[Lakeofthewood]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Cleary she's never taken OC Transpo, or even looked at a schedule. Five minutes is unheard of, outside the Confederation Line. Ten minutes would be an improvement over what we have.

Amazing how we can promote to City Manager someone who's this clueless about an essential service provided by City she's worked at for nearly three decades.

Sadly applicable to most people high up in the city. They have no idea how things work at a granular level, they've been out of the rat race for too long.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Cleary she's never taken OC Transpo, or even looked at a schedule. Five minutes is unheard of, outside the Confederation Line. Ten minutes would be an improvement over what we have.

Amazing how we can promote to City Manager someone who's this clueless about an essential service provided by City she's worked at for nearly three decades.

I mean there are a few places with multiple routes that might have 5 minute service at peak time but that's multiple routes with 10-15 minute service out.

Yeah that's really giving here the benefit of the doubt. Has obviously never taken a bus but that's true of many middle class voters outside of public servants who are too cheap to pay for over priced parking.

[rocketphish]

Councillors welcome 'windfall' after developer's $300K 'voluntary contribution' to ward
Money will fund traffic calming, affordable housing in Capital ward

Arthur White-Crummey · CBC News
Posted: Jan 18, 2024 4:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

A developer is handing over $300,000 for traffic calming and affordable housing in one central Ottawa ward, a gift that prompted some city councillors to wonder whether they too can draw from a "jackpot" of private sector largesse to benefit their communities.

Capital Coun. Shawn Menard negotiated the agreement with Katasa Group, a developer with multiple projects in his ward including a 22-storey tower at Bronson and Carling avenues.

Menard first brought the deal to council's planning and housing committee in November and encountered widespread confusion over whether such an agreement is allowed under the code of conduct for city councillors.

Some councillors said they had seen similar proposals rejected. Beacon Hill-Cyrville Coun. Tim Tierney said such a deal, if solicited by a councillor, sounded "very extortative," a phrase that triggered an indignant response from Menard.

"That is not at all what's happening here," he said. "This is a voluntary contribution."

This week, the city's top lawyer and council's integrity commissioner released a joint memo that confirmed Menard is correct.

"A contribution agreement between the City and a developer, entered into voluntarily, is within the City's legal power," the memo said.

It noted that Menard's deal was reached after Katasa's project had secured approval, which, according to the memo, was not conditional on the $300,000 payment.

The integrity commissioner called the question purely a policy matter. She recommended that councillors should stress "the voluntary nature" of such payments in their talks with developers.

Menard said the road safety money will be used for traffic-calming infrastructure such as speed humps and road narrowing. He called the traffic near Katasa's project at Bronson and Carling "terrible."

The affordable housing money could help fund a project on a city parking lot near Bank and Chamberlain streets, he added.

Asked why Katasa would simply hand over money with no strings attached, Menard said the funds will help create a more walkable neighbourhood with a better quality of life for people living in the new buildings.

"It's community goodwill," he said. "That's completely something we should be doing, building community goodwill and enhancing quality of life."

Tierney seemed won over after hearing an initial legal opinion on the matter, calling the contribution "a windfall" for the city and "like a jackpot."

The memo backing up Menard's position won still more support on Wednesday when the planning and housing committee voted to recommend the agreement to council for final approval.

"I applaud colleagues who have come into agreements like what we have before us," said River Coun. Riley Brockington.

"The needs are infinite, our own budgets are finite and if we can achieve investments like what we have before us, that's a win."

Councillors still want more clarity. Somerset Coun. Ariel Troster asked staff to come back with guidelines about exactly what is permissible.

"There's no formal policies in place to govern whether or not a voluntary contribution can be made to something that the councillor considers important," said committee chair Coun. Jeff Leiper.

Menard agreed that better guidelines are needed. He said it's important to ensure the deals "aren't tied to any particular application" and remain strictly at the discretion of the developer.

"These are things that are benefiting our community," he said. "It's a win for Capital ward, it's a win for our residents, and this is the sort of thing that we're elected to do."

Katasa Group did not respond to a request for comment.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/de...ing-ottawa-capital-glebe-money-1.7086913

[Williamoforange]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Councillors welcome 'windfall' after developer's $300K 'voluntary contribution' to ward
Money will fund traffic calming, affordable housing in Capital ward

Arthur White-Crummey · CBC News
Posted: Jan 18, 2024 4:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

A developer is handing over $300,000 for traffic calming and affordable housing in one central Ottawa ward, a gift that prompted some city councillors to wonder whether they too can draw from a "jackpot" of private sector largesse to benefit their communities.

Capital Coun. Shawn Menard negotiated the agreement with Katasa Group, a developer with multiple projects in his ward including a 22-storey tower at Bronson and Carling avenues.

Menard first brought the deal to council's planning and housing committee in November and encountered widespread confusion over whether such an agreement is allowed under the code of conduct for city councillors.

Some councillors said they had seen similar proposals rejected. Beacon Hill-Cyrville Coun. Tim Tierney said such a deal, if solicited by a councillor, sounded "very extortative," a phrase that triggered an indignant response from Menard.

"That is not at all what's happening here," he said. "This is a voluntary contribution."

This week, the city's top lawyer and council's integrity commissioner released a joint memo that confirmed Menard is correct.

"A contribution agreement between the City and a developer, entered into voluntarily, is within the City's legal power," the memo said.

It noted that Menard's deal was reached after Katasa's project had secured approval, which, according to the memo, was not conditional on the $300,000 payment.

The integrity commissioner called the question purely a policy matter. She recommended that councillors should stress "the voluntary nature" of such payments in their talks with developers.

Menard said the road safety money will be used for traffic-calming infrastructure such as speed humps and road narrowing. He called the traffic near Katasa's project at Bronson and Carling "terrible."

The affordable housing money could help fund a project on a city parking lot near Bank and Chamberlain streets, he added.

Asked why Katasa would simply hand over money with no strings attached, Menard said the funds will help create a more walkable neighbourhood with a better quality of life for people living in the new buildings.

"It's community goodwill," he said. "That's completely something we should be doing, building community goodwill and enhancing quality of life."

Tierney seemed won over after hearing an initial legal opinion on the matter, calling the contribution "a windfall" for the city and "like a jackpot."

The memo backing up Menard's position won still more support on Wednesday when the planning and housing committee voted to recommend the agreement to council for final approval.

"I applaud colleagues who have come into agreements like what we have before us," said River Coun. Riley Brockington.

"The needs are infinite, our own budgets are finite and if we can achieve investments like what we have before us, that's a win."

Councillors still want more clarity. Somerset Coun. Ariel Troster asked staff to come back with guidelines about exactly what is permissible.

"There's no formal policies in place to govern whether or not a voluntary contribution can be made to something that the councillor considers important," said committee chair Coun. Jeff Leiper.

Menard agreed that better guidelines are needed. He said it's important to ensure the deals "aren't tied to any particular application" and remain strictly at the discretion of the developer.

"These are things that are benefiting our community," he said. "It's a win for Capital ward, it's a win for our residents, and this is the sort of thing that we're elected to do."

Katasa Group did not respond to a request for comment.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/de...ing-ottawa-capital-glebe-money-1.7086913

Yeah, new residents to the city already pay an exorbitant amount of money in DC & other fees, Councilors should not be allowed to imply or insist on further cash payments to the ward just stuff there budgets with. If said councillors want more money then they should be fighting to raise property taxes.