I made a post earlier in the civic elections about a candidate’s election platform that I thought was relevant to this readership. It promptly generated “comments” that seemed to me to be less than genuine, and more like spin. I notice the same thing for the Citizen commentary, which has been quite on the mark and perceptive, particularly David Reevely’s Greater Ottawa posts (don’t read this as being I agree with all of his views). The “comment” responses to his posts have the same “spin” tone to them.
It’s a game I don’t really want to play.
After the election, I might make one or two comments on the election platforms, when the flash and sizzle of electoral urgency is gone.
In my neighborhood on the west side of downtown Ottawa, the above flyer highlights an all-candidates meeting Tuesday evening. I plan to go, if only to reaffirm my previous observation that these things are a stupid waste of time. One of the candidates running has some, ahem, medical issues. He claims his brain is in a jar, held by the CIA in Langley Virginia. Here’s my question: do we really need a(nother) brainless councillor?
While cycling through the Glebe on Sunday, I noticed these signs, for a candidate that emphasizes nature, ecology, the environment, and all those nice things, stuck to a tree. If nailed, I hope they used stainless steel nails …
Just up a street was another sign. [picture didn’t turn out — a testimony to my low skill set]. It was unusual in that it has a policy plank outlined: restrict car parking to one side of the street on the Avenues (presumably First thru Fifth). It takes only a second of thought to wonder why on earth a local candidate would run on a platform of keeping streets wide open which would facilitate through traffic, faster traffic, and more severe injuries (if not fatalities) after the inevitable “accidents”. This was much more a suburban”plank” I would expect to find outside of the core, not in the Glebe. Good that people have choices …
I was talking to a local resident who lives just off Bronson a few weeks ago, and they were complaining about the new parking on Bronson. The sign that you didn’t get is obviously in reaction to that local opinion.
If you have parking on both sides of the street sidewalks become constrained and isolated from the street–which should be a public space. It’s hard enough to see and talk to your neighbours across the street when there’s one row of parked cars, much less two.