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Ten UNIQUE things about the Budget 2021 that Ottawa City council passed today. #Ottpoli #OttBudget #ottnews #ottcity @KatePorterCBC @JonathanWilling Thread:
. #OttCity: Short & long term clear trend: fastest growing budget segment is police services budget. For 2021: 3% increase PLUS 1.5% growth for OPS $. UNIQUE: Black &Indigenous people protesting this got arrested at 3:30am when promised a meeting next day. Wow Ottawa. 1/10
#OttBudget 2021 UNIQUE in raising transit fares by 2.5% in the middle of COVID. Based on a financial plan from 2017. Hitting essential workers who have no other transpo choices in middle of COVID. BAM! Unmatched by any city across the land. Only a few councillors objected. 2/10
In midst climate emergency, millions of $ refurbishing & new DIESEL buses, $25M almost exclusively “like-for-like” renewal of conventional ICE vehicle fleet when alternatives are available. Carbon lock-in over the life-cycle of the assets. WOW guys. (one councilor noticed) 3/10
In midst of housing and homelessness emergency and record-low interest rates, no big moves to create deeply affordable housing supply. Councillor McKenney's appeal mercilessly shut down. BOOM. @OttawaACORN 4/10
Effectively zero new money on the budget for climate action, despite a new Oct 2020 Climate Strategy "Energy Evolution". UNIQUE: Not a single councilor mentions this shame all budget meeting long. Mystery: are they aware or unaware? 5/10
Full day meeting but not a single capital project discussed including LRT. UNIQUE: #OttBudget is funding PARALLEL 4 lane road widening of airport parkway and LRT Phase 3 to airport. Road planning pre-dates LRT planning. Sense? (Menard boycotts this genius move) 6/10
Personal pet peeve: Mayor @JimWatsonOttawa repeats misinfo re $11M new funding for Energy Evolution clima strategy. This was flagged as old, multi-year $ at committee review. Nobody told his speechwriter? This is not Florida – we want our politicians to fact-check speeches. 7/10
. #ottbudget process is UNIQUELY rigid: Mayor’s office produces draft budget. Less than 1% of budget changes due to deliberation; community inputs go nowhere; no actual debate about priorities; no shifts of budget btwn cttees; no shifting money to alleged “emergencies”. 8/10
Perfect irony. Alongside budget, Council passed Mid-Term Governance Review. ‘Climate implications’ template section for cttee/council decisions is made “optional”. So no discussion of climate implications of budget, no need to know, no evidence-based decisions. UNIQUE. 9/10
Missing my 10th observation on unique and sad characteristics of #OttBudget 2021. Other observers? @OttTransitRider @HorizonOttawa @CJOttawa @FTO @CourageOttawa 10/10
