A small business owner sets up a new shop in an Ottawa neighbourhood. They use their savings to put a down payment, to renovate the property and to make their store welcoming. In the front store window, which they clean every morning, they display their merchandise, with a hope to turn passersby into customers. This business owner works hard every day to make a living and stay afloat in uncertain economic times.
Summertime is upon us and I want to take a moment to mention some of what has been achieved by our City Council so far in 2012. In the hurly-burly of our daily efforts we often do not take notice of just what is accomplished along the way. It is helpful to take a step back and look at the big picture. There is an impressive list of shared successes that touch all parts of our City:
This is the letter I wrote to my Council colleagues following the decision made by the Friends of Lansdowne Inc. not to seek leave to appeal from the Supreme Court of Canada. I wanted to share it with you.
Dear Council colleague,
Today we learned that the Friends of Lansdowne Inc. has decided to not seek leave to appeal from the Supreme Court of Canada.
For too many years, Lansdowne Park has been something that divided Ottawa as it rusted away and people squabbled over what to do. Now we have a chance to see Lansdowne unite the city. Lansdowne is a magnificent citywide asset that will soon be revitalized to the benefit of all our residents. The new designs are the result of extraordinary collaborative work by a team of architects and landscape architects – some of the best in the world. With input and suggestions from City Council’s Lansdowne Design Review Panel, these design professionals have moved forward with integration of the three pieces of the Lansdowne revitalization:
This month I am very pleased to tell you that on July 14th City Council voted unanimously to adopt a realistic and affordable light rail plan that meets our $2.1 billion budget. People have told me time and again that it’s time we stopped the dithering on light rail on got shovels in the ground. This new plan does just that, and in a way we can be proud of.
This is the letter I wrote to my Council colleagues following the decision made by the Friends of Lansdowne Inc. not to seek leave to appeal from the Supreme Court of Canada. I wanted to share it with you.