Glebe Report

CAPITAL COLUMN
Traffic information for Winterlude
By
Alderman
Rob Quinn
TAX REPRIEVE
Last month's column reported
on Finance Minister Wilson's
sales tax "reform" that, if implemented,
would have substantially
increased municipal expenditures
and thus property
taxes.
Therefore, it is a pleasure
to repeat the recent news that
the Federation of Canadian Municipalities
(FCM) convinced Mr.
Wilson to revise his proposal
so that its final form will result
in no increase for municipal
governments or public sector
institutions like hospitals
or universities.
Ottawa's participation in the
FCM, through the energetic, volunteer
efforts of Alderman Darrel
Kent, a member of the FCM's
board of directors, has proven
to be time and money well invested.
REID REPORT/REGIONAL REVIEW
The December 6th City Council
meeting dealt with the Reid Report
on the duties and responsibiLities
of the Ottawa mayor
and aldermen and on appropriate
levels of remuneration.
Council decided to institute,
immediately, a severance pay
benefit, subject to provincial
enabling legislation, and a
$200/month transportation allowance,
paid to City department
heads since 1979.
The severance pay benefit is
one month's pay for each year
of service to a maximum of six.
While the severance pay benefit
reflects common practice in
the public and private sectors,
I voted that such a major
change should not come into effect
until the next Council.
Implementation of the transportation
allowance was long
overdue.
However, Council approved the
Quinn/ O'Neill motion to defer
consideration of the major salary
recommendations until the Ontario
Government reacts, likely
in late January or early February,
1988 to the Bartlett report
on representation on the Regional
Council.
Currently, Ottawa elects directly
each of its 16 member City
Council to the Regional Council
of Ottawa-Carleton (RMOC).
Ottawa with 53% of the RMOC population
elects 50% of the 32
seat RMOC Council (plus the
Chairman the Council in turn
elects).
However, taxes are levied according
to assessment and Ottawa's
assessment base accounts
for about two thirds of the property
tax revenue of the RMOC.
At the moment, by population,
some of the other 10 RMOC municipalities
are under or over represented
on the Regional Council.
Ottawa's representation/
population ratio is, at about
19,000,close to average.
Some believe, including Mayor
Durrell, that the RMOC Council
should be composed of persons
separately elected for that
purpose only.
Nevertheless, the December
2nd meeting of the Ottawa Council
strongly approved, I am
glad to report, a motion to
request Queen's Park to continue
the current practice of
electing simultaneously the
Ottawa mayor and aldermen to
the RMOC Council.
The December 16th meeting of
Council voted, unanimously, to
approve the Quinn/O'NeiLl motion
to request the Ontario Government
to maintain the principle
of Ottawa having at least
50% of the RMOC Council seats.
If more seats were given (only)
to other municipaLities, a
majority of counsellors neither
elected by nor accountable to
Ottawa voters could levy taxes
on the preponderant Ottawa assessment.
For more details, please call
the office to request a copy of
my brief to Mr. Bartlett and of
my speech to Council on the
Reid Report/Regional Review.
WINTERLUDE 88
The Winterlude traffic coordinating
committee met December 18,
1987 to review arrangements for
Winterlude, Friday, February 5
to Sunday, February 14, 1988.
On this page or elsewhere in
this edition is a map of the
"emergency NO STOPPING routes"
-- permit parkers, please take
note
and of many of the week-
end road closures.
Holmwood, east of Bank, and
Adelaide will again have local
traffic only controls.
For the opening ceremonies on
Friday evening, February 5th,
there will be no public parking
at Lansdowne Park.
There w-ill be publicity to encourage
public transit use that
night in particular. Denise and
I will walk to the Park -- one
of the advantages of living in
the Glebe.
DOW'S LAKE
Not on the map are the road
closures and parking restrictions
for the DOW'S LAKE area.
Because of the popularity of
the sculptures on the Lake,
past experience dictates that
the no parking restrictions on
both sides of Dow's Lake road-
ways go into effect the weekend
before Winterlude, i.e., January
30-31st, as well as during
the festival weekends.
However, during the week from
Sunday, 11.00 PM to Friday 6.00
PM, the Ottawa Police wiLl not
enforce the Winterlude no parking
restrictions. Of course,
year round no parking signs
remain in force.
As in previous years on the
Winterlude weekends, there will
be "local traffic only" controls
on the streets entering
the Dow's Lake area.
Because traffic and parking
on these weekends has become
so intense, the City, the
NCC and other agencies implement
together these controls in
order to protect public safety
by ensuring clear access.
HI
NEIGHBOUR!
I would
like the
opportunity
to earn
your
business.
PONTIAC
BUICK
GMC
POST OFFICE BLUES
Municipal politicians are not
supposed to have to get the
mail through. Which brings me
to the first point -- Glebe
postmaster" Charles Sohmer
manager of Bread and
Fruit is closing his post
office (too bad, he'Ll have to
revert to plain Charlie again)
because of an unsatisfactory arrangement
with Canada Post.
Unsatisfactory is the second
point. The total confusion surrounding
the implementation of
privately-run "consumer" postal
services led people to 50 Main
Street for parcels and other
mail pick-ups.
I have written to the President
to urge prompt action to
improve service and to obtain
information on Canada Post's
intentions for the post office
facility on Fourth Avenue.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
For information or assistance
or to express an opinion, telephone
564-1308 to reach Rob
Quinn and/or assistants Judy
Rinfret (Mon.-Wed.), Jean
Draper (Thurs.-Fri.). The address
is: City Hall, 111 Sussex
Drive, Ottawa, Ont. K1N 5A1
SUSAN KENNEY
Sales Representative
75 Fourth Avenue
232-2964
939 St. Laurent Blvd.,
Ottawa, Ontario KIK 3B1
Tel. 741-0741, Area Code 613
"A PLACE THAT YOU CAN COUNT ON"
January 15, 1988 Glebe Report - 17