On the Right Track

Francais

Transportation plan released

The City That Moves

The people of Ottawa want relief on our roadways and buses and they want it now, not in 20 years. They want relief from bus congestion in the city centre. Commuters want to get to their workplaces in a reliable, economic and environmentally-friendly manner. Our cyclists and pedestrians demand safe, continuous routes.

We want a city that invests for the continuing prosperity and success. We do not want to put their money into a black hole.

Read my complete plan The City That Moves. Open House with Clive, Thur. Sep. 9.

1. LRT in 4 . We cannot afford to wait another 10 to 20 years. Light Rail Transit in four years.

2. Optimizing the Bus service. Good bus service is vitally important to local communities.

3. Maintaining our Roads. Ottawa spends $600M every year on building and maintaining city roads. We will maintain existing roads before building new ones.

4. Cyclists and pedestrians. Ottawa already has the nucleus of bike routes . We will improve them and fill in the gaps.

5. Commuters and long distance travellers. Transit connections. We will work to improve rail connections to regional towns and cities.

Just as I delivered the pilot light rail service from South Keys to Bayview during my first term as city councillor, I promise to to make better transportation a reality for all Ottawans.

It's tme to get Ottawa On the Right Track.

Best Night-Worst Moment

Politicians like to read their speeches. The Gettysburg Address was written and read. So was most of Martin Luther King’s famous ‘I have a dream’ speech’. There’s a good reason for reading. Speeches without notes are like walking out on a high wire. They are often more direct and compelling, than the written word, but the chances of making a gaff or misstep loom with every unscripted sentence. My speech at the fundraiser was on the high wire.

A night of great beer (Beau’s), fabulous musicians and old friends didn’t seem to be the place for reading notes, so I just went out and spoke from the heart about why it’s so important that we start getting our city ready to deal with the impact of climate change – with more local agriculture, more street trees, more parks and of course electric light rail from one end of the city to the other.

We're on Fire!

Family ties run deep in the Doucet family which is why Luke Doucet and his singer-songwriter wife Melissa McClelland cleared their busy schedules to make a surprise appearance at Irene's Pub on Bank Street on Wednesday night, Sept. 1st.

Cities begin at the community level

Two community events this week summed up for me everything that is good and fine about Ottawa – the re-opening of the Sunnyside Library and the Rochester Heights playground build. Both were all about tremendous community commitment to making Ottawa a better place.

Rochester Heights is not the richest community in the city but they raised $37,000 for two much needed play structures. Once they had the money in hand, they partnered with “Let them be Kids” and received matching funds and expertize from this not for profit group. Somerset Community Health pitched in, labour was donated and voila – two beautiful play structures for the children and parents of Rochester Heights.

Sunnyside Library re-opens after renovation

Clive Doucet speaks and "turns a new page" at the reopening of the Sunnyside Library on Aug. 26. With Clive: Ottawa Centre MPP Yasir Naqvi, Pam Sweet, vice-chair of the Library Board; Jenny Haysom, Friends of Sunnyside Library; Paul Dewar, MP Ottawa Centre; Barbara Clubb, Chief Librarian.