How We Fix the Broken Trust at Ottawa City Hall

Get money out of politics. Let residents follow the money. Deliver real LRT accountability.

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I’m looking for 1,000 people ready to work together and win back our city. Follow here for my values, priorities and thoughts on how we get Ottawa back on track.

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Who Really Runs Ottawa?
Three Priorities for Restoring Ottawa
Winning Ottawa. Governing Differently.
Transit is Broken. Here’s How We Fix It.
Ready to Fix City Hall
The Infrastructure Bills We Delayed Are Coming Due. Ottawa Needs a Plan.
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Trust between Ottawa City Hall and residents should be a two-way street.

But the public has largely lost faith in politicians.

And City Hall put up security barriers that says politicians feel the same way about the public.

Restoring that trust requires real changes in how City Hall operates.

Three reforms could go a long way toward rebuilding trust between Ottawa residents and their municipal government.

1. No developer votes

Many councillors refuse to accept campaign donations from executives and family members associated with the development industry. (Corporations and unions cannot donate to municipal candidates.)

Not accepting developer donations makes sense, and is something I subscribe to. City Council approves zoning changes and building permits that can dramatically increase the value of specific properties. Councillors understandably do not want to be seen as being in the pocket of wealthy developers.

But Ottawa should take one more step to get money out of politics.

We need a new standard at City Hall that any councillor who accepts a financial contribution from a developer agrees to not vote on files involving that developer.

Ottawa City Council’s Code of Conduct is clear. Members must avoid conflicts of interest — real or apparent.

Most of us would say that a $1,200 donation from an executive at a major developer creates a conflict of interest — real or apparent — when that councillor votes on a file involving the developer.

The previous mayor scoffed at the idea that anyone could be influenced by a twelve hundred dollar donation, and that norm persists today.

I disagree.

Public trust requires a higher standard.

It’s time for City Hall to establish a new practice that lives up to their code of conduct. Donations linked to developers create a conflict — real or apparent — and councillors should recuse themselves accordingly from Council votes on files involving that developer.

2. Show us the money

The City of Ottawa spends more than $5 billion every year on operations and another $1 billion on capital projects.

That is an enormous amount of public money — about $5,000 for each person in this city. Yet many residents feel they are not getting good value for their tax dollars.

Property taxes have increased 13% over the past four years, but few of us can point to anything that has improved as a result.

Much of our spending is absolutely necessary. Some of it is undoubtedly wasteful.

The problem is that the public cannot easily see the difference.

City budgets run to thousands of pages, yet reveal shockingly little about how money is actually spent.

We need full transparency in how money is spent.

Residents should be able to click on an item in the budget and follow the money all the way to the final invoice — seeing the contract, the vendor and the receipt.

Every contract, invoice and change order should be visible in a searchable online system.

The public should be able to ask any question about city spending, and have answers publicly posted within 72 hours.

As spending should be presented in a way that is relatable to everyday people. For example, I should be able to see how much it cost the City to replace the broken garbage can in my park — and how that compares to what other cities spend.

Once residents can see how funds are being spent, they can call out concerns and shine a spotlight on bad spending decisions.

Sunlight is the most effective way to eliminate waste — and rebuild trust.

3. LRT accountability now

Taxpayers spent $6 billion on a light rail system that barely works — and which replaced an efficient bus system that came before it.

The project squandered billions of dollars, stole countless hours from riders and severely damaged public confidence in City Hall’s ability to deliver major projects.

Yet no one has been held accountable.

Former mayor Jim Watson apologized for the LRT. A few years later, he was awarded the Order of Ottawa.

The previous city manager resigned the day before a public inquiry report was released — only to be replaced by one of his chief lieutenants.

Meanwhile, the project’s contractors are collecting their monthly service payments with few to no penalties for poor service.

Many residents are deeply frustrated that accountability for LRT is still outstanding.

It’s time to conduct our own process to identify who in City Hall is responsible for the historic and ongoing issues, and what remedies are appropriate.

Ottawa taxpayers deserve real accountability. It will be many years late in coming, but holding those responsible is critical to avoid us repeating the mistakes of the past.

Not me. Us.

I often say that 1,000 committed citizens can change Ottawa.

City Hall insiders have a vested interest in protecting the status quo. That won’t change on its own.

But Ottawa belongs to us — not to insiders or power brokers.

If enough residents decide to take their city back, we can restore trust at City Hall and make it work again.

I’m prepared to stand at the front of that movement.

But it only works if we build it together.

Be the change Ottawa needs.

Join The Thousand.