Dear Simon Beckett (Green), Scott Healey (Conservative), Catherine McKenney (New Democratic), and Thomas Simpson (Liberal)
Thanks to each of you as candidates. I and the residents of Kitchissippi are grateful for your unique and important service.
Below, I’ve posed a number of questions to which Kitchissippi residents would be grateful to have your answers. There are lots of channels to assess the parties’ platforms provincially, and I hope you’ll take this opportunity to speak directly to the local concerns that residents have. I’d be grateful for your responses sent to jeff.leiper@ottawa.ca by February 14 for publication on my blog and in my weekly email newsletter on February 15. Thank you in advance for your participation!
- Kitchissippi residents are concerned by the speed and volume of traffic that is often cutting through their neighbourhoods and by unsafe behaviours at our mainstreet intersections. How can you as our MPP help either directly or working with the municipality?
- Transit has become an option of last resort for many due to a combination of cost, reliability and convenience factors. How do you propose as our MPP to improve transit performance and restore fiscal sustainability to OC Transpo including helping the municipality restore routes that have been cut for financial reasons? Would you support provincial funding for the construction of Carling Bus Rapid Transit?
- Kitchissippi has been fortunate to have had significant new cycling infrastructure built in recent years. The most recent of these projects is Scott Street. New provincial legislation could prevent more projects like Scott Street from proceeding without ministerial approval. Would you support bike lanes on streets like Holland, Parkdale, Carling, Kirkwood or others if the opportunity arises to build those?
- Kitchissippi is supportive of programs such as safer supply of opioids that save lives, but the unregulated operation of some providers has had sometimes dangerous implications for others in the community. How will you help achieve a balance of safety for everyone?
- Affordable housing is becoming scarce in Kitchissippi neighbourhoods as the ward gentrifies, aside from that built by the not-for-profit sector. How will you ensure the availability of affordable housing in neighbourhoods like Hintonburg, Westboro and others that are quickly becoming unattainable to all but the most affluent Ottawa residents?
