Municipalities aren’t a level of government defined in the Constitution Act. Cities are creations of the provinces. We don’t make laws; we make by-laws. We take our land use planning direction from Queen’s Park. We have the tax tools the Province gives us. Police are accountable to the provincial legislature, which is also where traffic laws are made. The very conduct of the Corporation of the City of Ottawa and its elected officials is governed by laws passed by the provincial government.
Kitchissippi faces challenges and opportunities as new planning, transportation and environmental thinking permeates our plans and policies. We rely on the Province for the funding and frameworks to in part build our transit and infrastructure, develop our Official Plan to plan for growth, protect our environment and protect our quality of life in the face of profound change.
Every indication is that the candidates for Member of Provincial Parliament in Ottawa-Centre will offer residents a choice of qualified, engaged and thoughtful individuals. Where do they stand on the issues that matter to residents in the context of city-building? Health, education and energy are the issues that get the most attention in provincial campaigns, but we’re wondering as residents specifically of Kitchissippi, where do the candidates stand on the issues that shape how Ottawa City Hall crafts policy?
On June 7, Ontario residents will go to the polls. On May 1, I’ll be asking candidates to respond to the questions that matter to me, and hopefully to you, as residents of this ward. Today, I’m posting a draft of that survey. I’d like to have your feedback as residents on that survey before I finalize it – just leave me a note in the comments section below. I’ll publish the candidates’ answers by May 30 without editorial changes.