Comments on: Mayor Larry’s Snow Job http://www.knitnut.net/2008/03/mayor-larrys-snow-job/ Watch my life unravel... Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:12:53 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Green Bin Program contaminated by funding issues « knitnut.net http://www.knitnut.net/2008/03/mayor-larrys-snow-job/#comment-53337 Green Bin Program contaminated by funding issues « knitnut.net Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:23:06 +0000 http://knitnut.net/?p=632#comment-53337 [...] a couple of years ago when Mayor Larry came up with the ridiculous idea of charging us all a $50 snow tax because it snowed a lot that year. Never mind that he’d squandered the budget surplus on his [...] [...] a couple of years ago when Mayor Larry came up with the ridiculous idea of charging us all a $50 snow tax because it snowed a lot that year. Never mind that he’d squandered the budget surplus on his [...]

]]> By: Nick http://www.knitnut.net/2008/03/mayor-larrys-snow-job/#comment-29339 Nick Mon, 24 Mar 2008 20:35:16 +0000 http://knitnut.net/?p=632#comment-29339 Hi Zoom... Yeah, even hard for us ! Wheelchairs must be exhausting work... and not like the seats are built for that kind of terrain. I can't imagine what it is like trying to get over the humps that seem to be at every corner. Guess it is easy for us to complain, but we have it a lot easier than those with difficulty to walk. Made me wonder how many elderly people have just stayed inside for the past month out of the fear of breaking a hip etc. I guess if you put some thought to it... the list would would be endless.... Hi Zoom…
Yeah, even hard for us ! Wheelchairs must be exhausting work… and not like the seats are built for that kind of terrain. I can’t imagine what it is like trying to get over the humps that seem to be at every corner. Guess it is easy for us to complain, but we have it a lot easier than those with difficulty to walk. Made me wonder how many elderly people have just stayed inside for the past month out of the fear of breaking a hip etc. I guess if you put some thought to it… the list would would be endless….

]]> By: zoom! http://www.knitnut.net/2008/03/mayor-larrys-snow-job/#comment-29302 zoom! Mon, 24 Mar 2008 18:43:06 +0000 http://knitnut.net/?p=632#comment-29302 Nick, yeah, any sidewalks that weren't properly cleared before the rain are a treacherous disaster now. I'm having a very hard time walking on them and I'm half her age with good vision. I can only imagine how helpless people feel if they're frail, unsteady, vision-impaired or in wheelchairs. Nick, yeah, any sidewalks that weren’t properly cleared before the rain are a treacherous disaster now. I’m having a very hard time walking on them and I’m half her age with good vision. I can only imagine how helpless people feel if they’re frail, unsteady, vision-impaired or in wheelchairs.

]]> By: Nick http://www.knitnut.net/2008/03/mayor-larrys-snow-job/#comment-29291 Nick Mon, 24 Mar 2008 15:55:14 +0000 http://knitnut.net/?p=632#comment-29291 Happy Spring lol Is there a side walk in the residential areas of Ottawa that isn't all ice ? Growing up the ole Bombedier plows did a better job, the operators were more self contcious, and the service was just generally better. No three days waiting for the sidewalk to be done.. Try walking with an 89 yr old blind woman...her walker is just useless with all the bumps and holes, so she has to walk with her cane (as long as there is an escort). To her it there is no security in trying to walk, must feel like an icy moon surface. Even with the running commentary about bumps and holes coming up, imagine what she must anticipate. It is just easier and safer to walk on the roads. For an extra $50... Larry come take her for a walk ! Happy Spring lol
Is there a side walk in the residential areas of Ottawa that isn’t all ice ? Growing up the ole Bombedier plows did a better job, the operators were more self contcious, and the service was just generally better. No three days waiting for the sidewalk to be done.. Try walking with an 89 yr old blind woman…her walker is just useless with all the bumps and holes, so she has to walk with her cane (as long as there is an escort). To her it there is no security in trying to walk, must feel like an icy moon surface. Even with the running commentary about bumps and holes coming up, imagine what she must anticipate. It is just easier and safer to walk on the roads. For an extra $50… Larry come take her for a walk !

]]> By: zoom! http://www.knitnut.net/2008/03/mayor-larrys-snow-job/#comment-28962 zoom! Fri, 21 Mar 2008 22:44:45 +0000 http://knitnut.net/?p=632#comment-28962 Wow, the only post I ever wrote that got more comments than this one was What's Your Pet's Name? I'm going to say that my readership weighed in at 38 to 0 against Mayor Larry's Snow Tax. (Of course "Tom" hasn't put his two cents in yet.) Wow, the only post I ever wrote that got more comments than this one was What’s Your Pet’s Name?

I’m going to say that my readership weighed in at 38 to 0 against Mayor Larry’s Snow Tax. (Of course “Tom” hasn’t put his two cents in yet.)

]]> By: CMJ http://www.knitnut.net/2008/03/mayor-larrys-snow-job/#comment-28904 CMJ Fri, 21 Mar 2008 17:57:26 +0000 http://knitnut.net/?p=632#comment-28904 I would GLADLY pay the $50 snow tax this year if I felt that I had adeqaute snow removal services this year! The new development in whicj I live in does not have very good snow removal from the city of Ottawa or my condo corp (another rant for another day). The corner on which I live has snow banks so high that you have to be in the middle of the street just to see if you can continue to turn the corner. This has resulted in some near accidents. The sidewalks were not cleared very well, all I can say is THANK GOD I am not disabled!! If I was disabled I would NOT have been able to make my way to my front door for all the snow that was left for days on end on the CITY OWENED sidewalk. So if Mayor Larry O'Brian wants to charge me, then perhaps he should come and shovel the sidewalks and clear the snowbanks around the corner of my place! Dear Larry.. take a look in AVALON in Orleans and see just how wonderful of a snow clearing job was done NOT!!! So If I feel taxed to the limit I am. Oh.. not to mention that we are the highest taxed province in Canada as it is. I would GLADLY pay the $50 snow tax this year if I felt that I had adeqaute snow removal services this year!
The new development in whicj I live in does not have very good snow removal from the city of Ottawa or my condo corp (another rant for another day). The corner on which I live has snow banks so high that you have to be in the middle of the street just to see if you can continue to turn the corner. This has resulted in some near accidents. The sidewalks were not cleared very well, all I can say is THANK GOD I am not disabled!! If I was disabled I would NOT have been able to make my way to my front door for all the snow that was left for days on end on the CITY OWENED sidewalk. So if Mayor Larry O’Brian wants to charge me, then perhaps he should come and shovel the sidewalks and clear the snowbanks around the corner of my place!
Dear Larry.. take a look in AVALON in Orleans and see just how wonderful of a snow clearing job was done NOT!!! So If I feel taxed to the limit I am. Oh.. not to mention that we are the highest taxed province in Canada as it is.

]]> By: Julia http://www.knitnut.net/2008/03/mayor-larrys-snow-job/#comment-28888 Julia Fri, 21 Mar 2008 16:46:58 +0000 http://knitnut.net/?p=632#comment-28888 I read an update on the tax issue in today's paper. Apparently the city is not allowed to charge a flat fee but must raise the taxes by a percentage. Apparently the $50 increase was an average of a 2% increase. "... said the mayor's plan would see an extra two per cent tacked on to this year's property tax bill, which would mean $50 more for a residence with an average value when compared to the rest of the city. This would be on top of the already projected 4.9-per-cent increase. So as with other property taxes, owners of expensive homes would pay more than those with less inexpensive homes. Commercial and other property-tax payers would pay, too." Whole story at: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=8798156a-c871-4f0a-b223-7e30aa6c90e3&k=27483 I read an update on the tax issue in today’s paper. Apparently the city is not allowed to charge a flat fee but must raise the taxes by a percentage. Apparently the $50 increase was an average of a 2% increase.

“… said the mayor’s plan would see an extra two per cent tacked on to this year’s property tax bill, which would mean $50 more for a residence with an average value when compared to the rest of the city. This would be on top of the already projected 4.9-per-cent increase.
So as with other property taxes, owners of expensive homes would pay more than those with less inexpensive homes. Commercial and other property-tax payers would pay, too.”

Whole story at:
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=8798156a-c871-4f0a-b223-7e30aa6c90e3&k=27483

]]> By: Mikel http://www.knitnut.net/2008/03/mayor-larrys-snow-job/#comment-28885 Mikel Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:41:32 +0000 http://knitnut.net/?p=632#comment-28885 This is all that City Council comes up - tax increases to cover the lack of forward thinking/management.... I have not seen any job reductions in the city, I'm sure we can get rid of a few middle managers and such (how about a 5% reduction)... No balls from City Councillors once again..... Maybe we should realize we can't afford all the services we currently have and cut a few.... We all had high hopes for Larry, but actions speak louder than words, so far I have not seen any action except the increase in taxes.... This is all that City Council comes up – tax increases to cover the lack of forward thinking/management…. I have not seen any job reductions in the city, I’m sure we can get rid of a few middle managers and such (how about a 5% reduction)…

No balls from City Councillors once again….. Maybe we should realize we can’t afford all the services we currently have and cut a few….

We all had high hopes for Larry, but actions speak louder than words, so far I have not seen any action except the increase in taxes….

]]> By: Gabriel... http://www.knitnut.net/2008/03/mayor-larrys-snow-job/#comment-28851 Gabriel... Thu, 20 Mar 2008 18:09:47 +0000 http://knitnut.net/?p=632#comment-28851 In my Little Village I'm 55 minutes from downtown Ottawa, my sister lives near the Ottawa Civic Hospital... her apartment is half the size of mine, but she pays 2.5 times my rent. My friends just finished renovating a three bedroom, 150-year old, two-storey red brick house right in the middle of my Little Village... it's for sale for less than $200k (http://www.39unionstreet.blogspot.com/). If you were living there last year your taxes would have hit $826.51, and your street would have been cleared almost immediately after a storm finished. You'd also be about an hour from downtown Montreal... which, as cool as Ottawa is, is way freaking cooler than Ottawa. There is a large and growing population in this Village of people moving here to commute to Montreal and Hudson... and there's a new direct highway link to Gatineau being built just across the river. There's even a smaller but also growing population of people from Ottawa moving here. We've got a beautiful piece of the planet here but most of them are doing it because they're saving on the costs and insanity of city politics, while not losing much of the convenience of the city. Just saying. In my Little Village I’m 55 minutes from downtown Ottawa, my sister lives near the Ottawa Civic Hospital… her apartment is half the size of mine, but she pays 2.5 times my rent. My friends just finished renovating a three bedroom, 150-year old, two-storey red brick house right in the middle of my Little Village… it’s for sale for less than $200k (http://www.39unionstreet.blogspot.com/). If you were living there last year your taxes would have hit $826.51, and your street would have been cleared almost immediately after a storm finished. You’d also be about an hour from downtown Montreal… which, as cool as Ottawa is, is way freaking cooler than Ottawa.

There is a large and growing population in this Village of people moving here to commute to Montreal and Hudson… and there’s a new direct highway link to Gatineau being built just across the river. There’s even a smaller but also growing population of people from Ottawa moving here. We’ve got a beautiful piece of the planet here but most of them are doing it because they’re saving on the costs and insanity of city politics, while not losing much of the convenience of the city.

Just saying.

]]> By: Gilles Seguin http://www.knitnut.net/2008/03/mayor-larrys-snow-job/#comment-28800 Gilles Seguin Thu, 20 Mar 2008 09:49:35 +0000 http://knitnut.net/?p=632#comment-28800 From the Ottawa Citizen: http://tinyurl.com/32r2jq "Larry O'Brien's executive assistant resigned on Wednesday, hours after impersonating a citizen caller to a radio call-in show voicing support for a policy [the $50 snow-clearing levy] the mayor supports. (...) Mr. O'Brien said he had briefly talked with [Mr. Gibbons, his exec assistant and personal friend] and he had already 'fallen on his sword' to accept responsibility for the incident. LOL!! Poor Larry --- his grasp of English idiomatic expressions is almost as impressive as his grasp of zero-based budgeting. "Falling on one's sword" is a reference to the age-old tradition of hari-kiri, i.e., committing suicide rather than facing dishonour. The modern interpretation of the expression has a "take-one-for-the-team" connotation, i.e., one individual takes the rap for the actions of a group. And what group would that be in this case, Larry? When's the next civic election again? From the Ottawa Citizen:
http://tinyurl.com/32r2jq

“Larry O’Brien’s executive assistant resigned on Wednesday, hours after impersonating a citizen caller to a radio call-in show voicing support for a policy [the $50 snow-clearing levy] the mayor supports. (…) Mr. O’Brien said he had briefly talked with [Mr. Gibbons, his exec assistant and personal friend] and he had already ‘fallen on his sword’ to accept responsibility for the incident.

LOL!!
Poor Larry — his grasp of English idiomatic expressions is almost as impressive as his grasp of zero-based budgeting. “Falling on one’s sword” is a reference to the age-old tradition of hari-kiri, i.e., committing suicide rather than facing dishonour. The modern interpretation of the expression has a “take-one-for-the-team” connotation, i.e., one individual takes the rap for the actions of a group.
And what group would that be in this case, Larry?

When’s the next civic election again?

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