Small firms not competitive under city's bidding system, councilor says

This is just another example of how city staff have no regard for tax payer's dollars. Looks like the fix is in when it come to awarding city contracts if the same firms are getting them while charging more than other companies. Don't these staffers have a responsibility to get the most out of our money? I realize than cheaper is not always better but give me a break sometimes the difference in quality must be minimal.

"You get what you pay for, which can mean less effort, less senior staff on projects, limited consultant selection, and unfortunately there's always the opportunity for poorer quality," said Ron Jack, who works for the major engineering firm Delcan Corporation....

This is just the problem...I have worked for big and small organizations and this statement is ridiculous. Actually in my experience the smaller company actually works harder and provides better quality because they have a vested interest in the company and the final product. The other part of that statement that contradicts itself is the part about less afford and less senior staff on a project....What a joke.

Everyone knows than the people that actually work their guts out and provide the quality are the front line workers. I have rarely seen a manager or senior staff contribute anything to a job but to bloat the budget and drive up the price. This is usually the time when they come to the people actually doing the job and pressure them to do it faster because they are in danger of going over budget....This is where poor quality comes in.

Clean up this practice and start spending our money like we deserve instead of disregarding our wishes and treating tax payers like mushrooms. Sooner or later we will see the light and eventually the stench coming form city hall will be too much to handle.

Group challenges bilingualism bylaw in court

Why is it that this city never seem to be able to develop policy that makes sense? I agree that people should be allowed to receive services in either English or French where the numbers warrant it. This policy goes too far though in my opinion because essentially the city is preventing qualified people from getting supervisor jobs based on language. Since when does the ability to speak French make you more qualified then a unilingual English person?

People should be given positions based on their skills and the best person should be hired based on merit. When we try to be so politically correct the majority always suffers in these situations. I agree with having a bilingual policy but this one goes too far. There must be a balance that can be found here and it is incumbent on council to work hard to find it. Shame on them for forcing this on us an I hope this court challenge is successful.

Ottawa Adult Citizen of the Year

I would like to congratulate my friend Tanya Thompson for receiving this reward. She works tirelessly in the community and is always willing to make time for worthwhile projects. I would also like to commend her on her decision to run for city council in the next election. I am sure she will bring the same enthusiasm to the council chamber has she has done many times in our community.

Who the Hell Would Want to Live Next to a Dump??

I don't know about you but I really wouldn't want to be buying a home in this development next to the Trail Road Dump. They can spin it any way they want to but there is no doubt in my mind that the smell will be terrible. We can't control the wind and 500 metres doesn't seem to be enough of a buffer zone in my opinion. Just ask anyone who lives near the Carp Road facility, they have a buffer zone of 1000 metres and they can still smell it.

Sex trade told to lobby for safety

I have an idea for those "sex trade workers" who want to complain about citizens yelling insults at them and throwing things...get off the damn street. The reason that average citizens don't want you on our streets is because we are repulsed by you. I don't want to have to clean up condoms and needles left around by you people every night and I don't think I should have to do that either.

Why should the people of Ottawa fund anything for these people? The only thing I want to fund for them is a jail cell. These people are breaking the law, they break the solicitation laws and the drug laws and expect us to ignore that and offer, protection to carry out their trade. As a prostitute you do not provide anything positive to society. On the contrary...you are a burden on society with your drug problems and helping to spread diseases like Hepatitis and Aids.

I would gladly provide help to anyone who is willingly trying to improve their lives and contribute to the greater good of society. I would fund rehab centres and education programs to help them get off the street. I highly doubt any of this would help until these people start to take responsibility for their own lives and stop relying on the government to live their lives for them.

Higher incomes mean happier kids, says study

Is this study really accurate or are there other factors that have to be considered. Money alone doesn't make good kids in my opinion but good parents make good kids regardless of income. The problem is that many people that are in the low income bracket have other issues that have led to their kids underachievers. How about education? It is hard for someone who has little education to help their kids be good learners when they lack the knowledge and ability to assist them.

All of the childcare advocates will be using this finding as ammunition in their pipe dream to provide national childcare programs. I contend that this won't make a difference in the lives of these kids if the financial aspect is going to be the reasoning behind it. The government can try and be all things to all people in this country, at the expense of the average tax payer who rarely sees a benefit from these programs or they can actually make policy that makes sense.

You can spend all the money you want on these social programs but if the kids don't have a healthy home environment then we are wasting our time. Some day in this country people are going to come to the realization that we have to take responsibility for our own lives and the lives of our children. Until we do that then no program will ever close the gap between the success rate of kids that are living in better social situations and those that are not.

Street Hockey Ban in Ottawa is Stupid!!!!!

I don't know what the hell is wrong with this city but the more I see this City Council in action the more depressed I get. Last week a By-Law Officer showed up on our street in Barrhaven to stop a bunch of kids from playing street hockey. According to City By-Law # 2003-530 section 93 Playing on Roadway Prohibited kids can't play any games on the street.

Someone on my street must have complained and to me that is even worse than the friggin by-law. If you live in a residential neighbourhood where there are lots of kids you should expect to see kids playing on the street. This is Canada after all and that is what kids do, they play on the street. Now don't get me wrong there has to be responsibility placed on the kids to enable traffic to pass with little or no delay. We all know what "car" means when we are out there playing our game. It is the same thing I did when I was a kid and it has worked for generations.

I know there is a request from Councillor Diane Holmes for a study to be done by staff to allow the playing of hockey on city streets. My question is why the hell do we need a study...just change the by-law and let the kids do what they have been doing on my street for the last number of years anyway.

This city is way too uptight and is in serious need of some councillors that have real life experience and common sense instead of these idealists we have there now. I can't wait until the next election so that we can rid ourselves of some of these whackos we have on council now.