Larry O’Brien

This past week when faced with back-to-work legislation the ATU agreed to go to binding arbitration with everything including scheduling and that is a good thing.

During the binding arbitration everything we wanted to negotiate will be on the table and frankly, we are pleased with this because it is the best possible outcome in light of impasse we had reached. This afternoon the ATU 279 ratified the agreement and yesterday Council approved the agreement so the strike is now over.

As Mayor of the City of Ottawa, I want to thank Minister Baird and Minister Ambrose for their responsiveness and quick action when it was clear that the ATU and the City were not going to reach a negotiated settlement.

Once the union was clear that legislation was coming, they called and we agreed that we should accept the full binding arbitration without conditions.

This means their scheduling condition and our financial envelope conditions were set aside. Now independent arbitrators will deal with the entire proposal.

This strike was hard on all of us in Ottawa and certainly, there are never winners in a work stoppage of this magnitude. The citizens of Ottawa have been very resilient and they have come up with innovative ways to get back and forth to work with car-pooling becoming a common practice. City staff have responded well getting over $700,000 in emergency funding out to Community Resource Centres and other community organizations.

But most importantly it was you the citizens, who went the extra mile to help your friends and co-workers, who are the heroes of this strike. I thank you very much for stepping up to the plate during the past 51 days.

One question I do get is: what was this strike all about and why did it last so long?

During public service strikes you face dilemmas and the need to balance issues; this bus strike was no exception.

The hardship inflicted on our most vulnerable citizens was visible to all of us and added almost unbearable pressure on Council to cave in to every single union demand.

Students, seniors, people living in isolation, single moms and the working poor were having their lives altered by this strike and the union was counting on Council to fold and give in completely to their demands.

On the other side of the ledger was the need to run OC Transpo in an efficient and safe way. It was the battle of economic efficiency vs. social equity at its most base level. Council and I wanted to ensure that management, not the union, was in fact in control of our OC Transpo operation and that wage increases and benefits were fair during these tough economic times.

Unlike what many people think, the issue of scheduling was not the only issue preventing a deal – we were also far apart on wages and benefits.

Moreover, we wanted to make certain that drivers would not be on the road if they did not have eight hours rest between shifts.  After all, we are responsible for both the public safety of our community and the spending of your tax dollars.

That the union’s approach is one of dedicated self-interest is understandable. That is their role and they do their job with energy and enthusiasm. They also have a clear and single focus—get the best deal possible.

On the other hand, Council is required to balance public good and financial sustainability while at the same time negotiating a contract during a strike that affects our citizens. We negotiate while thousands of people have to change their lives. We hear the stories and feel the pain, since that is our job.

It was time to end the strike but not at all costs, and especially not at the cost of public safety.

Work rest rules – eight hours between shifts

We will continue to pursue regulation changes with Transport Canada to ensure our drivers are forced to have eight hours rest between shifts and never drive when fatigued.

Council is still seeking a regulations change from the federal government to impose this work rest rule of eight hours rest between shifts and we understand that review is underway that could remove parts of the excerptions that have created this situation.

Our interest was always to end this strike in a manner that was fair and reasonable to the taxpayers of Ottawa. It is also our responsibility to get the buses back on the roads. Independent arbitrators will now solve this dilemma.

The process will last a few months but during that time public transit service will be back and the inconvenience will be over.  That is our number one priority - ensure our buses are safe and then return service to residents as quickly as possible.

We will also look at different options to prevent transit strikes from occurring again in our Nation’s Capital and, at the very least, limit the amount of service disruption should it occur again.

Council has repeatedly shown that we are more than willing to work with the ATU to end this transit strike.

All along we have been listening carefully to the ATU. We have responded to the concerns they expressed and we have done so with a clear consensus of Council. We have taken many steps to show we are willing to compromise to find a solution that is reasonable and fair for both the taxpayers and the drivers.

We have increased our economic offer from 7.25% to 9.25% over three years. We have moved our position on scheduling to focus on safety only and we have as a result removed the $2,500 productivity bonus. We have discussed and agreed on new terms relating to outsourcing of services. We have been involved in a one-way negotiation and the ATU has failed to put a single idea on the table to try to solve this strike.

Since December we have significantly altered our position three times, but all we get in return from the ATU is “No”. If the ATU truly wants to work with us, they most also show they are willing to compromise and revise their mandate.

Today Council did a lot of work in-camera. We reviewed many options and remain committed to getting safe and reliable transit back for the residents of Ottawa as soon as possible. The single motion we passed in open session is a challenge to ATU to get back to the table and start negotiating in good faith.

It’s about time we had some discussions that do not start with the word NO!

We welcome the news today about additional infrastructure spending. This will not only provide a economic stimulus, but will have a lasting effect on our city as we struggle to address the infrastructure gap.

We are ready to move forward quickly with our priority projects to start building a better city and creating new jobs in these tough economic times.

I am very pleased to see a commitment to reduce personal income tax by $20 billion. Getting more money in the hands of consumers will stimulate our local economy and reducing the tax burden will help those who are facing financial hardship.

Reducing corporate taxes will allow employers in the City of Ottawa to focus on recovery plans and free up some needed capital to restructure as they weather the economic storm.

Our long-term recovery will come from the private sector so the combination of more money in people’s pockets and a lower tax burden on employers will help speed up that recovery.

New money for  social housing will ensure that those who need the most help have clean and safe homes. The City of Ottawa is ready to move forward on important investments to expand and repair our social housing and we welcome the added financial assistance contained in today’s budget.

Homeowners should get ready to benefit from the Home Renovation Tax Credit that will provide up to $1,350 in tax relief for home renovations between Jan. 27, 2009, and Feb. 1, 2010. It’s like an individual stimulus program and will help many residents improve energy efficiency or make other nessessary repairs.

I was also pleased to see $407 million in new investments into VIA rail to improve connections between communities including those towns and cities that neighbour Ottawa.

The specifics will come in the days ahead, but Ottawa is ready to work with the federal government to get work started right away and create and protect jobs in our community.

It was my pleasure this morning to welcome Sir Richard Branson to Ottawa as they launched his new station Virgin Radio 106.9.

He is a larger-than-life personality who obviously enjoys the most out of life. I wished him luck on his Ottawa venture and I welcome his unique marketing flair to our Capital.

He had a busy day planned. After the press conference this morning, Sir Richard was heading over to Lansdowne Park to kick some soccer balls. Speaking of soccer, I had the opportunity to have dinner with the Major League Soccer (MLS) Commissioner Don Garber and MLS President Mark Abbott last night.

They are here to scout out our city for a potential MLS team and met with Eugene Melnyk and his executive team to talk about the possibilities. Yesterday evening we had dinner at the Westin Hotel where the Executive Chef Nelson Borges, who happens to be a big soccer fan, put together special gift baskets in their rooms featuring a chocolate soccer ball on a soccer field cake. The General Manager of the Westin John Jarvis also gave them a warm welcome to Ottawa.

Executive Chef Nelson Borges was obviously voting with his baking skills and made it clear he was a big soccer fan. Well done - you certainly made them feel very welcome in Ottawa. This morning we met again and they presented the City with a formal proposal that City staff will review thoroughly in order to make a recommendation to Council.

Soccer is a global sport and it also appears to be very popular in Ottawa. Where do you stand on this issue? I would love to hear your comments about soccer. Is it a good idea?  Do you or your children play? Would you buy tickets to see professional soccer in Ottawa?  Make your thoughts know right here on my blog.

Council has choices to make and your ideas are most welcome.  Join us in the debate!

Please see below a press release I put out today regarding the proposal to bring MLS to Ottawa.

For immediate release:
January 27, 2009

Mayor welcomes the interest of MLS and Senators Sports Entertainment to bring professional soccer to Ottawa

OTTAWA- Today Mayor Larry O’Brien met with Ottawa Senators Owner Eugene Melnyk, representatives of Senators Sports Entertainment, Major League Soccer (MLS) Commissioner Don Garber, MLS President Mark Abbott, City Manager Kent Kirkpatrick and Deputy City Manager Nancy Schepers to review details of a proposal to bring professional soccer to the Nation’s Capital.

The City Manager has received a formal proposal from the group that includes a new soccer specific stadium, a hotel, a retail component, entertainment and community sports facilities. The MLS proposal is slated to come before Committee and Council with an evaluation and recommendation from City staff in early spring.

“The fact that Senators Sports Entertainment, Eugene Melnyk and MLS are looking at Ottawa as a potential venue for professional soccer is a huge positive for our City,” said Mayor O’Brien. “We now have two world-class proposals that see the private sector and professional sports wanting to help grow and improve the Nation’s Capital.”

The MLS bid comes at the same time as the City of Ottawa is considering another major development proposal, Lansdowne Live, by a group consisting of Jeff Hunt, Roger Greenberg, John Ruddy and Bill Shenkman who have submitted plans that would bring a Canadian Football League team to Ottawa and see a revitalization of Lansdowne Park.

As directed by Council, staff are still undertaking a review of the Lansdowne Live proposal and will report back to Council on their findings.

“We are very fortunate to have two good opportunities to build legacy projects in the City of Ottawa,” said Mayor O’Brien. “Now we have a responsibility to evaluate both proposals and make the best decision for the citizens of Ottawa.”