Larry O’Brien

On the eve of the tabling of the federal budget, the Governor General of Canada has given Canadians a sense of what is to be expected tomorrow and has also outlined the priorities of the Conservative government through the Throne Speech.

In these last few months the political environment has changed. World economic forces are impacting our economy and while we are in a better position to weather the storm than other nations, action must be taken to protect the livelihood of workers across Canada.

That is why I was pleased to see a commitment to fund infrastructure projects that will not only provide a economic stimulus, but will have a lasting effect on our communities as we struggle to address the infrastructure gap.

Cities like Ottawa need the support of both the provincial and federal governments to stimulate growth with long-term investments in infrastructure projects. That is why we have presented a list of projects that with shared funding from the federal and provincial governments we can begin almost immediately to create jobs and improve our city. We will also continue to seek funding for some of our larger and longer-term projects such as Ottawa’s new transit network, the Congress Centre and the redevelopment of Lansdowne Park.

The goal must be to react to the economic pressures in a fiscally responsible manner and to ensure that everyone, including the most vulnerable, can emerge from this period stronger and better prepared to seize opportunities in the future.

The government presented their priorities for this session of Parliament today and will take the next important step tomorrow with the federal budget. I encourage everyone to focus on the important job at hand and work together to restore Canada’s economy.

OTTAWA-Mayor Larry O’Brien welcomes today’s announcement, by Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities John Baird, aimed at creating jobs and stimulating the economy with $4 billion in new infrastructure spending.

Earlier this month the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) released a list of 1,000 construction-ready infrastructure projects in preparation for the upcoming federal budget. These infrastructure projects range from simple rehabilitation to major new construction and would create over 150,000 jobs across Canada.

“The City of Ottawa needs be in the best possible position to take advantage of this new funding from the federal government as soon as it becomes available in order to maintain and repair the City’s existing infrastructure, support local industries and create jobs in the community,” said Mayor O’Brien.

Last week the Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee directed staff to work with members of Council to develop a comprehensive, priority list of all ready-to-go City projects, including public transit, to be approved by Council on February 11th, 2009. This list of projects has the potential to create over 6,000 new jobs in the City of Ottawa.

“I’m pleased to see that the federal government is working to accelerate the application process in order to get the projects completed in our community as quickly as possible in 2009 and 2010,” said Mayor O’Brien. “This provides us with the opportunity to help our economy now and it is our responsibility to ensure we are ready to benefit from this new investment.”

We are very disappointed that talks have ended once more with ATU 279.

We believe that our offer was both fair and reasonable. It is quite astonishing in these harsh economic times that an offer of 7.25% over three years and the means to allow OC Transpo to become a more efficient bus system is being turned down.

I hear the heartbreaking stories from members of our community as they deal with this difficult situation. It is time to double our efforts to find a fair and reasonable solution that protects the long-term sustainability of our transit service and brings the buses back as quickly as possible.

The negotiating team has been asked to work through the weekend to review the union’s latest demands and present a detailed update for Council to consider at our meeting on Monday, January 26.

I would also like you to send me your thoughts on the strike and make sure to send your views to members of Council as well.

What are your thoughts on the issues of work-rest rules for example?

There is more then enough scientific evidence supporting the claim that being awake for 18 hours produces motor skill and mental skill deterioration equivalent to an intoxication level of .05. This level of intoxication is high enough to have a driver’s license temporarily suspended in Ontario. The current scheduling rules in the collective agreement contravene the safety regulations for transportation workers in Canada.

Because of a gap in federal and provincial regulations, OC Transpo is exempt from safety rules that limit the amount of time someone can work without sleep.

The guidelines are simple: a maximum workday of 14 hours, a minimum rest period of 8 hours between shifts and at least one full day of rest every two weeks.

Of the 60,000 commercial transportation companies in Canada only Ottawa, Gatineau and Windsor are exempt from safety rules that limit the amount of time someone can work without sleep.  Your Council is obligated to ensure the safety of the community. Safety is our number one responsibility.

Here is an example: Currently ATU members can schedule back-to-back 11-hour shifts on a Saturday or a Sunday and there is nothing management can do to stop it. This is dangerous.

Your Mayor will not compromise on the issue of safety in our community.

Some are expressing concerns about the news blackout regarding any negotiations between the City and ATU. First off, it is the goal of the City of Ottawa to reach a negotiated settlement with ATU 279 as quickly and as effectively as possible.

As announced yesterday (Please click here to read my statement), both sides are carrying on informal discussions with the mediator present to bring an end to the strike.

It is clearly important to have these conversations to determine the best way to end this as quickly as we can. These discussions need to be focused, confidential and certainly not negotiated in the media. It is the opinion of both parties that negotiating in the media does little to further our progress in ending the strike.

I agree with the position taken by our negotiators. But I also feel it is very important to keep the citizens of Ottawa, who are suffering as a result of this strike, informed on any significant progress and we commit to doing so.

The good news is that we are talking. The bad news is that this strike continues to disrupt our lives. Your Councillors and I see the effects of this strike daily and we understand the hardships being suffered by many in our City. I can assure you that City staff and Council are working hard to mitigate the effects of this strike.

For example, yesterday City Council increased the mitigation budget by $500,000 to make relief available through our community resource centres and other agencies.  More relief will be made available as and when needed, but I ask if you or anyone you know is experiencing financial or social hardship as a result of this strike to call 3-1-1 to see if you qualify for strike assistance.