Larry O’Brien

Before we adjourn I would like to make a brief comment to the citizens of Ottawa who I know are interested in the status of the transit strike.

Today Council received an update in-camera on the ongoing strike and has passed a resolution to provide additional supports regarding our mitigation measures.

Regarding the status of the strike I have a short statement that has been agreed to by both parties, the City and the ATU, which I will read before we adjourn and I will not be speaking to the media outside this chamber.

“Since last week, the parties have held informal discussions with the federal mediators in an effort to keep a dialogue open on a possible settlement. The parties have also agreed to a media blackout regarding these discussions.”

Regarding mitigation measures, we are continuing to implement supports previously approved by Council and we have today increased the financial assistance by $500,000. The first $200,000 approved by Council last week has been allocated to our social service partners and we continue to receive new requests for assistance.

The City continues to encourage those who are in need of support  to contact 3-1-1.

As I watched the inauguration ceremony today there was a sense of hope, a sense of optimism.

As President Obama said, 60 years ago his father would not be served in restaurants, but today his son became the 44th President of the United States of America. This shows that we have made great progress and I believe many of us share the hope that we will continue to move forward.

Today, January 20,2009, is an important day full of consequence for the world. It is a day that we will all remember for the balance of our lives. As an old friend once said to me: “One day the door will open and the future will walk in.” The future came through the door at noon today in Washington. Good luck President Obama. 

There is also some sadness in the day as I must say goodbye to Ambassador David Wilkins and his wife Susan.

The Ambassador was an exceptional Diplomat who served his country and Canada well with his open folksy charm and quick wit. From the south, he never quite warmed up to our climate.  One day he mentioned that he understood and was quite prepared to enjoy a white Christmas, but he did not expect a white Easter.

Over the past four years Ambassador Wilkins and his wife Susan have become good friends and both Colleen and I will miss them and wish them all the best.

Today the 107th Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan, Trooper Brian Richard Good of Ottawa, was laid to rest at the National Military Cemetery.

Trooper Good was a loving father to Jessica and Kayla, a devoted husband to Sandra and a committed soldier who proudly served our country.

As head of Council I want to convey our deepest sympathy to the friends and family of Trooper Good. I attended the funeral and it was sad and difficult for all.

To honour Trooper Good’s memory, donations to the Military Families Fund would be appreciated. For more information please click here.

Earlier today I made the following statement to the media:

Yesterday Nortel announced that they are seeking bankruptcy protection as they seek to recover from the financial pressures they are under.

Nortel is an important employer in Ottawa and has played an important part in our city’s development as a high tech centre.

Tech jobs are as important to Ottawa as the auto industry is to communities like Oshawa and Windsor.

I am pleased to see the federal government has committed $30 million to assist Nortel and hope that the provincial government will provide additional support to protect these jobs.

Being from that industry, I am very aware of how important Nortel is to our community. Therefore I recently I sent a letter to the federal and provincial government reminding them about the economic importance of the knowledge based economy to the Ottawa area.

I asked them to appreciate how important technology jobs are to the Ontario economy today and in the future, and to ensure sufficient investment and direct support for the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry.
Information and Communication Technology is directly related to both our productivity and competitiveness – and, by extension, our wealth and prosperity.

It is widely acknowledged today that ICT as an enabler of broad economic development has surpassed that of the value of the sector itself. As such, ICT will be a competitive tool for growth in the local and Canadian economy for the next several decades.

Due to the current economic environment only the federal and provincial governments have the financial resources available to invest in economic stimulus and the City of Ottawa will continue to provide support to our government partners and the employees of Nortel as we work through this challenge.