Screw the River: Councillor

[TransitZilla]

I always thought Gord Hunder was a moron, but he's reached a new level of stupidity in my book. This is something I would expect to read in the Onion...

Build Swimming Pool with Sewage Cash: Hunter
Josh Pringle
Friday, September 5, 2008

An Ottawa City Councillor suggests taxpayers are flushing $100 million down the drain.

Gord Hunter is questioning a plan to spend $100 million to fix-up Ottawa's aging sewage infrastructure and reduce the flow of raw sewage into the Ottawa River.

Hunter told CFRA's Afternoon Edition with Rob Snow the issue needs to be looked at to determine whether it's a "wise-use" of taxpayers money.

He adds no one knew the problem of raw sewage flowing into the Ottawa River existed until the City of Ottawa set up a beach at Petrie Island.

The Federal and Ontario governments have committed $68 million to a plan to reduce the flow of raw sewage into the Ottawa River. City Staff will present a report later this year on options to improve the sewer system. The first phase will see $30 million spent to install Real Time Regulators on the sewage system.

Hunter says Ottawa could take five per cent of the $100 million and build the biggest and best swimming pool in Ottawa's east end, adding the one thing not going into the Ottawa River would be people.

[Aylmer]

Time for the funny farm!

seriously, this guy is off the rails, lost his marbles,
has waddled out of the map, has left the room,
is fighting without a stick.

[Ottawade]

So, anyone want a freely-elected SSP forum coup d'etat? I'll take centertown!

[Aylmer]

Dibs on Byward!

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

Gimme until Christmas, then I can make West Wellington mine.

[vid]

In 1906, the town council of Fort William decided that a sewage system wouldn't bring any revenues to the community, therefore it was an unwarranted luxury. At the same time, the east end of Fort William was described by a journalist from Toronto as "a slum worse than those of India". They had ditches several feet deep, full of human waste, and as many as 25 people living in a house on a 25 foot lot. Today, Thunder Bay doesn't put any untreated sewage into waterways. Why should Ottawa?

I'd tell you that man is an idiot, but I see you've already been there. Carry on.

[Ciemny]

I'll Take the Lincon Fields area. Storm Troopers to follow to keep NIMBYs in check.

[Cre47]

Originally Posted by bradnixon

I always thought Gord Hunder was a moron, but he's reached a new level of stupidity in my book. This is something I would expect to read in the Onion...

This guy really needs to go. The people of Knoxdale-Merivale Ward really need to have a much better representative/voice then him. His performance since the elections has been terrible in addition of having no vision at all for this city.

[m0nkyman]

Originally Posted by Ottawade

So, anyone want a freely-elected SSP forum coup d'etat? I'll take centertown!

I'll take centretown south.

What?

There will be two centretown wards after the coup!

[TransitZilla]

He just can't help himself.... story in today's Sun:

Wed, September 10, 2008

Idea off deep endCouncillor wants to spend cash on giant swimming pool instead of river cleanup
By DEREK PUDDICOMBE, SUN MEDIA

Coun. Gord Hunter says spending millions of tax dollars to clean up the Ottawa River is a "knee-jerk" reaction and building a massive recreational swimming pool in the east end is a better solution.

Hunter said the city, province and federal government are spending a lot of money that won't fix the problem of raw sewage flowing into the river.

"We are still going to get closures at Mooney's Bay and Westboro beaches," he said.

"Sewage, which helps the plant life along the Ottawa River, could continue as present. This is an awful lot of money to be spent on a very minor problem."

The federal and provincial governments have given the city more than $100 million for infrastructure projects in the past month, including the $30 million needed to install real-time controls in five downtown sewers to stop any unintended sewage spills into the river.

PETRIE A MISTAKE

Hunter said it was a mistake to build a beach at Petrie Island in the first place because of its position on the Ottawa River shoreline.

"The beach at Petrie Island was not a good idea," he said.

Hunter said last week on CFRA that the city should have built a big pool at Petrie Island rather than a beach.

"We could take probably 5% of all that money and build the biggest, best outdoor swimming pool down in the Orleans area, probably on Petrie Island itself, and satisfy all the people with their swimming needs and the one thing that wouldn't have to go into the Ottawa River is people," said Hunter.

Even if the city manages to contain sewage spills and overflows from storm sewers, Hunter says there will still be naturally created contaminants.

"Geese are a problem and other factors including poop that doesn't get scooped," said Hunter. "There is a problem that includes natural factors."

Hunter says the beaches are ready for swimmers only a day or two after having been closed due to high levels of E. coli.

'KNEE-JERK'

"I think a lot of knee-jerk is coming into this," he said. "It's a temporary problem. Two days later the beaches are open again."

Coun. Peter Hume, chairman of the city's planning and environment committee, said residents are demanding the Ottawa River be cleaned up and that's what the city is reacting to.

"The city is entering into a long-term commitment to improve the Ottawa River," said Hume. "It's not a knee-jerk reaction. That's probably the wrong term."

With more development along the Ottawa River shoreline, there is more scrutiny about the quality of the waterway and the amount of raw sewage that spills into it, Hume said.

"People find it not acceptable," he said.

City treasurer Marian Simulik suggested to committee the extra cash from the province and feds might allow council to claw back about 7% of the 9% water rate tax increase council approved last year.

DEREK.PUDDICOMBE@SUNMEDIA.CA