KANATA NORTH NEWS Marianne Wilkinson Councillor, Kanata North TRANSIT ISSUES

Last week the Amalgamated Transit Union local 279 went on strike after union negotiators rejected the Citys final offer. Negotiations had begun in the spring, at which time the City prepared a roadmap to have a contract by Labour Day, but that was rejected by the union. The union negotiators also did not distribute the Citys final offer to their members nor take a vote on it, leading to the strike. The strike combined with snow and freezing rain has made for difficult morning commutes for many, and left people without access to a car completely stranded. When the union president said they were seeking maximum inconvenience he certainly meant it. I understand what a frustrating situation the strike creates for much of our community and urge you to help those who need transportation. There are many residents who do not own a car and cant afford a taxi and could use a hand to get groceries or go to school or appointments. For your information you can see the Citys offer and a Q & A on the scheduling issue on the Citys website, www.ottawa.ca. The Citys offer includes salary increases of 3% retroactive to April 1, 2008, 2% on April 1, 2009 and 2% on April 1, 2010. Sick leave without a doctors certificate has been increased to 8 days per year with the ability to bank up to 12 days. For illnesses with a doctors certificate they have up to 17 weeks per year at 90% salary following which they would go on long-term disability payments. The scheduling issue is complex but basically limits hours of work to 14 hours per day with a minimum 8-hour rest daily and a required day of rest per bi-weekly period (some drivers in picking their schedule times exceed these). There are also a number of other improvements to their benefits and allowances. As you may be aware, the primary area of concern is scheduling. This is a safety issue as well as a financial one. The City is offering to work with an ATU representative to resolve any scheduling issues, and will continue to respect the seniority rights of members of ATU local 279. Details on the scheduling are in a memo to the union president on the Citys website. I am hopeful that this strike will soon be resolved and I support the city and the union getting together to discuss the impasse and work towards a solution. In the meantime, Paratranspo services are still available although experiencing delays due to traffic. Suggestions on coping can be found on the city website.

BUDGET 2009
Newspaper reports have indicated that I voted against the budget and from this people have inferred that I did not support items like outdoor rinks and culture. That is not the case. The omnibus motion put forward was designed to cut all further debate or motions, including one I supported to add funding for six new outdoor rinks including one at Walden Park (Ive been dealing with staff subsequently and funding is being found for that rink). The motion was in two parts. The first was to approve the budget with a 4.9% increase with changes as detailed in Appendix A. I voted against that motion as I felt there were further savings to be made that would not jeopardize services. Since the police had found savings that reduced the tax demand by .5% the maximum should not have exceeded 4.4% and I believe we could have found at least another 1% saving. Appendix A was a list of cuts, deferrals, and reinstatements including funding for childcare, the arts, outdoor rinks and housing and reductions in charges for youth rentals of arenas and playing fields. I voted in favour of each of these items except for the last one, which was to take $8.2 million from the funds to maintain our infrastructure. When the omnibus motion was put forward there was a motion to call the question, which passed. This meant that no further items could be put forward, no amendments made nor could any Councillor or the Mayor speak on the matter. It my mind that is using rules to stifle a democratic debate. On Wednesday we dealt with the Capital budget. I put forward a motion to have any savings first used to replace the infrastructure funds of $8.2 million. It was followed by an omnibus motion to replace my motion that made some cuts and added other projects. The cuts were enough to fund the infrastructure with little over to start to build up our reserves. The first speaker moved to call the question and the motion passed. That meant no one could put any other item over for debate. I voted in favour of the Capital budget as I could support what was included and knew it would pass, however I am disappointed that other items could not be put forward for consideration. Since I couldnt make any changes under our rules when we moved to a final vote as Council I supported the final motion to approve the budget in order to move forward on other issues.

Serving the residents and businesses in Kanata North

To receive the Kanata North Newsletter, to deal with a concern or make a suggestion contact me at 613-580-2474, email Marianne.Wilkinson@ottawa.ca or through www.mariannewilkinson.com.