Stop ‘whining’ over bridge
Soooo. Some people are opposed to the foot bridge.
What these people are really saying is that they oppose spending on something they are unlikely to use frequently. If the NCC was to foot the bill they would be all for it.
Just look around and note the things that make this city such a great place to live.
Many of them arethanks to federal politicians, bureaucrats or agencies who had a vision and were not afraid to spend our tax dollars to achieve it.
The museums, NAC, much of the green space and most of the bike paths are all paid for by all Canadian taxpayers.
If it was left up to the municipal politicians we have been electing we would have none of this.
Shouldn’t we start paying for more of the things that make Ottawa a great place to live?
I moved to Ottawa from New Brunswick in the ‘70s. There was talk of a foot bridge then. There were the usual jurisdictional jealousies between the municipality, the region, the province, the NCC and Parks Canada.
And it was considered too expensive, at about $1 million . Obviously a lot of us want it. Well, it is not going to become more affordable if you keep putting it off.
So stop whining about how much things cost. They probably won’t be cheaper after the next election. The taxes collected now hardly pay for basic services.
If something like the foot bridge improves our quality of life, shut up and pay for it.
By the way, I think it should be named the Queen Juliana Bridge or the Princess Margriet Bridge.
Douglas Warnock
Elgin Street
Residents deserve better coverage
Centretown residents deserve better coverage of efforts to build the long-awaited bridge connecting Somerset Streets East and West than the front-page story in your final issue last April.
An accurate, balanced article would have acknowledged that the cost of the bridge pales beside that of the city’s annual car-related expenditures, instead of implying that the bridge somehow forces cuts to social programs.
Secondly, it would have noted that the bridge is a logical piece of the city’s plans for greater urban density and healthy, active transportation patterns.
Thirdly, it would not have labeled Coun. Diane Holmes as the bridge’s “driving force” without noting that there is strong community support for her efforts.
Finally, it would be appreciated if you used accurate headlines –– nowhere in this article did you demonstrate that opposition is in fact “growing”
Andrew Van Iterson
MacDonald Street