[homeles_ot-l] FW: People for a Better Ottawa launches today: Protect city services and keep Ottawa inclusive and safe, say prominent Ottawans and community groups

Tue Nov 13 09:12:03 EST 2007

FYI

   _____  

From: David Robbins [mailto:david at organizingup.ca] 
Sent: November 13, 2007 9:09 AM
To: David Robbins
Subject: People for a Better Ottawa launches today: Protect city services
and keep Ottawa inclusive and safe, say prominent Ottawans and community
groups

French news release forthcoming

For immediate release

November 13, 2007

Protect city services and keep Ottawa inclusive and safe, say prominent
Ottawans and community groups 

New campaign to protect city services and take on province launches today

OTTAWA –Ottawans from all walks of life and community groups have teamed up
today to launch a new campaign to protect city programs and services and
challenge the logic of budget cuts.  

“Let’s be realistic,” said Lawrence Greenspon, noted human rights lawyer and
community activist. We all know that the only way to keep a “zero” budget is
to slash programs and services, but we can’t do that and expect Ottawa to
remain a healthy community.”

“I am proud to call Ottawa my home and to lend my support to this effort to
keep our city inclusive, safe and vibrant, and I encourage all Ottawans to
join with us,” Greenspon said.

Greenspon hopes that all Ottawans will add their name to the growing list of
residents who want to see Council preserve and enhance investments in city
social, health, arts and environmental services and programs.  A new
website, HYPERLINK "http://www.betterottawa.ca"www.betterottawa.ca, has been
created where people can add their name, get more information on Ottawa’s
city budgets and take action to protect our community’s quality of life.  

“The city budget reflects city values, and historically the people of Ottawa
value strong services that are improved and enhanced and accessible, not
slashed and eliminated,” said Brian Cornelius, Minister of First United
Church.  “Reduced services create greater inequalities among citizens and
grows poverty and in the long-term has devastating effect.  The cost of a
short-term “zero-increase” budget is too great.”

Greenspon and Cornelius are two of the prominent Ottawans getting behind the
new campaign launched today by People for a Better Ottawa (PBO).  PBO aims
to pressure City Councillors to reject calls to cut services in order to
reach a “zero” budget, a policy that makes little sense when the city’s
social and physical infrastructure is straining at the seams.  The list of
citizens is available at HYPERLINK
"http://www.betterottawa.ca"www.betterottawa.ca

Shellie Bird, child care activist and member of PBO, warned against
funnelling public funding into “partnerships” with corporations and
privatizing and outsourcing public services.  

“Privatization will only make things worse, so we propose a better way,”
Bird said.  “People for a Better Ottawa proposes to work closely with City
Council to build a real grassroots movement to pressure the provincial and
federal governments to step up to the plate.  The province must take back
the programs and services it downloaded onto municipalities in the 1990s,
and the federal government must put its huge surpluses to better use by
providing direct support to municipalities.”

People for a Better Ottawa is a broad-based coalition of individuals and
community groups across the city that wants to protect and enhance the
quality of life for all residents.  Membership is open to all who share the
group’s goals.  PBO has a Facebook group of over 150 members, and counting.

PBO’s multi-year grassroots campaign will channel positive support for City
Council to invest in the social, health, artistic and environmental programs
and services that make Ottawa a great place to live.  The campaign aims to
mobilize public opinion in Ottawa over the coming weeks as Council discusses
and decides the 2008 city budget.  

HYPERLINK "http://www.betterottawa.ca"www.betterottawa.ca

-30-

 Contact:

Lawrence Greenspon, 613 288 2890

Brian Cornelius, 613 232 1016

Shellie Bird, People for a Better Ottawa, 613 233 0228

David Robbins, People for a Better Ottawa, 613 878 1431

List  of Signatories as of Nov. 13:

Caroline Andrew

Centre on Governance, University of Ottawa

Elizabeth Bowen

Former President, Canadian Unitarian Council

Ed Broadbent

Former Parliamentarian

Garth Bulmer

Minister, St John’s the Evangelist, Anglican

Brian Cornelius

Minister, First United Church of Ottawa, Member of the General Executive of 

The United Church of Canada

Marion Dewar

Former Mayor, City of Ottawa

Lawrence Greenspon

Human rights lawyer and community activist

Chris Henderson

President, Lumos Energy

Ria Heynen

Social justice worker (First Unitarian Church), member of the Raging
Grannies

Peter Honeywell

Executive Director, Council of the Arts in Ottawa

Oren Howlett

President, Carleton University Graduate Students’ Association

Rashmi Luther

Community activist and Professor of Social Work, Carleton University

Gilles Marchildon

Director of Communications & Development World University Service of Canada
(WUSC)

Former Executive Director, Égale

Shelley Melanson

President, Carleton University Students’ Association

Alex Munter

Executive Director, Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa

Abdul Rashid

Pastoral Care volunteer, Ottawa Hospital

Christian Rouillard, Ph.D.

Professeur agrégé/Associate professor, Université d’Ottawa/University of
Ottawa

École d’études politiques/School of Political Studies

Anne Squire

Theologian and former Moderator, United Church of Canada

Janet Stavinga

Former Mayor, Goulbourne Township

Dick Stewart

Former Commissioner, Social Services, Regional Municipality of
Ottawa-Carleton

Former Manager of People Services, City of Ottawa

Lynne Browne 
Coordinator, Alliance to End Homelessness 
147 Besserer Street, Ottawa ON  K1N 6A7 
613-241-7913 x 205, lbrowne at ysb.on.ca 
www.endhomelessnessottawa.ca 

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