So Harper is acting all smug and tough in Davos, isn’t he?

Although short on details, Mr. Harper’s speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday made clear the sweep of his ambition. He will change how Canadians finance their retirement. He will overhaul the immigration system. He will make oil and gas exports to Asia a “national priority” and aggressively pursue free trade in India and Europe.

Sigh. I agree with most of that but too bad no one in Davos is calling him on the G8 slush fund, the In and Out scandal, abandoning the environment to oil companies, corporate welfare enhancements, etc., etc.

Message to the Cons – the pendulum will swing back one day – and it will smack you right in the forehead!

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It’s All Star weekend in Ottawa! So why aren’t I smitten? I dunno, but I guess I’m getting more cynical as I get older and see these things more as money-making circuses and less like celebrations of the game.

Am I becoming a curmudgeon?

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Good to see that the OC Trashpo head, Alain Mercier has backed down from his “you’ll get GPS data when I say you can” stance -,albeit under enormous political pressure from both some Transit Commissioners (thank you Councillor Tierney!) and the public at large.

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Hens in the backyard? Why not, as long as there are strict controls in place and enforced. I grew up on a hobby farm where we had fresh eggs every day. Nothing like them.

There is a movement building in O Town to convince Council into changing the City Bylaw that prohibits the keeping of backyard hens. Keeping hens in an urban setting is not exactly an unusual practice and provides food for a household and education for the little ones. If done properly, there is little noise and no smell.

Check out this link to see how a successful urban hen policy can work.

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So, O Canada ranked 4th out of 6 national anthems examined in a British study…. in terms of sing-along-ablily, that is…

I’m not surprised at all… The ol’ Soviet National Anthem rocked… didn’t understand a freakin’ word, of course.

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

…and its indefensible position on the use of bus GPS data is getting more print space.

Good article.

If there’s any light at the end of this tunnel, it’s that others at City Hall are starting to speak out. A number of transit commissioners made it very clear they were not on board with OC Transpo’s protectionist views of the transit data. Kudos to councillors Marianne Wilkinson and Tim Tierney, among those who took transit management to task. Indeed, it took this issue to spur civilian-commissioner Emily Rahn to make her very first public statement.

As residents of Ottawa, we shouldn’t have to beg for access to officials, nor for the data that’s collected on our behalf with our money. On the other hand, as taxpayers we also have to be willing to pay for that access, whether it’s footing the bill for proper public consultations or forgoing a little cash in the name of open data.

C’mon Mercier! Get with the program!

And double kudos to Councillors Tierney and Wilkinson!

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

OC  Transpo wants to keep the GPS data all to themselves – it’s all about the money!

The head of OC Transpo told Ottawa’s transit commission the transit provider didn’t want to make information about bus locations and other data open to the public until it could determine how much money could be made using the data.

OC Transpo general manager Alain Mercier had told the transit commission the data would be made available in keeping with the city’s push to become a municipality that shares its data openly.

Um. Not meaning to be picky or anything, but… don’t we – the taxpayers and riders – pay for the operation of OC Transpo – GPS data and all?

Whatta crock. Improved location data accessed and used by an app developed by a third-party is the best and fastest way to go on this. Service improvement would be the result.

But no one can really claim Ottawa’s transit system to be the best or the fastest, have they?

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So Rick Perry is out of the GOP race in the States and he has thrown his support behind the Newt-meister…

Personally, I have been cheering hard and madly for Perry, and Bachmann, Santorum, et al. All complete kooks that Obama could easily swipe aside in the upcoming election. I mean, these boneheads make even Jason Kenney look normal!

Check this out. There was a CNN hosted debate last night where the moderator asked Newt about some extramarital boo-yaws that might have been going down. Immediately,they go after the moderator.

In his opening question, King asked Gingrich whether he wanted to respond to allegations by an ex-wife that he had asked her for an “open marriage” that would allow him to continue an affair he was having with a staffer.

“I think the destructive, vicious, negative nature of much of the news media makes it harder to govern this country, harder to attract decent people to run for office, and I am appalled that you would begin a presidential debate on a topic like that,” the former House speaker replied icily amid cheers from the audience at the North Charleston Coliseum.

Gingrich, describing the story as false, said he was “tired of the elite media protecting Barack Obama” by attacking potential Republican opponents. That won a standing ovation — though it was hard to judge whether he had succeeded in defusing the issue among the Palmetto State’s conservative voters.

Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, said he was grateful for God’s forgiveness but indicated the topic was legitimate. “What we did in our lives are issues of character for people to consider,” he said.

Yup. The wahoos are handing Obama this election on a platter! Or, as Kinsella put it this morn’:

The Winner?

You could not do better than this if you planned it: no clear winner in the Republican field, with assorted extremists doing well, and the one moderate doing badly.

And this all happens without you lifting a finger. Not bad.

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Wow! There are/were Russian spies in Canada??? Ain’t that outlandish!

Not.

C’mon. Let’s be realistic. The Superpowers like Russia, the U.S. and China have never, ever left espionage behind in spite of the collapse of the Soviet Union and all of the other geopolitical changes that have taken place in the past couple of decades. So this should not shock too many people. I’m actually surprised that this doesn’t happen more often!

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Sarah Burke’s untimely demise is a sad story. But she lived on the edge and the edge bit back.

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There’s a great idea! Make Canada’s already sparse rail service even sparser (sp?). Who needs a passenger train service anyways? What with air travel so convenient and cheap and gasoline prices at such affordable levels – who needs trains???

I’m betting they will go ahead with these cuts – or privatization. It would not be out of line with the normal, short-sighted CPC thinking…

“”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"

Sooo… why is the OCDSB blocking this? And classifying atheism as a cult? Just a oversight, I’m sure… but one that should be fixed.

Tx to @onegoodpicture for this

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Lastly, one of my baseball heroes isn’t doing so well. Cancer is getting the best of former Expos catcher, Gary Carter. I was an Expos fan before the Blue Jays came along and remained one. But there were two Expos that I admired the most, Steve Rogers and Gary Carter.

Sending some positive mojo your way, Mr. Carter.

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

What a great idea!

As reported by the O dot, Ottawa’s bus service will soon included an executive fleet!

I’ll like not having to step over the vomit while exiting the 95 at Hurdman!

OC Transpo President Gilles DuMont hails the new transit option as a breakthrough in city transit service, and hopes people will enjoy the increased commitment to comfort and superior customer satisfaction within the new buses. “The new OC1 option will give riders a chance to actually get to their destination on time and without the inconveniences of regular route service, such as staring through a window covered in head grease or side stepping over a pool of vomit.” DuMont explained. The OC1 bus service will utilize a fleet of 10 new ultra-luxurious coach class buses imported from Switzerland and feature bone china and silverware meal service, beverage options and hot towel service from a tuxedo clad OC Transpo service attendant.

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

… is why OC Transpo just doesn’t “get” why it has an image problem.

Put aside singing drivers, yelling drivers, drivers on phones, etc. for a sec and just consider scheduling. This should be fairly simple. After thousands of runs, you’d think that the gurus who work for Mr. Mercier should have a handle on the number of buses needed on a certain route at a certain time of the day. Furthermore, one would assume that when these same gurus alter a route that has the effect of removing about 50 percent of the buses along a given stretch, that they would increase the frequency of the remaining route to make up for the loss.

But no, I am writing this post on a jam-packed 148. Been jam-packed since the middle of Kilborn, in fact. Standing room only and yes, some have been left at the curb.

This should have been foreseen.

We can only hope that when the gurus go back to their data in planning the winter route changes that it will dawn on them that adding a run or two might go a bit of a way in keeping we paying riders a bit happier.

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

…sucketh so mightily?

I have been keeping a log of OC Transpo misfires over the past little while. And I guess it’s time to publish them.

For the record, I didn’t log those trips that were only a minute or two late… no need to be THAT fussy, but still, the 148 is the local run through Alta Vista. Aside from the odd wheelchair and stroller, there really shouldn’t be much of a delay to Hurdman to make the 15:23 run back to Elmvale.

So, for what it’s worth:

Sept 22 Hurdman 148, 15:38 bus…driver laid up until 15:45 for no reason apparent reason. He seemed to be reading the Ottawa Sun.

Sept 27. 15:22 148 showed up at Hurdman at 15:32

Sept 29 Hurdman 148, 15:38 bus arrived at 15:48

Oct 13 14:23 148 7 minutes late.149
at 15:21 was a no show

Oct 13 8:15 149 at Haig and Pleasant Park was a no show.

Nov 4 – Hurdman 15:23 148 arrived at 15:29

Nov 7 – Hurdman 15:23 148 arrived at 15:30

Nov 8 – Hurdman 16:38 148 arrived at 16:43

Nov 15- Hurdman 15:23 148 arrived at 15:33

Not pretty, is it?

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

Then go to one of these Open Houses and express your concerns!

No guarantee that the staff or Councillors will listen and implement what they hear at these sessions, but if ya don’t open your gob about it now, it will be too late later!

Public Consultation

Please join us at an Open House, which will include a presentation and an opportunity to talk with OC Transpo staff about the proposed changes:

Open Houses

Tuesday, March 29th
5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m.
Ottawa City Hall, Jean Pigott Place, 110 Laurier Avenue West

Wednesday, March 30th
7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Presentation will begin at 8 p.m.
Kanata Recreation Complex, Hall B, 100 Walter Baker Place

Thursday, March 31th
7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Presentation will begin at 8 p.m.
Nepean Sportsplex, Halls C and D, 1701 Woodroffe Avenue

Monday, April 4th
7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Presentation will begin at 8 p.m.
Jim Durrell Recreation Complex, Ellwood Hall, 1265 Walkey Road

Tuesday, April 5th
7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Presentation will begin at 8 p.m.
Shenkman Arts Centre, Music Rehearsal Hall, 245 Centrum Blvd.

The approved route changes would be implemented September 4.

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

There were many (MANY!) service changes announced at today’s Ottawa Transit Commission meeting, but this one caught my eye.

Oh, and if you don’t live in the Alta Vista/ Elmvale Acres / Urbandale areas of Ottawa, you won’t care at all about this:

Route 149

Service would be reduced to operate only until approximately 8:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, with one late evening trip after retail closing time and evening classes. The service in the midday would be reduced to three trips. There would be no weekend service.

The red line below is the route along Pleasant Park Drive that the 149 runs along… and now weekend plus late night service is being eliminated…. to me, this is a bad decision.

While true that there seem to be more bus-dependent indivduals along Kilborn (the 148 route), this service reduction will leave a non-trivial number of families in a lurch on weekends.  Some will be able to walk south to Kilborn or north to Smyth, but this simply won’t be possible for many – especially in the winter.

OC Transpo should rethink this one. Perhaps a reduction in the number of weekend runs – but not the wholesale elimination.

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

So the Harperites have deemed it proper to once again “re-brand” something… this time, the nation’s name. Yup, no longer is the government of the land to be referred to as, well, the government of  “Canada”, but rather as “The Harper Government” (insert threatening music here).

I’m not making this up.

But I for one welcome this news! I see this as a major step forward for honest and open government! Gone are the days where the ReformCons masqueraded as the Government of Canada, because, face it -  they have never actually represented the majority of those of us north of the 49th.

While at this re-branding gig, might I suggest that we also consider the following:

• Harper Dry, the champagne of kool aid
• Harper Tire: the new money has a different image of Dear Leader for every denomination !
• The Royal Bank of Harper: just returning the favours done for the banks over the past 5 years.
• Harper’s Football League- maybe he will write a book about our sport now!

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James Travers passed away yesterday.

Look, we bloggers are nothing more than rank amateurs who stoop to (in the words of a journalist friend) give words away for free. Mr. Travers was a man whose work was worth it’s weight in gold.

I’ll miss his columns and send out my condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.

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I attended a very informative evening the other night on the future of early childhood education in Ottawa

The forum, entitled The future of public and non-profit childcare in Ottawa was lead by a panel representing some key players in our childcare network. One of the panelists was former OCDSB Chair, Cathy Curry. Theresa Kavanagh was also in the crowd of about 200ish attendees.

It is good to see public board Trustees engaging in this conversation. But what is really needed right now is leadership at the City level and a better coordinated strategy among the parents who serve on Boards of Directors. As early learning kicks into full gear in this province, there are going to have to be some innovative thinkers taking the helm.

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OC Transpo was crawling along through the downtown on Monday at a pace that was slow even for them. A few Tweets when hither and yon and it turns out that the delay was due to downtown garbage pick-up.

OK.

Is there not a way that the City, OC Transpo and the firms contracted to do the downtown commercial garbage collection can work together so that pick up can take p^lace OUTSIDE the rush hours periods? It cannot be THAT tough to coordinate this, can it?

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The latest in the Harperite follies:

OdaGate – faded away as Canadians moved to the next scandal:

The Conservatives have been in defensive mode since last week, when it was revealed that four senior members of the party, including two senators who sit in caucus, were charged by Elections Canada in connection with allegations that the Tories broke their advertising spending limits in the 2006 election.

Oh. That’s already old news too because now we see this:

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has apologized following revelations Thursday that his office used government resources to raise money for the Conservative party.

The allegations were raised by the New Democrats after they obtained a letter, sent Thursday by Kenney’s office on parliamentary letterhead, that was seeking $200,000 in donations to support a Tory strategy targeting “very ethnic” ridings.

James Kenney!!! – this couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. And he should resign. But he won’t. The ReformCons are once again declaring themselves above the law!

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

Why OC Transpo pulled the plug on a valuable tool for Ottawa commuters.

Seriously, why provide a way to improve customer service when you can make a few bucks from Cialis ads instead? Crazy, eh?

Or: “The 87 is late, are you? Find out for sure with Clear-blue early pregnancy tests”

Question 1

OC Transpo fully supports the open data contest and the implementation of technology that will improve customer service.  However, OC Transpo is currently working on a real time arrival project that will be fully integrated into the new technology platform as part of the next stop announcement system, as illustrated in the Transit Services IT Roadmap that has been approved by Council.  This will include enhancements to the current GPS system with the real time arrival to be operational by the end of this year.

As well, there are several issues related to the open data model, such as enabling third parties to deliver OC Transpo real-time bus arrival information, which if it were to continue, could create false expectations and negative results for our customers.  These third parties are not delivering real-time data but a forecast based on the data they have, which may or may not be consistent with what is happening in actual operations.  Control of real-time data by the transit authority is consistent with what other transit authorities throughout North America are doing, such as the Chicago Transit Authority.

Ownership is important.  The next bus arrival information provided needs to be identical in all platforms, be it on Mobile (SMS or mobile Web), Web or Phone (IVR).  Consistency can only be assured if OC Transpo controls the information relayed on each of these three mediums.

Further, ownership is very important for the revenue generation potential arising from future advertising and sponsorship opportunities.  If valuable OC Transpo information was to be disseminated by third-party providers, users would be split through different advertising channels – those of City partners with advertising contracts and those of advertisers buying space on third-party applications.

Question 2

OC Transpo is fortunate to already have internal resources at OC Transpo and IT Services, along with an external technical service provider whose help with these IT and technology issues is included in an existing contract.  In conclusion, consultants are not required in the provision of real-time data by OC Transpo.

Première question

OC Transpo apporte tout son soutien au concours des données ouvertes ainsi qu’à la mise en place d’outils technologiques visant à améliorer le service à la clientèle. Néanmoins, OC Transpo œuvre actuellement sur un projet de temps d’arrivée en temps réel, lequel fera partie intégrante du système d’annonce des arrêts de la nouvelle plate-forme technologique. Ce projet, qui devrait être en vigueur d’ici la fin de l’année, viendra améliorer le système GPS actuel.

Par ailleurs, plusieurs problèmes sont liés au modèle de données ouvertes, notamment la capacité qu’ont les tiers à transmettre les renseignements sur les heures d’arrivée des autobus. Si ces problèmes persistent, ils pourraient créer de fausses attentes et des résultats négatifs pour nos clients. En fait, ces tiers ne transmettent pas des données en temps réel, mais plutôt des prévisions fondées sur les données qu’ils possèdent, lesquelles peuvent être cohérentes ou non avec le déroulement réel des services. La gestion des données en temps réel par la société de transport correspond à la pratique des autres sociétés de transport en commun en Amérique du Nord, notamment la Chicago Transit Authority.

Il va sans dire que le droit de propriété est important. Les renseignements concernant l’arrivée d’un prochain autobus doivent être identiques sur toutes les plates-formes, que ce soit un téléphone cellulaire (SMS ou application Web), Internet ou un téléphone conventionnel (RVI). La cohérence ne peut être assurée que si OC Transpo vérifie les renseignements qui circulent sur chacun de ces trois vecteurs.

De plus, le droit de propriété est très important pour ce qui est du potentiel de recettes découlant des futures publicités et des possibilités de commandites. Si les précieux renseignements d’OC Transpo sont diffusés par des tiers, les usagers seront partagés entre différents canaux de publicité : ceux des partenaires de la Ville qui ont signé un contrat de publicité, et ceux des annonceurs qui achètent leur espace publicitaire sur les applications des tiers.

Deuxième question

OC Transpo se compte chanceux d’avoir accès à des ressources internes, à des services de TI ainsi qu’à des fournisseurs de services techniques externes, dont le soutien pour ce qui est des TI et des problèmes technologiques fait partie intégrante d’un contrat en vigueur. Bref, OC Transpo n’aura pas besoin des services de consultants pour fournir ses données en temps réel.

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario