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Larry O'Brien (Canadian politician)
Encyclopedia
Lawrence Robert O'Brien (born July 19, 1949), was the 58th mayor of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He is also a current director of Calian Technologies Ltd. and its former CEO and chairman.
O'Brien attended Elmdale Public School, Fisher Park High School
, and graduated from Merivale High School
in 1968. He studied at Algonquin College
and graduated with a diploma in Technology in 1972. After graduating from Algonquin College
, O'Brien decided to work in the high technology sector that was taking off, and there met Terry Matthews
and Michael Cowpland
. He then joined Microsystems International Ltd. In 1975 he worked for the Communications Research Centre
and Motorola
Communications. O'Brien finally decided to launch his first company, called Insta-Call Ltd., which went bankrupt in 1979. From then to 1982, he was the general manager of reliability-testing firm Reltek Inc. in Kanata, subsequently leaving to open Calian Technologies Ltd, a staffing (outsourcing) service provider.
O'Brien left Calian as CEO and chairman in 2006 when he was elected mayor of Ottawa, but remains a director. He ran for re-election in 2010 but was beaten by former mayor Jim Watson.
O'Brien married Debbie Green in 1983, with whom he had two sons, Michael and Matthew, and divorced in 1995. O'Brien was re-married in 2008, to real estate agent Colleen McBride.
In July 2006, O'Brien announced he would be running for the office of mayor of Ottawa in the 2006 municipal election
, calling himself a centrist candidate.
One of the central points of his platform was a review of Ottawa's light rail expansion plans, delaying or even eliminating the full contract. He was critical of the secrecy of some of the elements of the project, as well as the effects the construction would have in areas such as the Albert and Slater street corridors, and the removal of some of the existing express bus services. In September 2006, O'Brien wrote a letter to the federal President of the Treasury Board
, John Baird
requesting a formal review of the project. This letter led to Baird withholding the $200 million federal funding until after the 2006 election in November.
During a candidates debate on September 13, O'Brien stated that one solution to the problem of homeless youth sleeping under a bridge was to replace them with a tourist kiosk. He also said homelessness could be solved through a "business-like look." These statements led to criticism from other candidates for mayor including Alex Munter
and Jane Scharf.
O'Brien promised to freeze municipal taxes over the next four years and make the city's finances more fiscally responsible. However, it was expected that the budget would raise close to $95 million over the next year; sparking debate as to which public services would experience a raise in user-fees and which services would be cancelled. O'Brien also promised tougher policy on safety issues such as violent crime and drug issues, and promised to increase the number of police officers. Further to O'Brien's campaign commitments on law and order, he also promised to eliminate the city's free crack pipe program. He also proposed introducing a by-law preventing people from sleeping in public places based on the Montreal by-law introduced in September 2006.
O'Brien said that he was in favour of the planned expansion of the Ottawa Congress Centre, which was halted by the City of Ottawa and the Ontario
Government.
He proposed making Ottawa a green leader in waste-to-energy
production by generating 5% of the city's electricity from waste and diverting 100% of the city's non-recycled waste from landfills. These plans included closing the Carp Road
landfill
site, which Waste Management
was then planned to double in size, and replacing it with three waste-to-energy facilities.
Before officially entering the mayoral race, O'Brien was in third place, with relatively low support in the polls. However, when Terry Kilrea
dropped out of the race for a council spot, O'Brien obtained most of Kilrea's votes. He climbed to second place in the polls, ahead of incumbent Bob Chiarelli
, then moved to first place ahead of challenger Alex Munter a few days before the election following an Ottawa Citizen
poll. In the municipal election on 13 November 2006, O'Brien won 47% of the vote and became mayor-elect of Ottawa with a margin of 30 000 votes ahead of Alex Munter. He subsequently stepped down as CEO and chairman of Calian while remaining a director for the company.
During the 2007 budget
discussions from January 8 to January 12, 2007, O'Brien voted against a passed motion that would have required city staff to implement two draft budgets including one with a tax freeze and another with a tax increase within the rate of inflation
. After several budget meetings, O'Brien criticized several councillors who were more in favour of a tax hike within the rate of inflation and also for not taking the procedures seriously. Councillors have later replied that O'Brien's comments do not improve the relations between the mayor and the City Council. On February 26, 2007 it was announced that the City, while recuperating surplus and reserve funds and hiking various user fees, will not increase property taxes that year.
The budget was approved unanimously by Council and resulted in a 4.9% tax increase including 1.4% coming from the police force
budget, 2% for the infrastructure levy and 1.5% from capital and operation costs. The budget also included a 7.5% OC Transpo
fare increase until 2010 and various user fee increases such as rents and parking spaces and various cost cuts. O'Brien and much of the Council had stated prior to the budget talks that cuts to essential services such as community centers, libraries and transit were unacceptable.
. The budget resulted in a 4.9% tax hike, defer some spending items and not proceeding with the arts and transit cuts proposed. O'Brien had criticized the surprise move by council calling it a "travesty" and added: "What I saw this afternoon was simply disgusting. They acted out of fear, not leadership". The budget process was occurring at the same time a 52-day transit strike at OC Transpo began.
who insisted on a degree of public consultation.
report that mentioned that if the project was cancelled there would be possible lawsuits by Siemens
totaling up to 1 billion dollars. O'Brien mentioned afterwards that he preferred to nix only the downtown section. On December 6, Ottawa Council voted 12-11 in favor of the pursuit of the project without building the section that would travel through downtown while adding an environmental assessment that would study the possibility of building underground tunnel
s under Albert
and Slater streets. O'Brien added that the money saved on the north-south line would be invested on developing the transitway
in the suburban areas. On December 13, he withdrew his support on the revised plan because the 400 million dollar funding by both the provincial and federal would not be returned before the contract deadline of December 15. O'Brien added that if the city signed the contract it would have been a risk. A new vote was held on December 14 and Council voted to derail the project by a margin of 13-11 with O'Brien and Rainer Bloess
who was absent in the previous vote, casting the additional votes against the project.
Cabinet Minister David Collenette
, in which it reviewed the city's transit issues and was commissioned to issue recommendations.
and a new downtown tunnel in which an environmental assessment study to be conducted whether light-rail or bus will use the tunnel. It has not yet been determined how this plan will be funded. A first phase with light rail from Tunney's Pasture to Blair Station via a downtown tunnel was approved in November 2008. A future section near Westboro requires more studies due to concerns by the National Capital Commission
and area residents on using light rail on the Ottawa River Parkway
.
announced its intention to introduce back-to-work-legislation following several breakdowns of talks between the Amalgamated Transit Union
, the city of Ottawa and a federal mediator. The strike happened during a time that the Federal Government was prorogued due to the 2008–2009 Canadian parliamentary dispute
, which may have prolonged the strike without risk of federally mandated resolution. The parties agreed to send the dispute issues such as sick days, work-rest rules and other benefits to binding arbitration.
On February 10, 2007, the Ottawa Citizen
reported sworn allegations from Terry Kilrea
, who had dropped out of the mayoral race on August 30, 2006, that O'Brien had met with Kilrea twice and offered him a financial inducement of up to $30,000 and a political appointment if Kilrea would withdraw from the race and support O'Brien. O'Brien was under investigation for bribery
by the OPP
since March 27, 2008 in connection with the allegations. The Ottawa Citizen reported that Terry Kilrea sent correspondence to the federal Minister of the Environment
John Baird
concerning a possible appointment if he dropped out of the mayoral race. On December 10, 2007, the OPP charged O'Brien for two offenses under the Criminal Code of Canada. O'Brien temporarily stepped aside during the trial; councillor Michel Bellemare
, served as acting mayor for two months. O'Brien contested the charges in court and on August 5, 2009, both charges against him were dismissed by Justice Douglas Cunningham, associate chief justice of Ontario’s Superior Court.
In April, 2007, O'Brien gave media interviews comparing panhandlers with pigeons. He suggested that if people stopped feeding them they would go away. He also accused the Mayor of Perth
of busing homeless people into Ottawa. The issue continued during the next few days with the Mayor of Perth, John Fenik, mentioned that O'Brien's comments were "dangerous because he takes a complex issue and makes it one dimensional". O'Brien's then-Chief of Staff Walter Robinson later clarified that O'Brien was making reference to the panhandling
issues in the downtown and Byward Market
areas.
O'Brien officially launched his campaign on September 8, 2010. O'Brien's campaign slogan is "Action over Politics", a deliberate contrast of O'Brien to main rival Jim Watson's extensive political career. O'Brien's campaign also announced that they would forgo the traditional lawn-signs in the campaign for a more "modern" approach. Another campaign theme for the O'Brien re-election bid has been that the mayor only has one vote (on city council) while citizens have two (one for mayor and one for their local councillor). The Ottawa Sun reported that O'Brien noted that in order to implement his agenda, he needs "councillors who think like him around the [council] table"
O'Brien has been largely critical of council for tax increases during his tenure as mayor. O'Brien's platform states that he wants to "give the Mayor, rather than staff, the authority to bring forward the city’s budget plan for debate.". O'Brien continues to set "zero" as a target for annual property tax increases while rival Jim Watson sets a tax increase cap at 2.5% per year.
O'Brien attended Elmdale Public School, Fisher Park High School
Fisher Park High School
Fisher Park High School is a closed High School in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.Located within a kilometer of Island Park Drive, Fisher Park's student population included children of many of Ottawa's wealthier citizens and a large contingent of Ottawa's Portuguese and Italian communities...
, and graduated from Merivale High School
Merivale High School
Merivale High School is a secondary school, located at the intersection of Merivale Road and Viewmount Drive in Nepean, Ontario, Canada. The school is known for its gifted student program, but also runs French Immersion programs and extensive visual art, music, and co-operative education...
in 1968. He studied at Algonquin College
Algonquin College
Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology is a publicly funded English-language college and member of Polytechnics Canada located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The college serves the National Capital Region and the outlying areas of Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec...
and graduated with a diploma in Technology in 1972. After graduating from Algonquin College
Algonquin College
Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology is a publicly funded English-language college and member of Polytechnics Canada located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The college serves the National Capital Region and the outlying areas of Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec...
, O'Brien decided to work in the high technology sector that was taking off, and there met Terry Matthews
Terry Matthews
Sir Terence Hedley Matthews OBE, FIEE, FREng is a Welsh business magnate, serial high tech entrepreneur, and Wales's first billionaire....
and Michael Cowpland
Michael Cowpland
Michael Cowpland is a British-born entrepreneur, businessman, and the founder and one-time president, chairman and CEO of Corel, a Canadian software company.-Early life:...
. He then joined Microsystems International Ltd. In 1975 he worked for the Communications Research Centre
Communications Research Centre
The Communications Research Centre Canada is a Canadian government scientific laboratory for research and development in the field of advanced telecommunications. For over 40 years, it has made significant contributions to the information and communications technology sector in Canada and abroad...
and Motorola
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
Communications. O'Brien finally decided to launch his first company, called Insta-Call Ltd., which went bankrupt in 1979. From then to 1982, he was the general manager of reliability-testing firm Reltek Inc. in Kanata, subsequently leaving to open Calian Technologies Ltd, a staffing (outsourcing) service provider.
O'Brien left Calian as CEO and chairman in 2006 when he was elected mayor of Ottawa, but remains a director. He ran for re-election in 2010 but was beaten by former mayor Jim Watson.
O'Brien married Debbie Green in 1983, with whom he had two sons, Michael and Matthew, and divorced in 1995. O'Brien was re-married in 2008, to real estate agent Colleen McBride.
2006 Ottawa mayoral race
Ottawa municipal election, 2006
The 2006 Ottawa municipal election was held on November 13, 2006, in Ottawa, Canada, to elect the mayor of Ottawa, Ottawa City Council and the Ottawa-Carleton Public and Catholic School Boards. The election was one of many races across the province of Ontario...
, calling himself a centrist candidate.
One of the central points of his platform was a review of Ottawa's light rail expansion plans, delaying or even eliminating the full contract. He was critical of the secrecy of some of the elements of the project, as well as the effects the construction would have in areas such as the Albert and Slater street corridors, and the removal of some of the existing express bus services. In September 2006, O'Brien wrote a letter to the federal President of the Treasury Board
Treasury Board
The Treasury Board is the Government of Canada's only statutory Cabinet committee and is responsible for the federal civil service much of the operation of the Canadian government. Among its specific duties are negotiating labour agreements with the public service unions and serving as Comptroller...
, John Baird
John Baird (Canadian politician)
John Russell Baird, PC, MP is a Canadian politician currently serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the cabinet of Prime Minister Stephen Harper....
requesting a formal review of the project. This letter led to Baird withholding the $200 million federal funding until after the 2006 election in November.
During a candidates debate on September 13, O'Brien stated that one solution to the problem of homeless youth sleeping under a bridge was to replace them with a tourist kiosk. He also said homelessness could be solved through a "business-like look." These statements led to criticism from other candidates for mayor including Alex Munter
Alex Munter
Alexander Mathias Munter is a former politician and journalist in Ottawa, Canada's capital city. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario....
and Jane Scharf.
O'Brien promised to freeze municipal taxes over the next four years and make the city's finances more fiscally responsible. However, it was expected that the budget would raise close to $95 million over the next year; sparking debate as to which public services would experience a raise in user-fees and which services would be cancelled. O'Brien also promised tougher policy on safety issues such as violent crime and drug issues, and promised to increase the number of police officers. Further to O'Brien's campaign commitments on law and order, he also promised to eliminate the city's free crack pipe program. He also proposed introducing a by-law preventing people from sleeping in public places based on the Montreal by-law introduced in September 2006.
O'Brien said that he was in favour of the planned expansion of the Ottawa Congress Centre, which was halted by the City of Ottawa and the Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
Government.
He proposed making Ottawa a green leader in waste-to-energy
Waste-to-energy
Waste-to-energy or energy-from-waste is the process of creating energy in the form of electricity or heat from the incineration of waste source. WtE is a form of energy recovery...
production by generating 5% of the city's electricity from waste and diverting 100% of the city's non-recycled waste from landfills. These plans included closing the Carp Road
Carp Road (Ottawa)
Carp Road is a rural road that runs between Fitzroy Harbour, Ontario and Stittsville, Ontario, through the village of Carp, Ontario.Carp Road is also known as Ottawa Road #5. In Stittsville the Carp Road ends at Stittsville Main Street...
landfill
Landfill
A landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...
site, which Waste Management
Waste Management, Inc
Waste Management, Inc. is a waste management, comprehensive waste, and environmental services company in North America. Founded in 1894, the company is headquartered in Suite 4000 at the First City Tower in Downtown Houston, Texas, in the United States....
was then planned to double in size, and replacing it with three waste-to-energy facilities.
Before officially entering the mayoral race, O'Brien was in third place, with relatively low support in the polls. However, when Terry Kilrea
Terry Kilrea
Terry Kilrea is an aspiring politician from Ottawa.-2003 election:Kilrea ran for mayor of Ottawa in the 2003 municipal election on a platform that included opposition to light rail expansion, opposition to official bilingualism, abolition of the ban on smoking in public places, and an increase of...
dropped out of the race for a council spot, O'Brien obtained most of Kilrea's votes. He climbed to second place in the polls, ahead of incumbent Bob Chiarelli
Bob Chiarelli
Robert "Bob" Chiarelli is a Canadian politician. He served in the Ontario Legislative Assembly from 1987 to 1997, and was subsequently re-elected to the legislature in 2010 after serving as regional chair and mayor of Ottawa from 1997 to 2006...
, then moved to first place ahead of challenger Alex Munter a few days before the election following an Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa Citizen
The Ottawa Citizen is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Canada. According to the Canadian Newspaper Association, the paper had a 2008 weekly circulation of 900,197.- History :...
poll. In the municipal election on 13 November 2006, O'Brien won 47% of the vote and became mayor-elect of Ottawa with a margin of 30 000 votes ahead of Alex Munter. He subsequently stepped down as CEO and chairman of Calian while remaining a director for the company.
2007 budget
During the week of December 18, the City of Ottawa reported that it could face a 105-million dollar shortfall on the 2007 budget which is equivalent to an 11% tax increase. During the campaign O'Brien promised a no-tax hike policy, but with a larger shortfall than anticipated, he mentioned that it would be not a guarantee.During the 2007 budget
Budget
A budget is a financial plan and a list of all planned expenses and revenues. It is a plan for saving, borrowing and spending. A budget is an important concept in microeconomics, which uses a budget line to illustrate the trade-offs between two or more goods...
discussions from January 8 to January 12, 2007, O'Brien voted against a passed motion that would have required city staff to implement two draft budgets including one with a tax freeze and another with a tax increase within the rate of inflation
Inflation
In economics, inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time.When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services. Consequently, inflation also reflects an erosion in the purchasing power of money – a...
. After several budget meetings, O'Brien criticized several councillors who were more in favour of a tax hike within the rate of inflation and also for not taking the procedures seriously. Councillors have later replied that O'Brien's comments do not improve the relations between the mayor and the City Council. On February 26, 2007 it was announced that the City, while recuperating surplus and reserve funds and hiking various user fees, will not increase property taxes that year.
2008 budget
In August 2007, the City was facing a significant budget shortfall of over $80 million for the year 2008. Despite his engagement for a tax freeze, O'Brien proposed a 2% tax-levy until 2010 for infrastructure projects which would give an additional $180 million in revenues for the city. He also presented a motion in which he would acquire more municipal responsibilities (such as city contracts and hiring) in an attempt to improve the control of city expenses which increased rapidly since the 2001 amalgamation. and later presented a financial plan including measures proposed to make the city more cost-effective by finding administrative cost savings and the selling of Hydro Ottawa. City staff mentioned that a tax freeze would have resulted in the closing of several community centres, 9 public libraries, as well fire stations, daycare centers, skating arenas and swimming pools as well as major cuts to transit service and a significant transit fare hike.The budget was approved unanimously by Council and resulted in a 4.9% tax increase including 1.4% coming from the police force
Ottawa Police Service
The Ottawa Police Service serves the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.-History:The OPS roots come from the formation of the "Bytown Association" in 1847. In 1855 Roderick Ross was the first Chief Constable for the newly formed City of Ottawa...
budget, 2% for the infrastructure levy and 1.5% from capital and operation costs. The budget also included a 7.5% OC Transpo
OC Transpo
OC Transpo is the urban transit service of the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. An integrated hub-and-spoke system of services is available consisting of: regular buses travelling on fixed routes in mixed traffic, typical of most urban transit systems; a bus rapid transit system — a high...
fare increase until 2010 and various user fee increases such as rents and parking spaces and various cost cuts. O'Brien and much of the Council had stated prior to the budget talks that cuts to essential services such as community centers, libraries and transit were unacceptable.
2009 budget
For the 2009 budget, the city was facing a $35 million budget shortfall with a 4.9% tax increase and cut proposals included 230 jobs, 700 daycare spaces, $4 million in arts program and cuts to transit service. Following budget discussions and consultations the budget was passed on December 9 on an omnibus motion from councillor Rick ChiarelliRick Chiarelli
Richard "Rick" Chiarelli is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He is currently an Ottawa City Councillor, and the second cousin of former Ottawa mayor Bob Chiarelli. He represents the College Ward covering part of Nepean and Ottawa's west end.-Early years:...
. The budget resulted in a 4.9% tax hike, defer some spending items and not proceeding with the arts and transit cuts proposed. O'Brien had criticized the surprise move by council calling it a "travesty" and added: "What I saw this afternoon was simply disgusting. They acted out of fear, not leadership". The budget process was occurring at the same time a 52-day transit strike at OC Transpo began.
Transformation campaign
On April 18, 2007, O'Brien launched a 1,000-day transformation campaign in which it will review on how the city's services are made as well as the decisions are made at City Hall. The issue was the fourth of his "T-plan" which included taxes, transit and trash. He also planned several meetings in the following weeks outside City Hall. His strategy was met with concern by several councilors, organizations and former mayor Marion DewarMarion Dewar
Marion Dewar, CM was a prominent member of the New Democratic Party , mayor of Ottawa from 1978 to 1985 and a member of the Parliament of Canada from 1986 to 1988.-Early life:...
who insisted on a degree of public consultation.
Snow removal debate
During the 2007-08 winter season, the city received 437 centimeters of snow, making it the second snowiest winter on record behind the 1970-71 season which saw 444 centimeters of snow. The heavy snowfall caused a major budget shortfall for snow removal operations which some estimates being at $23 million. Following snow storms which dumped one meter of snow in a one-week period in early March, O'Brien proposed a one-time tax levy of $50 per household in order to balance the budget. As the proposal was met with heavy opposition from many citizens and councilors, it was defeated during City Council meeting on March 26, 2008 as it opted for eliminating the deficit by using provincial infrastructure funding announced in the 2008 budget and money from the sale of Telecom Ottawa.Light-rail expansion debate
In his first complete week in office, O'Brien had modified his position concerning the light-rail project due to an Ottawa SunOttawa Sun
The Ottawa Sun is a daily tabloid newspaper in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is published by Sun Media. It was first published in the early 1980s as the Ottawa Sunday Herald, until it was acquired by Toronto Sun Publishing Corporation in 1988....
report that mentioned that if the project was cancelled there would be possible lawsuits by Siemens
Siemens
Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...
totaling up to 1 billion dollars. O'Brien mentioned afterwards that he preferred to nix only the downtown section. On December 6, Ottawa Council voted 12-11 in favor of the pursuit of the project without building the section that would travel through downtown while adding an environmental assessment that would study the possibility of building underground tunnel
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
s under Albert
Albert Street (Ottawa)
Albert Street is one of the main east-west roads in downtown Ottawa, Canada. Albert is one way going west. It carries the westbound portion of the transitway through downtown, with Slater Street just to the south carrying the eastbound portion...
and Slater streets. O'Brien added that the money saved on the north-south line would be invested on developing the transitway
Ottawa Rapid Transit
In Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, the public transit service operated by OC Transpo has two rapid transit systems: the Transitway, a bus rapid transit network, and the O-Train, a diesel-powered light rail transit service operated on one line.-Major routes:...
in the suburban areas. On December 13, he withdrew his support on the revised plan because the 400 million dollar funding by both the provincial and federal would not be returned before the contract deadline of December 15. O'Brien added that if the city signed the contract it would have been a risk. A new vote was held on December 14 and Council voted to derail the project by a margin of 13-11 with O'Brien and Rainer Bloess
Rainer Bloess
Rainer Bloess is a member of Ottawa City Council. He represents Ward 2 - Innes covering some of the city's eastern suburbs. He was originally a member of the city council of Gloucester, being elected to that council in 1994 on a cost cutting platform. He lives in the suburban community of...
who was absent in the previous vote, casting the additional votes against the project.
Transportation Task Force
On January 19, 2007, O'Brien created a new Transportation Task Force committee led by former LiberalLiberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
Cabinet Minister David Collenette
David Collenette
David Michael Collenette, PC was a Canadian politician from 1974 to 2004, and a member of the Liberal Party of Canada. A graduate from York University's Glendon College in 1969, he subsequently received his MA from in 2004...
, in which it reviewed the city's transit issues and was commissioned to issue recommendations.
New transit plan
While facing a $280 million lawsuit from Siemens, the contractor for the original north-south project, the city council approved on November 28, 2007 a new transit plan worth just under $2 billion. The transit plan included completion of the current Transitway, expansion of light rail service to Riverside South, a new transit corridor for CumberlandCumberland, Ontario
Cumberland was a township in eastern Ontario, Canada, that existed from 1800 to 1999, when it was incorporated as the City of Cumberland. It ceased to be a separate municipality in 2001, when it was amalgamated into the city of Ottawa.-History:...
and a new downtown tunnel in which an environmental assessment study to be conducted whether light-rail or bus will use the tunnel. It has not yet been determined how this plan will be funded. A first phase with light rail from Tunney's Pasture to Blair Station via a downtown tunnel was approved in November 2008. A future section near Westboro requires more studies due to concerns by the National Capital Commission
National Capital Commission
The National Capital Commission , is a Canadian Crown corporation that administers the federally owned lands and buildings in Canada's National Capital Region, including Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec.The NCC was created in 1959, replacing the Federal District Commission , which had been...
and area residents on using light rail on the Ottawa River Parkway
Ottawa River Parkway
The Ottawa River Parkway is a four-lane scenic parkway along the Ottawa River in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It runs from Carling Avenue near Connaught Avenue, to Booth Street at the Canadian War Museum. It is maintained by the National Capital Commission. The speed limit is , enforced by the Royal...
.
OC Transpo strike
On December 10, 2008, OC Transpo drivers and mechanics started a 52-day strike which ended on January 31, 2009 after federal Labour Minister Rona AmbroseRona Ambrose
Ronalee "Rona" Ambrose, PC, MP is the Minister of Public Works and Government Services for Canada, Vice-Chair of the Treasury Board Cabinet committee, Minister of State for Status of Women Canada and Minister of Western Economic Diversification.In the previous Parliament, she was Canada's Minister...
announced its intention to introduce back-to-work-legislation following several breakdowns of talks between the Amalgamated Transit Union
Amalgamated Transit Union
The Amalgamated Transit Union is a labor union in the United States and The Amalgamated Transit Union Canadian Council in Canada, representing workers in the transit system and other industries...
, the city of Ottawa and a federal mediator. The strike happened during a time that the Federal Government was prorogued due to the 2008–2009 Canadian parliamentary dispute
2008–2009 Canadian parliamentary dispute
The 2008–2009 Canadian parliamentary dispute was a political dispute during the 40th Canadian Parliament. It was triggered by the expressed intention of the opposition parties to defeat the Conservative minority government on a motion of non-confidence six weeks after the federal election on...
, which may have prolonged the strike without risk of federally mandated resolution. The parties agreed to send the dispute issues such as sick days, work-rest rules and other benefits to binding arbitration.
Controversy
In his first week of office, O'Brien came under attack because he supported raising his salary from $140,000 to $172,000. This was controversial because O'Brien had run on the platform of strict fiscal prudence. Coming under attack by critics, O'Brien reversed his position on the matter and would decline the pay raise just two days later.On February 10, 2007, the Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa Citizen
The Ottawa Citizen is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Canada. According to the Canadian Newspaper Association, the paper had a 2008 weekly circulation of 900,197.- History :...
reported sworn allegations from Terry Kilrea
Terry Kilrea
Terry Kilrea is an aspiring politician from Ottawa.-2003 election:Kilrea ran for mayor of Ottawa in the 2003 municipal election on a platform that included opposition to light rail expansion, opposition to official bilingualism, abolition of the ban on smoking in public places, and an increase of...
, who had dropped out of the mayoral race on August 30, 2006, that O'Brien had met with Kilrea twice and offered him a financial inducement of up to $30,000 and a political appointment if Kilrea would withdraw from the race and support O'Brien. O'Brien was under investigation for bribery
Bribery
Bribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...
by the OPP
Ontario Provincial Police
The Ontario Provincial Police is the Provincial Police service for the province of Ontario, Canada.-Overview:The OPP is the the largest deployed police force in Ontario, and the second largest in Canada. The service is responsible for providing policing services throughout the province in areas...
since March 27, 2008 in connection with the allegations. The Ottawa Citizen reported that Terry Kilrea sent correspondence to the federal Minister of the Environment
Minister of the Environment (Canada)
The Minister of the Environment is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the federal government's environment department, Environment Canada...
John Baird
John Baird (Canadian politician)
John Russell Baird, PC, MP is a Canadian politician currently serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the cabinet of Prime Minister Stephen Harper....
concerning a possible appointment if he dropped out of the mayoral race. On December 10, 2007, the OPP charged O'Brien for two offenses under the Criminal Code of Canada. O'Brien temporarily stepped aside during the trial; councillor Michel Bellemare
Michel Bellemare
Michel Bellemare was member of the City Council in Ottawa, Canada from 1994 to 2010. He served as acting as mayor of Ottawa, while mayor Larry O'Brien faced charges from May 2-July 8, 2009....
, served as acting mayor for two months. O'Brien contested the charges in court and on August 5, 2009, both charges against him were dismissed by Justice Douglas Cunningham, associate chief justice of Ontario’s Superior Court.
In April, 2007, O'Brien gave media interviews comparing panhandlers with pigeons. He suggested that if people stopped feeding them they would go away. He also accused the Mayor of Perth
Perth, Ontario
Perth is a town in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario, Canada . It is located on the Tay River, 83 km southwest of Ottawa, and is the seat of Lanark County.-History:...
of busing homeless people into Ottawa. The issue continued during the next few days with the Mayor of Perth, John Fenik, mentioned that O'Brien's comments were "dangerous because he takes a complex issue and makes it one dimensional". O'Brien's then-Chief of Staff Walter Robinson later clarified that O'Brien was making reference to the panhandling
Begging
Begging is to entreat earnestly, implore, or supplicate. It often occurs for the purpose of securing a material benefit, generally for a gift, donation or charitable donation...
issues in the downtown and Byward Market
Byward Market
ByWard Market is a district in Lower Town located east of the government & business district, surrounding the market buildings and open-air market on George, York, ByWard and William Streets.The district is bordered on the west by Sussex Drive, on the...
areas.
2010 Ottawa mayoral race
In March 2010, O'Brien stated reluctance to run in Ottawa's 2010 mayoral election, citing that he accomplished most of his mayoral objectives in his first term. However, on June 30, 2010, he officially announced his intention to run for mayor in the 2010 election.O'Brien officially launched his campaign on September 8, 2010. O'Brien's campaign slogan is "Action over Politics", a deliberate contrast of O'Brien to main rival Jim Watson's extensive political career. O'Brien's campaign also announced that they would forgo the traditional lawn-signs in the campaign for a more "modern" approach. Another campaign theme for the O'Brien re-election bid has been that the mayor only has one vote (on city council) while citizens have two (one for mayor and one for their local councillor). The Ottawa Sun reported that O'Brien noted that in order to implement his agenda, he needs "councillors who think like him around the [council] table"
O'Brien has been largely critical of council for tax increases during his tenure as mayor. O'Brien's platform states that he wants to "give the Mayor, rather than staff, the authority to bring forward the city’s budget plan for debate.". O'Brien continues to set "zero" as a target for annual property tax increases while rival Jim Watson sets a tax increase cap at 2.5% per year.