PTIO on Talk Ottawa tonight

Rogers 22 is convening a panel to discuss the recent route changes and how they're affecting riders for tonight's Talk Ottawa program. David Reevely of the Ottawa Citizen and Ben Novak will join host Mark Sutcliffe in studio, and Peter Raaymakers of TransitOttawa.ca will be calling in to the show around 7:30 p.m.

The show is live on Rogers Cable 22 in Ottawa at 7 p.m.

Transit issues on Talk Ottawa

On Thursday evening's Talk Ottawa program, public transit dominated much of a program that was about municipal issues in general. Along with myself (Peter Raaymakers), the panel included Peggy DuCharme, executive director of the Downtown Rideau Business Improvement Agency, and David Reevely, News Editor and blogger for the Ottawa Citizen talked about a variety of issues in our city today.

The roundtable kicked things off with a discussion of several issues facing the city's current light-rail transit plan, and especially the downtown tunnel. As is usually the case, cost came up, and the possibility (or probability) of cost increases as we move forward with the plan. The general consensus of the panel was that costs will likely go up, at the very least due to inflation, but that's a fairly normal occurence when projects of this magnitude are undertaken. Reevely suggested that there are options available if cost estimates rise significantly, including shortening the tunnel or finding savings in platform designs, but it would take a drastic increase in cost (a jump to, say, $3.5B or more) for the city to entertain the possibility of scrapping the project entirely. A fair degree of political humiliation would result from a cancellation, Reevely said, and DuCharme pointed out that a second major transit project cancellation in just ten years would seriously tarnish the city's reputation.

Sticking with the LRT project, we also discussed the impacts that will be felt leading up to and during the construction of the tunnel downtown. There was agreement that the impacts would not be insignificant--there will definitely be major disruptions to bus routes for at least a couple years during construction, and likely some street closures during the tunneling process--but, as Reevely and DuCharme both said, the hope is that the long-term benefits will outweigh the short-term inconveniences.

In the more immediate term, we also looked at potential service changes to the O-Train. Given the success of the pilot project-cum-transit spine, the city is seriously looking at increasing the capacity of the O-Train, which was generally regarded as a good idea. As was the possibility of extending the train along mostly-existing train tracks into the growing development of Riverside South, for which the Transit Commission approved a feasibility study.

That latter option, if pursued, would eventually lead to a revamped O-Train meeting the city's major east-west light-rail system at Bayview Station, which would transform that station into one of the city's biggest transfer points for riders. Bayview also happens to be a prime location for transit-oriented development, so the discussion moved on to the possibility of retail, residential, commercial, and other development (including a sports stadium) in or around the station. Members of the panel were fairly excited about the possibility, but all seemed to realize it would still have a long road to travel before coming to fruition.

On the topic of sports stadiums, the city's recent decision to study a potential Coventry Road footbridge across the Queensway connecting the Transitway with Ottawa Baseball Stadium and the developments surrounding it also came up. It's a $1M study into a $9M bridge which spans an area of the highway that will soon be expanded, and the panel seemed to think the City was well on its way to going forward with the bridge--Reevely pointed out that in a city that routinely builds road bridges for tens of millions of dollars, $9M for a pedestrian footbridge isn't an outrageous expense. To the criticism that there's no long-term certainty of the baseball stadium, panellists pointed out that there isn't only a baseball stadium there: There are also many houses, businesses, and the Hampton Inn and convention centre that would benefit from a more direct connection to the city's major transit spine, plus the fact that if the city decides to tear down the stadium, something else will certainly be built in its place. Plus, given that transportation was likely a major factor in the Lynx' struggles at attracting spectators, improving the accessibility of the stadium by putting it along the Transitway and opening it up to more people could go a long way in making it a more viable home stadium for a professional baseball team.

Also discussed were the outdoor water ban in the south end and street name changes, but those didn't have too much to do with transit so I won't go in to too much detail.

Catch PTIO on Talk Ottawa tonight

If you're in the Ottawa area, you can catch me (Peter Raaymakers) on Rogers 22's Talk Ottawa program this evening at 7:00 p.m. No word yet on other guests, but we'll be talking about all the big issues of the day: Optimization, labour negotiations, budgets, and bus-tracking apps based on GPS data--among, more than likely, other things.

There will be plenty of opportunities to call in, so tune in and say your piece on public transit in Ottawa this evening.

LRT Affordability on Talk Ottawa

On Monday's Talk Ottawa program, transit was once again the topic of discussion. Notably, we discussed how affordable the $2.1B light-rail plan is for the city. Along with myself (Peter Raaymakers) on the panel were David Jeanes of Transport Action Canada and Rideau-Rockcliffe Councillor Jacques Legendre, with Ottawa-West Nepean MP and Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities John Baird chiming in over the phone.

With his government's recent announcement of $600M in funding to support the transit plan, Baird's comments offered some strong insight into the meaning of the pledge. The most notable comment of his was that this funding is not necessarily tied to a tunnel; the government has given $600M for Ottawa to spend on this upcoming transit plan, but if they decide to revisit the tunnel (as mayoral candidate Jim Watson has suggested he might do), the funding won't necessarily be affected--the only time the feds would revisit it would be if the plan was altered so radically as to bring the bottom line below $1.8B or so. And although Baird wouldn't comment on municipal election issues, he did pose the question of why Watson (at the time Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing) and the provincial government offered their $600M for a plan he now has questions about.

Baird also said that, although this funding represented the last of the Building Canada Fund Ottawa would benefit from, that doesn't mean it's the end of transit funding for the foreseeable future. He said that, once this phase is well on its way and the City has its next stage in the overall plan ready to go, he and his government would be more than willing to sit down at the table and talk about funding the project again.

For his part, councillor Legendre pledged his confidence in the city's plan without wavering. His exact words, in fact, were that this plan is "not even close to unaffordable" for the City to handle. He cited the contingencies built in to the current budget, discussed the potential ways to offset the costs of the plan (development costs, station partnerships with towers downtown, et cetera), and said that this plan was not only good for the city, but necessary.

Jeanes offered quite a bit of insight into a number of issues, from the cancellation of the 2006 north-south rail line to the reality of Ottawa's commuter system inevitably changing and the end of the no-transfer ride. What he was most passionate about, though, was that whether or not this plan is affordable isn't our most pressing question: He said that the 12km of light-rail track in this plan pales in comparison to the 120km of rail track his organization (Transport Action Canada, then Transport 2000) recommended back in 2003. He recommended the city find some way to better stretch the funding they've secured in order to get more kilometres per dollar.

A number of viewers called into the show, with varied comments or concerns. One memorable question was how the LRT as proposed would help people waiting at suburban stations (the example used was those at Baseline) who are forced to watch full buses drive right by them. The response, from Jeanes and echoed by Legendre, was that buses will now be able to turn around at the start of the LRT line (in this instance, Tunney's Pasture) and turn back instead of having to crawl through the downtown logjam, essentially doubling their capacity to move people.

TransitOttawa discussing light rail on Rogers Talk Ottawa tonight

Any transit enthusiasts in the Ottawa area might want to tune in to Rogers cable 22 tonight at 7 p.m. for Talk Ottawa, where the panel will discuss public transit in the city. On the table are discussions about the city's upcoming light-rail transit plan, the $600M in recently-announced federal funding for it, and whether or not it's affordable overall.

On the panel will be Peter Raaymakers, executive director of TransitOttawa.com and Rideau-Rockcliffe Councillor Jacques Legendre. Ottawa-West Nepean MP and Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities John Baird will also join by telephone.

O'Brien calls for independent transit commission

Mayor Larry O'Brien has recently called for OC Transpo management to be handed over to an independent transit commission rather than answer directly to city council, CTV.ca is reporting.

On Rogers 22's Talk Ottawa program on Monday night, O'Brien cited declining customer service ratings and the politicization and micro-management of OC Transpo as problems he's come to understand, and he believes an independent commission would help address them. He pointed to the recommendations of his 2007 Task Force on Transportation and also of a report by consulting firm Oliver Wyman in June 2008, both suggesting the city would benefit from establishing an independent commission.

Although O'Brien has yet to publicly say whether or not he's going to be running for re-election, a transit commission may figure to be a key issue in the upcoming municipal elections. Mayoral candidate Alex Cullen, currently Bay Ward Councillor and chair of the transit committee, challenged O'Brien's contention that the current management structure breeds politicization of the issues, and also questioned the accountability of an independent commission.

TransitOttawa talks transit on Talk Ottawa

You may have missed it, but Peter Raaymakers, Executive Director of Public Transit in Ottawa, was on Talk Ottawa on Monday evening to discuss transit issues of the day. Also on the show was Bay Ward Councillor, Transit Committee Chair, and 2010 Mayoral Candidate Alex Cullen and River Ward Councillor and Transportation Committee Chair Maria McRae. Topics of discussion were the cancelled buses early last week, problems with new fare boxes on OC Transpo buses, the upcoming mayoral election, the possibility of establishing a transit commission, and this week's City Council meeting to vote on the city's $2.1B transit plan.

Discussion revealed that an operational problem at OC Transpo garages was the main cause for the route cancellations last Monday and Tuesday, and the city is expecting more information--particularly with regards to accountability for the costly error--at the upcoming Transit Committee meeting on Jan. 20, 2010.

As for the fare boxes, some of the newer models have been jammed because of confusion about their use, and as a result some rides are free because the buses can't accept fares. According to Cullen, this design is commonplace, and the only way forward is to wait for riders to become more used to the new boxes.

On the issue of creating a transit commission, McRae and Cullen butted heads. McRae suggested that it was something she would favour, but more than anything, there needs to be a debate about it. Cullen wondered whether or not there would be anything gained were an arms's-length commission established, and suggested there would be a loss of accountability if it were instigated. On the panel, I suggested that it could address the politicization of certain issues (including, for instance, the labour disputes and individual route cuts), and was one of the chief recommendations on the 2006 Mayor's Task Force on Transit--a suggestion which has received little discussion. (Read more on that here.)

Finally, the question of whether or not city councillors would support the new transit plan on Wednesday in council came up, and neither councillor on the panel suggested it was a lock. A significant question was whether or not the city would be willing to cover any shortfall in federal or provincial funding, given that the province (counted on to fulfill one-third of the $2.1B price tag) only offered $600M for the city. Both were quite confident that federal partners would be waiting for the official request for funding, with Cullen suggesting they would have it within weeks of Wednesday's decision. There will certainly be more discussion of this on Wednesday.

Anyone interested can watch a replay of Talk Ottawa on Monday at midnight or Tuesday at 9 a.m. on Rogers cable 22 in Ottawa.

Ottawa Citizen gives two cents on transit issues of the day

The Ottawa Citizen has published an editorial on public transit in our city for each of the past two days, each of which speaks to a pressing issue in the public transit debate today.

On Wednesday, the Citizen spoke of a rise in complaints received by OC Transpo--including, of course, some stemming from their inability to ensure bus drivers are calling out stops regularly. According to the story, OC Transpo has had a 24 per cent increase in complaints over the last three years, and the Citizen's editorial board had some choice words for OC Transpo General Manager Alain Mercier:

It isn't Alain Mercier's job to justify the high number of complaints that come in to OC Transpo. It's his job to reduce that number.

[...]

The 24-per-cent increase in complaints over three years is partly due to an increase in ridership. But ridership only increased by about 13 per cent in that period. Clearly, there's something else going on.

Mercier, the general manager of OC Transpo, points out that the service is also getting more compliments than it used to. That's nice, but it can't compensate for the rise in complaints. If your bus is late, or zooms right past you, or narrowly misses hitting a cyclist, or runs a red light, it doesn't really matter that on another bus somewhere in Ottawa, a driver gave someone a friendly smile. We shouldn't be aiming for a compliments-to-complaints ratio that evens out. We should be aiming for a baseline, a bare minimum, of reliable, safe, friendly service.

Then, on Thursday, the Citizen responded with kudos to Ottawa West-Nepean MPP Jim Watson for his concerns over funding the city's ambitious and expensive light-rail transit plan:

Watson, a former mayor, says there were public concerns about costs in the first cancelled light-rail plan, which weighed in at $884 million. He's right.

To be more specific, city staff had estimated that the north-south plan would cost somewhere in the range of $600 million. However when the competitive bidding process took place, it became apparent that the staff estimates were about $200 million too low. That spooked the public, and politicians capitalized on the escalating costs -- not the least of whom were Mayor Larry O'Brien and Transport Minister John Baird, the top local federal minister.

Oddly, the new rail plan with a shiny tunnel and much more majestic ambitions costs about $5 billion and yet Ottawans don't seem to mind much at all. But Watson does, and good on him. Remember that the city was stretched to cover the costs of the original plan at about one-fifth the price. Remember, too, that $10 million of civic expenses translates into roughly a one-year, one-per-cent increase in your property taxes. One wonders how much of that $5 billion will land on your tax bill. Watson is concerned about that and is sitting down with city politicians and staff to crunch costs and feasibility with his people in Toronto. What he has found is that this plan costs a lot of money -- so much so that he is worried about its feasibility. So he should be.

Both editorials present a good case, and are good reads, to boot. Feel free to comment on either of them, and the issues presented within, in the comments.

TransitOttawa on CBC Radio's All In A Day today

Executive Director of Public Transit in Ottawa Peter Raaymakers will be on CBC Radio One Ottawa's All In A Day program on Monday, August 10, 2009 at around 3:40 p.m. Discussion will focus on the recently-announced Journal of Public Transit in Ottawa, a community-reviewed journal about the City of Ottawa's public transit infrastructure.

All In A Day is, according to CBC, Ottawa's top afternoon drive program. Hosted by Adrian Harewood, it runs from 3 to 6 p.m. every weekday on CBC Radio One Ottawa, 91.5 on the FM dial.

Transit Talk on Talk Ottawa, June 9, 2009

Public transit in Ottawa will once again be a topic of discussion on Rogers Cable 22's Talk Ottawa tonight, as Bay Ward Councillor Alex Cullen, Traffic Chair of Hintonburg Community Association Dickson Davidson, and Executive Director of Public Transit in Ottawa Peter Raaymakers will be discussing the issues of the day--including recent federal announcements of infrastructure funding, as well as the debate surrounding the west-end terminus of Ottawa's light-rail transit line.

The program runs from 7-8 p.m. tonight on cable 22 in Ottawa, and of course the panel will be taking calls from anyone with something to say on the issues.

[Cancelled] TransitOttawa on Talk Ottawa tonight

[EDIT: TransitOttawa got bumped for the show, but it should still be some good Ottawa Transit talk, if you're planning on watching.]

Tonight (Monday March 16, 2009) at 7 p.m. Talk Ottawa focuses on the ongoing legal issues with Siemens surrounding the cancellation of the North-South light-rail line, as well as safety and scheduling issues between OC Transpo and the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 279.

Along with yours truly, Peter Raaymakers, from Public Transit in Ottawa, Bay Ward Councillor Alex Cullen as well as president of Transport 2000 Canada David Jeanes will be discussing the issues of the day with host James Hendricks.

As always, the show will be open to callers for public feedback and discussion, so feel free to tune in to Rogers Cable 22 from 7 to 8 p.m. tonight to join in the discussions.

"No God" bus ads rejected by OC Transpo

The Ottawa Citizen tells us that the bus-based atheist ad campaign that was on its way to Ottawa recently had its bid to place ads on buses turned down by OC Transpo.

The city has rejected a “no god” bus ad campaign, a move that organizers hope will serve as a rallying cry for proponents of free speech across the country.

“We need to get people as offended about censorship as they are by the ad,” said Justin Trottier, president of the Freethought Association of Canada.

Trottier's group was hoping to use Ottawa buses as part of a larger campaign to promote “principles of various world views.”

And why were the ads rejected?

The decision was made based on a subsection of the transit advertising policy which says that “religious advertising which promotes a specific ideology, ethic, point of view, policy or action, which in the opinion of the City might be deemed prejudicial to other religious groups or offensive to users of the transit system is not permitted. Religious advertising will be permitted if the information is designed to promote a specific meeting, gathering or event and the location, date and time of said event.”

No one from OC Transpo was available for comment Saturday.

So, readers ... Is rejecting the ads censorship?

Atheist Bus Campaign is Ottawa bound

The Atheist Bus Campaign, a public transit advertising initiative started in London that has been adopted by the Toronto-based Freethought Association of Canada, is hoping to come to OC Transpo buses, according to the Centretown News.

The Campaign, which we've discussed on TransitOttawa.ca before, purchases advertising on public transit with the slogan, "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and get on with your life." It already has ads on buses in Toronto and Calgary, but was rejected by Halifax's transit authority. It remains to be seen if this could be rejected by OC Transpo officials.

What do readers think about the possibility of the campaign coming to Ottawa?

Strike news and reaction on Rogers TV

Yours truly will be representing TransitOttawa on Rogers TV's (cable 22 in Ottawa) Talk Ottawa program tonight (Friday) at 6:00 p.m. tonight. Here is the press release:

The OC Transpo strike is over after 51 days. The City of Ottawa and the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 279 have agreed to send all contract issues to binding arbitration without preconditions. Return of transit will begin pending ratification from City Council and ATU Local 279.

Mayor O'Brien has called a special meeting of Council for today, Friday, Jan. 30. Rogers TVwill provide full coverage of this special emergency council meeting beginning at 11 a.m.

Plus, join Rogers TV for a special Talk Ottawa with James Hendricks tonight at 6 p.m. for discussion and reaction to the end of the longest transit strike in the city's history. Executive Director of Public Transit in Ottawa Peter Raaymakers, Ward 4 Kanata North Councillor Marianne Wilkinson and President of the Ottawa and District Labour Council Sean McKenny join James in the studio to take your calls.

Straight Strike Talk on Talk Ottawa

Tonight at 7PM Talk Ottawa focuses on the 44-day long OC Transpo strike.

Jack McCarthy of the Somerset West Community Health Centre, Gerry LePage of the Bank Street Promenade and Peter Raaymakers of Public Transit in Ottawa join host James Hendricks in studio to discuss the impact the work stoppage is having on the economy.

Do you have something to add? Call in, share your thougths and have your questions answered.

Talk Ottawa – tonight at 7PM - exclusively on Rogers TV Cable 22.

Ottawa Transit Strike, day 41: In the news

Here's a rundown of some interesting headlines from the last couple of days, although the biggest news might be the possible temporary layoff of 500 drivers if mechanics can't return to the job soon to begin maintaining buses.

First off, Harry Gow, founding president of Transport 2000 Canada, suggested in a letter to the Ottawa Citizen that the city should form a transit utility, similar to the Toronto Transit Commission, to manage public transit in the city. The idea was previously rejected by the city as one that would, according to Gloucester-South Nepean Councillor Steve Desroches as saying that it "be a step that muddies accountability", but Gow suggested that the city may not have been acting with the best interests of public transit in Ottawa at heart:

Well, consultants did not seem well-prepared, but worse, it became evident that a transit commission was a threat to the powers of some Ottawa councillors and city staff to micromanage transit.

Gow went on to suggest that the politicking that has taken place in the transit strike, including "nastiness, name-calling and grandstanding on both sides of the city-union fence are ample demonstrations of the harmfulness of political transit interference."

*****

In two more files under the 'Victims of the Transit Strike' label, see: Hugh Adami's most recent The Public Citizen column, "Family on the edge", and an article from the Ottawa Sun discussing the repercussions the strike has wrought on seniors in the city.

First off, Adami's column tells the story of an Ottawa single mother, Lori Hollowa, who feels she may lose her new job and whose 12-year-old daughter haven't gone to school in almost six weeks, all resultant from the ongoing transit strike. It is a story that, unfortunately, may be more common than one would like to believe.

In the Sun, they present a not-entirely even-handed article on the largely unheard seniors and infirm victims of the transit strike, including "93-year-old Bert Smith, who is mostly deaf and legally blind" and has to hitchhike to buy groceries, and "Bernice King, a 72-year-old widow," who now has to spend no small amount of money on taxis when she's lucky, and has to walk around with her walker when she's not.

*****

Finally, as reported in The Hill-Times, our members of parliament aren't excited about having to vote on whether or not public transit in Ottawa is an essential service, and would much prefer a negotiated settlement to the conflict. Apparently Ottawa Centre NDP MP Paul Dewar hasn't even heard requests for federal intervention in the vote:

"It has to be something that's requested and I haven't heard anyone request it yet," said NDP MP Paul Dewar (Ottawa Centre, Ont.) about the prospect of a Parliamentary vote on back-to-work legislation, which would force an end to the transit strike.

"It's conceivable, but talk about unprecedented in terms of Ottawa and transit. I would hope that we get something before that and we'll see what happens...Before that happens we're all pushing to get an agreement."

Dewar then tore a strip of Edmonton-Spruce Grove Conservative MP and Labour Minister Rona Ambrose for forcing the vote of the members (which was a 75% no-vote), and also off Ottawa Mayor Larry O'Brien for, according to Dewar, providing imporper information to Ambrose.

How far is too far with advertising content?

Photo from The Guardian, used without permission
A few months ago, I wrote an article about the form advertising takes in public spaces (particularly public trasit spaces), and posed the question of how far is too far with advertising media. A similar controversy has come up recently in England, except it's not the form of public-transit advertising that is at issue: It's the content.

It's called the Atheist Bus Campaign, and it started when Ariane Sherine mentioned, almost in passing, her consternation with a London-based JesusSaid.org-sponsored bus poster campaign that had Biblical quotations such as "When the son of man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" in a blog post on The Guardian's web site. Sherine wrote a convincing argument (check it out, I recommend reading her post), and the gist is largely summed up in the following paragraph:

"Now, if I wanted to run a bus ad saying "Beware – there is a giant lion from London Zoo on the loose!" or "The 'bits' in orange juice aren't orange but plastic – don't drink them or you'll die!" I think I might be asked to show my working and back up my claims. But apparently you don't need evidence to run an ad suggesting we'll all face the ire of the son of man when he comes, then link to a website advocating endless pain for atheists."

Sherine suggested that "if there are 4,680 atheists reading this and we all contribute £5, it's possible that we can fund a much-needed atheist London bus ad with the slogan: 'There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and get on with your life.'" The response was great, including plenty of celebrity donations to the campaign, and after a London-based launch of the campaign, it moved nationwide throughout England last week. And it hasn't been without backlash; according to The Guardian, the British Advertising Standards Authority has received almost 150 complaints regarding the Atheist Bus Campaign.

Whatever your stance on the issues surrounding this particular controversy, it raises a very interesting debate about personal expression (particularly religious expression) in public spaces, and whether it has a place. OC Transpo has had some Christian advertisements, but they haven't been as aggressive as the JesusSaid.org campaign, and haven't prompted any notable public backlash.

What do you think: How far is too far with advertising content?

ADDENDUM (Jan. 17, 2009): The Atheist Bus Campaign was deemed "too far" in Rome, after receiving stron opposition from Conservative political powers, according to a report in the Globe and Mail:

ROME — Italian atheists have lost a bid to run “no God” advertisements on city buses after strong opposition from conservative political parties, a member of the group said on Saturday.

The ads reading “The bad news is that God doesn't exist. The good news is that you don't need him” were to have been put on buses in the northern city of Genoa, home to the Catholic cardinal who is head of the Italian Bishops Conference.

The mock-up was ready and the contract was sent to the group for signing but the publicity agency changed its mind and said the ad could not run it because it violated an ethics in advertising code, according to Giorgio Villella of The Italian Union of Atheists and Rationalist Agnostics (UAAR).

Talk Ottawa talks about privatizing OC Transpo

On Monday, Jan. 12, Rogers TV's Talk Ottawa program will be hosting a panel to discuss the possibility of and issues surrounding privatizing Ottawa's OC Transpo service.

On the panel will be Guy David of Gowling Lafleur Henderson Law Firm--a business lawyer who was significantly involved in the privatization of air traffic control at several Canadian airports--as well as Caroline Andrew--visiting professor at the University of Ottawa with a research interest in municipal issues and intergovernmental relations--and College ward councillor Rick Chiarelli.

The show will be at 7 p.m. on Monday evening, so tune in and feel free to call to ask your questions about the feasibility of the idea. If you miss the live broadcast, the show is syndicated several times later in the evening and the following day.

TransitOttawa on Talk Ottawa tonight

Rogers Cable 22 in Ottawa's Talk Ottawa program will be hosting another discussion on public transit in the city tonight, Tuesday January 6, at 7:00 p.m. Peter Raaymakers (yours truly) from TransitOttawa.ca will be on the panel, along with Sean McKenny from the Ottawa & District Labour Council and Innes Ward Councillor Rainer Bloess.

The show will discuss issues surrounding the decision of Federal Labour Minister Rona Ambrose on mandating a vote of members for the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 279, whether or not public transit should be declared an essential service, the solidarity within the ATU, and the effect that the strike has had on the city. And, of course, any issues callers would like to discuss, so tune in and feel free to call.

Ottawa Transit Strike: Day 13

A lot of talks over the weekend, but no solutions came about. The nearer we get to Christmas, the less likely it is that there will be any solution until the new year. Which is sad for everyone involved, except possibly the city that is saving $3M a week while the strike is on.

One catch-all article posted on CTV.ca has the following headlines within itself:

• Some local businesses are suggesting that the OC Transpo strike, combined with the unfriendly weather, has brought a 20-30 per cent reduction in consumer traffic;
• To help people get to the mall, Bayshore Shopping Centre is offering a $5 taxi chit to shoppers who visit customer service with their receipts;
• Some job hunters are being forced to turn down jobs because, without buses, they haven't got a way to get to their possible new jobs;
• Some folks are losing jobs they had because they can't get in to work anymore;
• Para Transpo has increased operations 10 per cent since OC Transpo service stopped;
• And, finally, even if an agreement is reached, it would likely take a few days to a week for full service to be restored.

On CBC.ca, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 279 President Andre Cornellier isn't very optimistic about the current negotiations, and he's not hiding that fact. But some picketers, according to the same article, have been noticing a swing in the battle for public opinion in favour of the ATU since their official website was launched about a week ago:

"Well, we're talking right now…When people are talking, things can happen," said Andre Cornellier, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 279 Monday, while taking a break from negotiations with the City of Ottawa.

"But you know what, I'm not very optimistic right now . I wouldn't want to give anybody a false sense of hope or not."

[...]

Norm Deschamps, who has been driving an OC Transpo bus for 20 years, said he gets the impression that people's opinions have been turning in the bus drivers' favour since the recent launch of the union's website, which was last updated on Friday.

"We're finally getting some information out that has given [our] whole perspective of this strike to the public," Deschamps said.

And the Ottawa Citizen had a riveting report of no news in the negotiations.