Alta Vista extension

Here is the text of a letter I sent to Mayor Jim Watson:

Jim,

You may recall that we met around June, when you were running for election. I am a member of Sustainable Living Ottawa East (SLOE), and Transition Ottawa. My purpose in asking to meet with you was to alert you to our concern about the drastic changes that will come with increasing impacts of global warming and scarcity of petroleum, and to share a vision of a good future for our city in the post-carbon and post-petroleum era, which, I believe, is imminent.

Our vision would be to maximize walkability, bikeability and liveability of our city, including clean, comfortable, quick public transit. The age of the single-occupancy vehicle is on its way out. If the city spends $55 million on the first part of the planned Alta Vista parkway, this will be a toe in the door for future phases; and whatever parts of it are built will be a white elephant when people cannot afford to drive on it.

Please oppose this misdirection of our tax money and put it into resources that will help people, not cars.

Sincerely, Keith Shackleton

I sent a copy to David Chernushenko and another note to our MPP, Yasir Naqvi.