Hunt Club Community Organization

An Open Letter to Ottawa City Council - June 5, 2016

There has been a significant amount of controversy over the Canada 150 Playground Project at Mooney's Bay Park. Lack of prior public consultation is a concern common to both the opponents of the project as well as to many of its supporters. We believe that a proposal of this magnitude where publicly held funds or significant public space are being committed should be informed by a prior, City-led consultation process. We support the sentiments expressed in Councillor Brockington's email of May 20, 2016 on this subject:
"...The glaring omission in this initiative has been a public information/consultation component. The matters being negotiated between the City and proponent were embargoed; limiting the specific details the Parks and Rec Dept (or any other member of Council) could release. I met with the City Solicitor and City Clerk as recently as this past Monday and stressed, again, that a concurrent public information/consultation process must be embedded for these types of projects and while I respect that confidential matters remain as such, the intent of the City needed to be publicly communicated. The criticism of the process is warranted. As part of the mid-term governance review that is expected to start in 2016 for City Council, I will insist that future initiatives similar to this one, have compulsory, City-led consultation."
As registered community associations, we rely heavily on timely information from the City of Ottawa and our Ward Councillor in order to inform our members and to enable them to make their views known. As Mayor Watson was once quoted as saying: "...community associations are an early warning system for municipal politicians...".

Signed
The Riverside Park Community and Recreation Association
The Hunt Club Community Organization

The Hunt Club Community Organization and the Riverside Park Community and Recreation Association are recognized community associations in River Ward.

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