Rudeness is unbecoming

Re: No one’s forcing council to play this hand, July 10.

I am extremely disappointed and embarrassed by my ward councillor and the finance committee’s decision to support Mayor Jim Watson’s motion to only consider Rideau Carleton Raceway for the future home as the one and only location for a casino.

On July 17, council has every opportunity to right a wrong and direct staff to conduct an open and transparent process that includes a public consultation process. This motion needs to be rejected and to do otherwise is a travesty of municipal policy. There is no urgency in making this decision and there is nothing wrong with allowing Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk to make his presentation for a casino at the Canadian Tire Centre.

Much could be made of the fact that the widening of the Queensway West is nearing completion and the transit system to CTC is already in place. Accessibility is not an issue. There will soon be significant development on the surrounding lands which includes residential and large scale shopping centres.

Some councillors and the mayor were quite insulting and disrespectful to those members of the public presenting to committee who did not agree with the motion as presented. Rudeness is most unbecoming. Council is, indeed, the author of their own problems but they don’t have to be if they would only follow their own formal process and stop circumventing it for reasons that have yet to be made public.

Eventually, the truth will come out and we can only hope this happens before the next municipal election.

DONNA MULVIHILL, Kanata