Who’s advocating for the residents?

Re: Developers to get city ‘ambassadors’, June 2.

As homeowners who have been before the planning committee and the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) with a development issue, we can assure you that developers do not need ambassadors at city hall. They already have councillors, city lawyers, their own lawyers and various subject matter experts to support them with their development plans. Is this Mayor Jim Watson’s answer for fixing what he has stated is a “broken planning process”? As for Coun. Jan Harder declaring that councillors are ambassadors for their constituents, we can honestly state that she has never once advocated for us. We think other residents of Stonebridge would agree. Like many retirees, our house is our most significant asset. As a direct consequence of the City of Ottawa approval of a developer’s plan, the houses on either side of us took almost a year to sell at a considerable drop in price. In a classic case of double jeopardy, the city ignores this reality and continues to charge property taxes as if nothing has changed. Stuart and Daphne Wightman, Nepean