Members of the union representing OC Transpo operators say they were “met with silence” at Wednesday’s city council meeting after showing up in numbers with a petition demanding higher wages and better working conditions.
“Despite arriving early and submitting a formal petition — listed on the official agenda — Ottawa City Council essentially ignored it, an action that bypasses the voices of front-line transit workers and undermines democratic participation,” according to a statement from ATU Local 279 president Noah Vineberg.
The union, which signed a five-year contract in June 2020, submitted a petition containing 1,836 signatures at the May 28 council session outlining their requests for ongoing contract negotiations.
OC Transpo’s
“New Ways to Bus”
schedule, which has been met with criticism from some riders since it rolled out with redesigned routes in April, “reinforces the chaos” of the transit system, Vineberg said.
“For years we’ve heard promises of New Ways to Bus — promises of innovation, better service, and a transit future we could believe in,” Vineberg said. “But we lived through unrealistic schedules and a system spiralling deeper into dysfunction for both riders and workers.”
Riders are “frustrated”
and operators are “exhausted,” Vineberg said.
The ATU is calling for “a serious, honest review of Ottawa’s transit system — one that truly listens to both riders and workers.”
OC Transpo general manager Renée Amilcar responded Thursday by saying the transit authority “is committed to fostering a positive and inclusive workplace that values and encourages employee feedback.
“We continue to meet regularly with our union partners to discuss employee feedback as part of the ongoing collective bargaining agreement process. We remain focused on supporting one another in finding a shared path forward as we continue to keep Ottawa moving.”
City Clerk Caitlin Salter-MacDonald said the ATU’s petition was not ignored and followed the usual procedures for petitions presented to council.
“The petition in question was presented to council in compliance with the Policy and the Procedure By-law and placed on the May 28 council agenda under agenda item 7 — communications.”
Special events bylaw approved
While the most contentious debate around the May 28 council table centred on the
“bubble bylaw,”
councillors also weighed in on a new special events bylaw before it was approved.
The amendments will allow noise exemptions beyond 11 p.m. when festivals and other outdoor events are impacted by severe weather, transportation delays or other unforeseen circumstances.
The
new regulations streamline the process for bars, restaurants and venues
to host after-hours events from 3 a.m. to 9 a.m., and food trucks no longer need special permits for street festivals and neighbourhood events.
Under the bylaw, protests on city property will no longer require special event permits, and staff will instead use a notification system to distribute critical information to the appropriate departments.
A motion from Coun. David Hill passed in a narrow vote Wednesday directing city staff to report back on the impact of the voluntary notification system, including a comparison with the previous permit system.
The motion calls for statistics and analysis of the “proactive disclosures and co-ordination by organized protests with the City of Ottawa … Any changes to the costs to city and relevant city partners (including police) in managing protests, (and) any noticeable trends in demonstration activity in Ottawa.”
Capital Coun. Shawn Menard was among the 11 councillors who voted against the motion, saying it advances a “false narrative” about peaceful protests.
“The vast majority of demonstrations are peaceful, they seek to have dialogue, questions and discussion with people,” Menard said, adding other councillors were “equating this with violence and public safety and disorder, and that’s not what is occurring.”
Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper voted against the motion and said “there’s no reason to revisit” the fundamental right to protest.
“So, if there is some compelling reason why we need statistics, we have an inquiry mechanism whereby we can ask our staff what the trends are,” Leiper said. “But I really don’t want to go down the path of saying we’re going to review the constitutionality of protest again in a couple of years.”
Council voted to approve the new special events bylaw and also gave staff nine months to draft a bubble bylaw, or the vulnerable social infrastructure bylaw.
Paid on-street parking hours extended
Council approved a staff recommendation
extending paid on-street parking during evenings
in the ByWard Market, parts of Little Italy and the Glebe.
Staff recommended extending paid parking into the evening where parking demand was more than 80 per cent during peak hours. Motorists will have to pay for parking until 7:30 p.m. from Monday to Saturday in the Market and in Little Italy (south of Highway 417) and from Monday to Friday in the Glebe. Those changes are to take effect Sept. 2.
Currently, on-street paid parking is in effect until 5:30 p.m. from Monday to Saturday.
A motion to exempt the ByWard Market from the paid parking extension was introduced by Coun. Riley Brockington and seconded by Coun. Stephanie Plante, but was quickly defeated.
Brockington argued “this is not the time” to extend paid parking hours when council has made the Market’s revitalization a priority.
Mayor Mark Sutcliffe countered by saying the extension was not a “punitive” measure and should encourage turnover.
A staff report said the higher turnover rate “has the effect of making more parking available at any given point in time. This has the potential for a number of benefits … visitors will have more choices and experience less frustration when trying to find parking at busier times.”
Mayor addresses new security measures at City Hall
Sutcliffe also addressed the new security measures introduced at City Hall.
“We know that there are increased threats against buildings, against politicians, against public service members everywhere in the world, here in Canada and in the United States,” Sutcliffe said.
“There are many buildings in downtown Ottawa that belong to the federal government where it is already required to go through a security system to be able to get in the building. So it’s important to protect our employees and city staff and it’s necessary to protect members of the public who come here for for different events, for meetings with city staff … They need to be protected and it’s obvious that in 2025 there are threats against public buildings, so it’s important to have a security system … like any other building in the downtown area.”
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