Commentaire 68 – commentaires et rétroaction

Dave Donaldson

I am writing to record my opposition to the redistribution of electoral boundaries which takes West Carleton from the previous Kanata Carleton riding and assigns this Ottawa neighbourhood to the proposed Algonquin Renfrew Pembroke riding.

To those unfamiliar with Ottawa, the amalgamation resulted in 30% of the city being “rural”. i.e., relying on septic systems and wells and not connected to the city’s water and sewer systems. However, the municipal as well as provincial and federal governments see these areas being part of Greater Ottawa with the resulting common structure of municipal government, roads, taxes, etc.

When I moved to Ottawa in 2007, we looked for a location with reputable secondary schools for two teenagers, was part of Ottawa and an easy commute to my employment in Nepean. We chose West Carleton and specifically Dunrobin. After moving here, we learned that all our immediate neighbours commuted to employers in Kanata and Ottawa.

Our children went to postsecondary in Ottawa, we shop in Kanata and other parts of Ottawa. The only reason we are seen as “rural” is the above mentioned well and septic distinction.

When I was chosen as board chair of the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce, there was no debate as to whether I should be excluded because I lived in West Carleton nor should I look to Pembroke or Renfrew instead. I was a resident of Ottawa.

The reality is that West Carleton is a critical component of Ottawa and our inclusion in the Kanata t Carleton Kanata riding recognizes that fact by providing seamless government oversight at all three levels of government. The exclusion of West Carleton from the federal (and consequently provincial) riding would mean that our concerns and interactions with government would be separated from the provincial and federal level from those of the Ottawa municipal level. Quite simply, West Carleton is a neighbourhood of Ottawa, and the current riding structure should be retained.

Dave Donaldson