Pellerin: Ottawa People’s Summit shares ideas for a better city

The north-side stands at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa: Those who dislike what city hall is doing often point to plans for Lansdowne. Photo by Tony Caldwell /PostmediaArticle content

Maybe I’m too optimistic for my own good, but I have a feeling we’ll look back on this time as when people power was born. In the United States, so many Americans are organizing to resist abuses coming from the White House. We don’t have Donald Trump in the capital of #Never51, thank goodness, but enough of us are sick and tired of being unheard when it comes to making this the best city it can be that we’re organizing.

THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.

Exclusive articles from Elizabeth Payne, David Pugliese, Andrew Duffy, Bruce Deachman and others. Plus, food reviews and event listings in the weekly newsletter, Ottawa, Out of Office.Unlimited online access to Ottawa Citizen and 15 news sites with one account.Ottawa Citizen ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES

Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an Accountor

Article content

On Tuesday evening, I was downtown for the first People’s Summit, put together by Better Ottawa and supported Horizon Ottawa as well as by other community organizations including a few I’ve written about before, such as Ottawa Community Land Trust and the Urbanism Book Club.

Article content

The sold-out crowd packed Impact Hub on Slater Street. This in itself was impressive given that the event wasn’t advertised very much, and there was a $25 admission fee. Organizer Neil Saravanamuttoo told me he was hoping for 30 or maybe 40 people. Nearly 100 bought a ticket, including Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper, who said he went to listen.

Article content

People came for different reasons, including networking with like-minded folks and debating issues that are front of mind. I walked around the room listening to conversations, and I heard “Lansdowne” mentioned more than once. Urban gardening and LRT were often heard, too.

Article content

Mostly I think people came because, as Saravanamuttoo said in his opening remarks to enthusiastic applause, “we love this city, but we don’t like what’s happening at City Hall, and we want to do something about it.”

Article content

The crowd was treated to a live recording of the Better Ottawa Municipal Panel with the fantastic duo of municipal journalism experts Joanne Chianello and Jon Willing. They answered questions from the audience covering subjects such as leadership, engagement, security, public bathrooms (or rather, the ever-frustrating lack thereof), and why councillors’ emails often provide better information than anything the city puts out, regardless of platform.

Article content

Events such as this People’s Summit help address a challenge that activists often face when dealing with a large city that is so bureaucratic it moves at a glacial pace — when it moves at all, that is. It takes years to approve simple changes like allowing residents to grow carrots in their front yard. Now imagine more complicated matters like, I don’t know, running a transit system that works or building sidewalks that aren’t full of badly patched cracks.