PRESS RELEASE:                                                                        July 21, 2004

OFFICIAL RESULTS:
Rural Council survey of rural attitudes...       

The Rural Council is pleased to announce the results of its first public opinion poll, conducted in July, 2004.

The results reflect an extraordinary level of dissatisfaction with the performance of the City of Ottawa since amalgamation, and a sweeping endorsement for the Rural Council's efforts to bring about change in governance.

The response, which overwhelmingly supports De-Amalgamation as an option, clearly demonstrates that the disapproval level is a direct result of the formation of the new City.

We will continue to evaluate public opinion in this regard and will now start to compare the results of this poll with future polls to commence in suburban areas of the City.

The results are set out below:

"It is appropriate that your questions all deal with 'Democracy'. In the stampede to amalgamate rural areas with Ottawa’s urban core, it is clear that any hope for fair and democratic due process in the handling of rural interests, has been brutally trampled in the charge."

“Since amalgamation, our taxes have increased and services decreased.  We have unwanted restrictions to conservation areas, as well as decisions that are being made which are not in the best interests of Richmond – i.e.: pipeline for Munster sewage when on-site solution would have been cheaper and would have affected far less residents. City councillors who have no interest in this area have made uninformed decisions.”

“The urban councilors have little understanding and no interest in rural issues.  They want to paint the whole city with the same brush and it does not work.  They will try to dilute our rural voice as soon as the OMB is dismantled by the Liberals.  Then we will have no impact in Ottawa decisions.”

“I am definitely in favour of deamalgamation.  The mega city has done absolutely nothing for the rurals and now we have decisions in zoning and allow sub-divisions to be set up being made by city councillors who know absolutely nothing about the rural areas and the concerns of the farmers.  Remember, when a piece of land is turned into urban property with buildings and streets on it, it is lost forever to the farming community.  We must protect the future of our grandchildren.”

“My long term plans are to move out of the City of Ottawa boundaries. I find our rural representation has little influence at council, which is further diluted by having the likes of (XX) representing Goulbourn. City laws and regulations simply do not work in rural communities.”

“Services have suffered badly since amalgamation.  I'm not happy, neither is my wife.” 

“How compatible could rural needs be with those of a city? (The suggestion of) adding water meters to rural wells is absurd.”

“Best of luck in your endeavours. Keep your fight valid by staying away from fanatical non-negotiable points of view. There is always room to move between reasonable people.”

“I do not feel that Richmond is well represented by city council. The Munster wastewater pipeline is an excellent example of their indifference to the wishes of myself and my  community. The city of Ottawa as it stands now does not understand or is unable to understand our concerns.”

“Keep up the good work.  We need a voice in the rural areas.”

"I think the Rural Council has an important role to play."

"Amalgamation was forced upon us, (from the top, down) ---all in the name of "saving tax dollars". In reality, we got the opposite: a costly, cumbersome, poorly-managed, unaccountable bureaucracy, which has robbed us of our rural representation, and has taken more in taxes from the rurals and given less in services than we had before amalgamation."

“We think rural residents and property owners have lost their rights since amalgamation due to the irrelevance of city regulations in rural areas.”

“Ottawa’s minority rural voice has not only been ignored: it never had a chance.”

“The sooner de-amalgamation occurs the better!”

“When I purchased my property in West Carleton, I was not aware that they had voted to become part of the City of Ottawa.  So I was disappointed when I found that out. I'd moved from Kanata to get away from "the City".  I'm still learning about the implications of being in a rural area that is governed by a City, and I'm still learning about the issues that are being discussed, that affect our rural way of living.  I do feel that the City does not understand nor wishes to preserve our rural values and way of living.  Our community centres are in danger of being closed, we're down to 1 day at week at the Kinburn Client Centre.  I don't feel they have our rural interests at heart. The Mayor just has an arrogance about him that illustrates that he doesn't really care about our concerns.  I would support deamalgamation from the City of Ottawa.”

“Very unhappy being a part of City Of Ottawa. I feel we are left out and get nothing, or are not even heard of.”

“Keep up the good work!”

“I was born in old Ottawa. The Ottawa we have now is not the Ottawa I had under Charlotte Whitten, so I moved out but unfortunately Constance Bay was not far enough. I am fed up with goody-goody lefties who ‘know what's good for you’.”

“Not only am I annoyed with the city, I'm getting more and more irritated with the province (water quality standards and 170/03).  Only half in jest, I ask: 'Can we deamalgamate from the province?'”

“We are residents of Nepean and wish to deamalgamate A.S.A.P., based on the city of Ottawa's attitude and lack of performance. The community looks like a cow pasture full of weeds, the snow removal is much less than it should be, they are out of touch with the property owners every where except special interest groups in the core city. Their N.D.P.
socialistic mind set, wasting millions paying off beauracrats that haven't fullfilled their contractual obligations. The Mayor appears to have absolutely no interest in helping solve problems out in the suburbs, or those that the rural farming community are facing. All this, for one of the highest taxes of most major cities in Canada.

We have to take back control of our expenses and taxes. Get rid of all these sleezy, beauracratic, well-connected free loaders, like the head of Ottawa Hydro who wrote himself ~$400,000.00 in addition to his salary, the Mayor, and all but 5 or 6 councillors. Can you imagine, they want an annual salary increase $80,000.00 to 100,000.00/ year, for all their long hours ...do they think we're that stupid?”    (Joint signatures)

“I want OUT of the amalgamated city.  The urban agenda does not serve me well -- increased taxes, fewer services.  Most of all, I am badly served by the complete lack of knowledge, and lack of interest in rural issues.  I don't believe that Ottawa intends to redress this -- after all, we are a small minority compared to the vast urban majority.  I think Council sees us as a temporary annoyance, to be endured until we lose momentum, and finally toe the line.”

“Thank you for working on the concerns of rural residents. Each day we see many examples of lack of services by the new city.”

“Thank you for your leadership.  We are supportive and willing to assist.  Please contact us.  Thank you.”

“We have no voice. What works for the inner city does not work for the rural areas.
Lets put a stop to the nonsense and get back to our roots.”

"L.C.: proud to be a member of our growing associations:
Member of Willola Beach Property Owners Association, Rural Council Member, LLA member. Lets get out there and make our voices heard.”

“I believe it is time to push for a de-amalgamation for the rural wards, as a binding question during the next election.”

"To the Rural Council:  Please keep up the great work. You MUST continue to help ordinary citizens regain their rights. I don’t know who else can be as effective."

“I'm tired of wasteful spending and the new rules of the dictators that we have now.
Give me back our Goulbourn Township and the control that we the people had.”

“Rural dwellers should have been able to vote (separately) on amalgamation, in the first place. It was not done by democratic methods.”

"Even though I didn't want amalgamation, reducing duplication in levels of government should have been a good thing. Unfortunately, the daffy people we have running this organization have their own elitist, idealistic and baffling agenda of issues which we are told are in our best interests for a better "quality of life".

Finding efficiencies and savings does not enter their agenda...someone may lose their job. There are way too many people employed by this city and it tries to be all things to all people, instead of doing only the core things a City is supposed to do.

Let us out! FREE OSGOODE! 

Thanks."

"We've had enough of big city B.S. It now takes 5 people to do one person's work at 50% more wages. ...We want out!"

"Old Ottawa residents and people living in the former townships have much in common.  Maybe between us we can finally fix Amalgaville."

"Deamalgamation? - The sooner the better, before we have to buy back all our municipal buildings."

"I believe that de-amalgamation is possible.  Osgoode Township should have its reserve funds returned.  New and newer assets removed from the former township (and replaced with older urban equipment) like fire-trucks, ice resurfacers, snowplows, etc., should also be returned."

"Since amalgamation our taxes have gone up considerably, but services have declined. It seems that the whole purpose of municipal government (to provide basic services such as garbage removal, snow plowing, police and fire services) has been all but forgotten. There seems to be no desire for fiscal responsibility on the part of this council, and rural ratepayers are weary of paying for services they do not receive."

PRESS COVERAGE - RE: Rural Council Survey...

• City life not for rurals: Survey - Survey says! Rural residents want out.
  ... online survey, and the results mirror the sentiments of those who completed the hard-copy survey. The survey asked residents if they were satisfied with City Hall governance. It also asked if residents favoured deamalgamation. 800 HITS A DAY...(OttawaSun/News/2004/07/25)