Andrew Cohen’s Ottawa

Category: Newspaper article

I appreciate Andrew Cohen’s effort to make us see what Ottawa could be even if, at least judging by the Citizen excerpt of his new novel, it is by way of saying what it isn’t.

When one has traveled to places like Paris or London, or even lived in a grand capital such as Washington DC like Mr. Cohen has, it is difficult not to draw observations about the city you live in now.

I recall former prime minister Chretien toying with the idea of building a Grand Alley along Metcalfe street to Parliament Hill. Now that was a grand idea. Not bad for ‘le petit gars de Shawinigan’. Of course it was never going to happen. This would have meant tearing down a few buildings and changing the status quo.

Thanks to the publicity The Citizen has given Mr. Cohen, through its rather harsh rebuke of many of Mr. Cohen’s comments, more Ottawans will pick up Mr. Cohen’s book and perhaps the seed of grandeur, that Mr. Cohen wishes for this city, will be planted.

No safe limit

Category: Newspaper article

This story was published in 'The Ottawa Citizen' on July 17, 2006

In the light of the recent statistics on worldwide deaths attributed to tobacco, letter writer Lisa Vida sure picked the wrong horse to back when she complained about being asked not to smoke by another person at an outdoor concert.

Very damning reports have also come out regarding exposure to second hand smoke. We now know that there is no such thing as safe exposure to second hand smoke, any more than there is such a thing as a pee free section of a public swimming pool.

Openness trumps

Category: Newspaper article

This story was published in 'The Ottawa Citizen' on May 08, 2007

Re: 'A slap in the face' to Quebecers: Bloc MP, May

Gatineau Bloc Quebecois MP Richard Nadeau says that the lack of fluency in French of the new National Capital Commission chairman, Russell Mills, is a slap in the face to "Québecois."

Retired NCC chairman Marcel Beaudry was bilingual but ran the NCC as if it were a private men's club. Communicating the aims and activities of the NCC to the common folk of either language was definitely not his strong suit.

Mr. Mills has vowed to open up the NCC business. Whether he is bilingual or not, I'll take Mr. Mills any day, "s'il vous plaît."

Zero Not Equal zero

Category: Newspaper article

This story was published in 'The Ottawa Citizen' on Saturday, May 22, 2007

It’s a shame most of the voting population in this city were too old by the time New Math was introduced. The people who voted for Larry O’Brien would have understood that zero does not in fact mean zero. This works in much in the same way that 50 Km per hour really means 70 Km per hour and 100 KM per hour really means 120 Km per hour.

People really have to watch out for these things. It gets really confusing.