Ward nine candidate looking to bring fresh new voice at council table

Peter Westaway spent 20 years as an Ottawa taxi driver while he was building his mobile bike business. 

During his time driving taxis, the business owner appreciated the beauty Ottawa has to offer as he drove through different parts of the capital. 

However, there's one area of the capital the candidate for ward nine believes needs to be addressed. 

“Almost half of ward nine is made up of commercial corn fields,” he said on The Sam Laprade Show on Oct. 5. “It is outrageous that we are the only city in the world that grows tons of corn inside our urban boundary.”

Westaway, one of seven people running in ward nine Knoxdale-Merivale, said the Ottawa Greenbelt is flawed with a short-sighted vision. 

“In its current form, it is doing much greater harm to our environment than it is being of any help,” he added. “It was created to provide a buffer zone of natural landscape between the city of Ottawa and the surrounding countryside. Just as all urban greenbelts around the world are intended to do. But it was much too small to surround a growing metropolis. Compare this Greenbelt to the Ontario Greenbelt and you will see a massive difference in their respective scope and vision. We must preserve the many wonderful natural areas inside the greenbelt that can be enjoyed by the public. These farms were mostly pristine forests and meadows only two hundred years ago. It is ludicrous that we are growing large quantities of corn inside this greenbelt that obviously is mostly sent out to the countryside to feed cattle.”

Westaway said the National Capital Commission (NCC) should hold design competitions to develop various state-of-the-art eco-cities in some of these fields in the Greenbelt.

“Imagine the excitement that would be generated by holding these competitions to fill up some of these large areas,” said Westaway. “And that excitement will spread across our great country, and not just inside my hometown of Ottawa. Many people would be excited to spend over a million dollars to purchase a modest sized condo inside one of these new-age communities. And it would change the landscape of our city in a very positive and exciting way. And the NCC could make sure that there is plenty of affordable and senior housing built along the way.”

Westaway said the city's waste management program needs to be reviewed. 

“Recycling and the green bin program should be overhauled,” he said. “And we should be looking into a modern large garbage incinerator.”

He said to save money the next stage of the city's light rail transit (LRT) system must be postponed and driverless buses must be considered.

Listen to the full interview with Paul Westaway below: