OTTAWA "SLIGHT RAIL"
Uncovering another $1 billion boondoggle in the National Capital Region
If you thought Ottawa was entering the 21st century by building a rapid public transportation system like the subway in Toronto or the metro in Montreal... you're wrong! The $785 million budget (or $1 billion using Liberal accounting standards) will be spent on street cars like the one shown above. To keep spending under budget, the city of Ottawa is planning to close down the Nepean National Equestrian Park and put the animals to work on the rail line. The obvious benefits of the project include:
- no overhead power lines,
- fewer traffic accidents,
- dependable service in all weather conditions,
- low greenhouse gas emissions (except if you're in the front seat), and
- 8 miles to the bale.
Here is actual footage of a test run being performed along the proposed north-south route back in 2004:
Currently, Mayor "Diamond" Bob Chiarelli and Ottawa City Council are debating all aspects of the project before a final "vote" (i.e. a mock democratic stamp of approval because everything was decided in private meetings back in 2001). Of course, the project will not actually start until 2023 when all environmental impact assessments will be exhausted. By then, the project cost will be up to $17 billion and Ottawa residential taxes will be so high, everyone in the city will either be homeless and wandering along Rideau Street, or they will have moved to Climax, Saskatchewan.
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