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Barrhaven West: Hill — Ottawa's local economy cannot just be the public service

I want to make city council boring again — because when governance is done right, it should not be making splashy headlines or feature nightly Twitter beefs between councillors.

David Hill is running in Barrhaven West: We need smart infrastructure investments — the prime example of this being the Greenbank Road realignment in Barrhaven.
David Hill is running in Barrhaven West: We need smart infrastructure investments — the prime example of this being the Greenbank Road realignment in Barrhaven. jpg

The Citizen invited candidates in the Oct. 24 municipal election to share their thoughts:

My name is David Hill, and I am running to be the next city councillor in Barrhaven West.

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I come to this election from a career dedicated to public service. For the last 25 years, I have served as a leader in the Canadian Armed Forces. I have supported crisis operations both at home and abroad, and I firmly believe in the lifestyle of hard work the military instilled in me. For the last 14 years, I have called Ottawa home, and I have had the great privilege of supporting many community organizations in Barrhaven and the city, and I look forward to continuing this service at city hall.

I believe Ottawa is at a crossroads. Our next city council faces tremendous challenges but also exciting opportunities to have a positive impact on residents.

I believe that the core debate over the next term will be how we position our Ottawa economy post-COVID-19, with obligations to the environment, and challenges created by an increasingly unstable and unpredictable world. This means we need to ensure that residents have access to good-paying jobs, and as such, we need to make Ottawa an attractive destination for businesses. Our local economy cannot just be the federal public service.

City council also needs to ensure it is not a roadblock that prevents efforts to combat inflation and address the lack of affordable housing. Ottawa is growing and expects to welcome 400,000 new residents in the next 25 years. These people need places to live. We need smart development that focuses on residential growth vertically along the transit lines, infills downtown, and responsible suburban growth. This, however, must be coupled with infrastructural investments to service these growing communities — the prime example of this being the Greenbank Road realignment in Barrhaven.

I will look to focus our city budget on delivering core city services. This means new and improved infrastructure, reliable city services such as OC Transpo, and improving community safety, all while keeping taxes reasonable. This means we have to be responsible with our finances.

My leadership style has always been based on listening, and I will continue to do so. I pledge to bring my dedication to hard work and collaboration to city council. Honestly, I want to make our city council boring again because when governance is done right, it should not be making splashy headlines or feature nightly Twitter beefs between city councillors. I believe city council has one job — make Ottawa the best it can be: “Canada in a City.”

For more information on my plan for Ottawa and Barrhaven, please visit: www.DavidHillBarrhaven.ca

  1. Jay Chadha, Barrhaven West council candidate: 'The City of Ottawa is spending taxpayer dollars we don’t have on projects that we could hold off on.'

    Barrhaven West: Chadha — We can create a faster, more reliable, more affordable transit system

  2. Taayo Simmonds is running in Barrhaven West: 'We don’t need ideology in the chambers of city hall. We need good governance and principled leadership.'

    Barrhaven West: Simmonds — Build better roads, keep streets safe, make life more affordable