East-end councillors can't hide their motions

**UPDATE** In the time it took me to post this, the mayor ruled these motions out of order and they died on the table. Anyway I'm not convinced the councillors were looking for votes, so much as they were looking for an opportunity to air their grievances.

You may be under the impression that Ottawa city councillors try to avoid mixing their municipal politics with their provincial politics, and more often than not they do. But sometimes they just can't help themselves. Take a look at these two motions by east-end councillors Rainer Bloess and Bob Monette. Both councillors say Ottawa-Orleans MPP Phil McNeely has failed to live up to the promises he's made to residents over the years, and both have thrown their support behind McNeely's PC rival, Andrew Lister.  

MOTION

Moved by Councillor R. Bloess

Seconded by Councillor B. Monette

WHEREAS the City of Ottawa is the sole shareholder of Hydro Ottawa Holding Inc. which provides electricity to more than 296,000 residential and business customers in the City as well as the village of Casselman, and

WHEREAS, in 2009, Hydro One Networks Inc. successfully applied to the Ontario Energy Board for an order granting Hydro One leave to sell certain distribution system assets located within Hydro Ottawa's service area to Hydro Ottawa Limited ("Hydro Ottawa"), and

WHEREAS the proposed transaction was promoted as one which would enable Hydro Ottawa to improve operational flexibility and reliability while not adversely affect the safety, reliability, quality of service or operational flexibility for other customers of Hydro One, and

WHEREAS local MPP Phil McNeely, in spite of the provincial government's recent imposition of significant additional energy taxes, has declared himself to be a proponent of "fair hydro prices for all residents" and promised in 2002 that he himself would oversee the transfer of Hydro One customers with the stroke of a pen to Hydro Ottawa to facilitate the provision of better and less costly service for these customers, and

WHEREAS the HST and various levies and charges are causing financial hardship to many residents,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT these Hydro One customers be transferred to Hydro Ottawa at no cost in accordance with Mr. McNeely's promise of eight years ago.