By Brigitte Pellerin, Ottawa Citizen
On Jan. 27 city council approved a $129-million proposal to revamp the ByWard Market, which, as you’ll know if you’ve set foot downtown in the last year, could sure use a little zip. It’s a good plan, too. Rideau-Vanier Coun. Mathieu Fleury called it “worthwhile,” which is high praise indeed in a government town. However, despite approval from council, it’s not entirely clear how committed we are to seeing it through. It’s driving me bonkers.
...At some point, we’re going to have to stop approving massive spending for roads and think about better ways to spend our shared money, for instance by providing real benefits to the largest number of people, very much including business owners, by making it more likely human beings will purchase goods and services from them. Because in case you hadn’t noticed, cars are terrible customers.
https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/pellerin-byward-market-renewal-is-good-for-tourists-consumers-and-business