Thursday, April 11: We need to spread the word about Ottawa’s virtues to the rest of the world, says one reader. You can also write to us at [email protected]
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We must applaud our marathon mayor
Re: Mayor Mark Sutcliffe defends his decision to run the London Marathon while in the UK with Ottawa Tourism, April 3.
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As someone who has had the privilege of representing Ottawa as a tourism and convention destination in national and international markets, I applaud Mayor Mark Sutcliffe for investing his time and energy in supporting Ottawa Tourism’s efforts abroad.
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Over the years, important investments have been made in business and tourism-related infrastructure (Show Centre, airport expansion, new hotels) to improve Ottawa’s competitiveness on the world stage. But this is only half of the investment required; the other half is ensuring global markets know about our world-class facilities and services.
This requires investments in marketing and direct sales and attending countless conferences to spread the word about Ottawa’s merits as a destination. It should be considered a privilege and a competitive advantage to have a Mayor who sees the importance of supporting the good work of Ottawa Tourism in these endeavors. And run a big marathon on his own dime while he’s at it…why not?
Pat Kelly, Ottawa, retired former CEO Shaw Center and General Manager Westin Hotel and Château Laurier
Another favorite restaurant about to close
Re: Restaurant Mandarin Ogilvie, the triumph of an immigrant family, will close in June, ending its 36-year run on April 9.
If there is any doubt in the minds of municipal, provincial and federal leaders about the detrimental effects of not requiring workers to return to downtown offices, I would ask them to list the small businesses and great restaurants in the core that have closed their doors after the pandemic.
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On April 20, Madison’s restaurant in the Minto Place building at the corner of Laurier Avenue West and Lyon streets will close.
The management and staff at this excellent establishment have worked so hard to survive the pandemic and beyond due to the lack of mainstream clientele. Their professionalism through it all was remarkable.
I hope that in circumstances like these their former clientele and decision makers at all levels in this city will write to them to say how much their closing means to life in downtown Ottawa, how the establishment will be sadly missed and for I thank them for their important contribution to the vitality of the city.
SuzAnne Doré, Ottawa
Croll defended guaranteed income
Re: Guaranteed basic income would help solve our housing crisis April 4th.
It must be remembered that the real catalyst for the guaranteed annual income requirement in Canada was the 1971 Senate Select Committee Report, Poverty in Canada, which remains one of the most influential reports ever produced by the Senate and was a cornerstone stone for all later reports on the subject.
Much of its success can be attributed to the chairman of the committee, Senator Davey Kroll, who throughout his political career has not stopped advocating for social policy reform. Poverty in Canada became a bestseller among government papers, and after its publication, Kroll provided annual updates to the Senate poverty line to keep the issue on the public agenda.
Gary William O’Brien, Nepean, former Secretary of the Senate
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