Dear editor,

When Cumberland Coun. Rob Jellett says he will push for the 7.5 per cent OC Transpo fare increase, I wonder if he’s obfuscating the truth. With Express bus passes set to rise by about 12 per cent, the majority of public transit riders in Orléans are going to be paying a lot more.

What bothers me most about city councillors such as Jellett, Peter Hume and Alex Cullen, is that they act like taxpayers are made of money. These councillors have free transit passes that accompany their unaccountable car allowances, but if these archaic perks were withdrawn, perhaps they would understand the consequences of them not effectively doing their jobs.

In between budgets, why haven’t these councillors looked for savings? Any resident will tell you how many empty buses travel our streets. I would bet my property taxes to their property taxes savings can be found without impeding service.

Why are people who reside out of Ottawa not charged more for their transit passes? These public transit riders do not pay the Urban Transit levy or a single dollar in Ottawa property taxes.

In the end, I hope there are more rational councillors, such as my own, Coun. Bob Monette, than there are Rob Jelletts during budget deliberations. Barring that, I hope residents will exercise their right to vote and their desire for a better Ottawa by bidding a fond farewell to councillors who abdicate their responsibility to us – the ones who always pay the mounting bills!

Stephen Blais
Orléans