Seething Seniors: a letter to the editor of the Ottawa Citizen newspaper

Dear editor,

I’m writing in response to the article headlined Ottawa seniors seething about massive hike in OC Transpo pass price penned by Ken Warren and published on November 14.

Ottawa seniors shocked by big hike in OC Transpo pass cost | Ottawa Citizen

My wife and I are both seething seniors. Carless, disabled, seething seniors. Although tickled by the alliteration in the headline, which may yet become the moniker for a movement, we are flummoxed by the 120% increase to our monthly bus pass, more than doubling to $108 from the current $49. Seniors are indeed seething as we’ve been singled out to bear the brunt of a misguided attempt to right a mismanaged public transit system facing a $120-million shortfall, whose fare revenue falls about $1 million a month below budget.

Since my wife and I rely on OC Transpo to navigate our fair city, we trust that the system will be improved by 120% come the new year. According to our careful calculations based on bitter experience, about 80% of Ottawa buses fail to respect their schedules; they are either late or simply do not show up. So in 2025, can we count on this sad record improving to say 50% reliability?

We also expect Mayor Sutcliffe and General Manager, Transit Services Department, Renée Amilcar to do their part by accepting a massive cut to their salaries, commensurate with what is being asked of Ottawa’s seething seniors, including some of our most vulnerable co-citizens.

The mayor earns an annual salary of $198,702.

Ms. Amilcar rakes in nearly $340k a year, including salary and benefits.

The measures “are not decisions we took lightly, but are necessary,” Mayor Sutcliffe has said.

Ms. Amilcar is asking us to be “understanding” when our bus routes are cut or vehicles simply don’t appear as scheduled.


We seething seniors look forward to their contributions to the public purse. 120% salary cuts perhaps?

Robert McBryde – robertmcbrydeauthor.com

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