The Gargoyle: NDP candidates to get their turn for City of Ottawa briefing

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The Liberals have done it. So have the Greens. Even a couple of Tories showed up for their mulligan try at a briefing on City of Ottawa issues.

On Thursday, it’s the New Democrats’ turn to have their ears bent by Mayor Jim Watson and city staff on everything from local job creation to affordable housing to Stage 2 of the city’s light-rail project.

NDP candidates from Ottawa ridings will meet with the mayor in his office Thursday morning. The briefing will be behind closed doors except for the final five minutes when the media are invited in.

It’s the fourth and final mayor’s briefing. All nine Ottawa-area Liberal candidates attended their meeting on Aug. 20. On Aug. 24, the Greens showed up with its full slate of Ottawa candidates plus the leader of the Ottawa West-Nepean riding association where they don’t have a candidate and three Gatineau-area candidates to boot.

But the city was snubbed the next day when all area Conservative candidates were no shows for the briefing, despite several of them having sent confirmations of attendance. They did a bit better when given a second chance this week, when Carleton candidate Pierre Poilievre and Ottawa South candidate Dev Balkissoon showed up. Balkisoon, however, scooted away afterward, refusing to take reporter’s questions. The absent Tories spent the hour instead with their leader, Stephen Harper, at a campaign event downtown.

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