City workers union buys ads about Ottawa budget

A union representing Ottawa municipal workers has spent $80,000 ontelevision commercials urging residents to get involved in the city budget.

The CanadianUnion of Public Employees adsstarted airing Monday and will run until the budget public consultation process ends on Feb. 23.

'Certainly, I'm afraid that members might lose their jobs, but that's not the issue.' —Jim Robillard, CUPE local 503 president

Jim Robillard, president of the CUPE local that represents 5,000 workers at Ottawa city hall, said the ads let the public know the possible consequences of Mayor Larry O'Brien's promise to freeze taxes.

O'Brien has insisted the freeze can be achieved without service cuts, but city staff presented a draft budget on Feb. 7 that includedcuts.

"Certainly, I'm afraid that members might lose their jobs, but that's not the issue," Robillard said.

"The issue is, I'm trying to make the public aware of the consequence of those service cuts."

He added that a similar CUPE campaign in 2004 helped successfully stop cuts to library services.

"The community put such pressure on the councillors that those cuts never occurred."

Ads 'fear mongering': taxpayers federation

Canadian Taxpayers Federation spokesman Adam Taylor called the CUPE ads "fear mongering."

'Taxes can be held in check when spending is held in check and that doesn't necessarily mean the snowplow's not going to plow or the ambulances aren't going to show up.' — Adam Taylor, Canadian Taxpayers Federation

"Taxes can be held in check when spending is held in check and that doesn't necessarily mean the snowplow's not going to plow or the ambulances aren't going to show up," said Taylor.

Both CUPE commercials feature rows of bookshelves, children playing in a room containing child-sized tables and chairs and decorated with children's artwork, an ambulance with its red lights flashing in the darkness, and a snowplow clearing night-time streets, as slamming noises punctuate background piano music.

In one, a male voice says, "Cuts to frontline services is on [city council's] agenda" and describes as some of the services that might be affected.

A second ad targets a proposal to save money by not replacing employees who are sick and not filling jobs that are currently vacant.

The male voice says the proposal means that if one member of a paramedic team is unavailable "there may not be an ambulance."

In both, a female voice urges residents tocontact their local city councillor as theCity of Ottawa's phone numberand web address appear on the screen.