Mini-riots in Quebec City outside the FTAA conference, another week of bad headlines for Stockwell Day and the various reports that the city isn't facing a crash crunch, in fact, millions are being spent on rather dubious endeavours.

Let's look some of the events from the week that was and their implications for Ottawa. Forgive me if I ignore the Summit of the Americas and the circus sideshow that the Canadian Alliance is staging.

So most inspiring, from my not so humble perch, was last Thursday's provincial Throne Speech. From real health care dialogue and reform to a commission to offer up candidates for privatization to a blue-ribbon panel on tax competitiveness, Mr. Harris and his team have lifted recommendations - almost verbatim - from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation pre-budget submission of this past February.

What will all this mean locally? The biggest impact will be at the Ottawa Hospital. The provincial government will empower Ontario's auditor general, Erik Peters, to examine the books of cities, school boards and hospitals. But the financial plight of hospitals is the most worrying. With dozens of them running big-time deficits (hello Ottawa Hospital) the government has said clearly said, enough is enough.

This is why Health Minister Tony Clement announced an aid package of $177 million in one-time funding to 68 hospitals just days before the Throne Speech. If you read between the lines, the political message is get your affairs in order.

Closer to home, media stories concerning the Ottawa budget and Lansdowne Park peaked this author's interest.

To start, it is becoming increasingly clear that Ottawa is not in a financial crisis. It never was, all transition funding name-calling aside. The budget deliberations are turning into a self-indulgent trip to an all-you-can-eat buffet, and council is becoming proverbially fatter by the day. Of course, taxpayers are left with the cheque.

Think libraries are a good idea? Well so does council. So let's tack on an extra $3.4 million. Now, reading and public literacy are laudable objectives but is it too much for taxpayers to ask to "read" the fine print where this money will actually be spent. Oops, sorry no can do, that book hasn't been written yet.

Are you a fan of traffic calming? Like riding your bike? Well belly on up to the taxpayer buffet because council has $1.3 million of new money for you.

That's right. $1.3 million bones for more speed bumps, winding major roads with no discernible lane markers and curbs which jut out into the middle of the street almost instantaneously. Hey why not? Look at the success of traffic calming and streetscaping on Kent Street. (Note to reader: I'm joking). But in all seriousness, a morning drive down Kent Street this past winter resembled something out a Jewel of the Nile driving scene through the streets of Cairo as opposed to an orderly, not to mention safe, rush hour commute.

And with the extra $155,000 now approved for the city's cycling program (on top of the existing $375,000 budget), it won't be long before Kent Street will be a total mess. Is it going to take a serious accident, or even a fatality (and its consequent lawsuit) to stop this traffic calming to the extreme insanity altogether?

Yes, the city has a responsibility to make life for downtown residents bearable and safe on their neighbourhood streets: But not at the expense of safe driving conditions for thousands of motorists zooming into the core each day. Sadly, this perspective from the downtown councillors on this file is non-existent.

Finally, there is Lansdowne Park. Mayor Chiarelli, who has sat on the board of the Central Canada Exhibition Association (CCEA) for a few years now, made a rare appearance at a recent CCEA board meeting. And he came with a gift for them: an eviction notice.

It appears that the Mayor wants to rejuvenate the park with more greenspace. So let's see now. Two years ago, Chiarelli corners Jim Watson because the old-Ottawa mayor wanted to raze the park in favour of greenspace, condos, light commercial uses and better convention space.

No, no, no, Chiarelli fumed from the regional chair's office. Professional football's coming back … any day now … Lansdowne Park is a great asset, don't touch it, he protested.

Hmm? With not a hint of another CFL franchise slated for our time zone before Haley's Comet returns (around 2061), it seems green space is now an option for Lansdowne Park. Watch this file closely. After the smart growth summit, be prepared for talk of townhomes, light rail and even light industrial development for Lansdowne Park. Hmm, maybe Jim Watson was right about Lansdowne?