Rainer Bloess
Encyclopedia
Rainer Bloess is a member of Ottawa City Council
. He represents Ward 2 - Innes
covering some of the city's eastern suburbs. He was originally a member of the city council of Gloucester
, being elected to that council in 1994 on a cost cutting platform. He lives in the suburban community of Blackburn Hamlet
. When Gloucester was merged into Ottawa
in 2000 he ran for Ottawa city council and was elected after a strong challenge from a fellow Gloucester councilor. He has been nominated for city Councillor in the Ottawa municipal election, 2010
.
Bloess is a member of the Liberal Party of Canada
. In 2009, he lost to David Bertschi for the Liberal nomination in Ottawa—Orléans
for the upcoming federal election.
. According to the Ottawa Citizen
Bloess, along with councilor Jan Harder
, are sometimes called the councils "official opposition." He once initiated a controversial motion that would have required that all residents use Ottawa in their postal address, rather than the names of their former communities. He withdrew the motion after the initiative proved unpopular.
In the 2003 Ottawa election he faced a stiff challenge from Jean-Francois Claude who argued that Ottawa East was being ignored by the city and that Bloess had failed to lobby hard enough for official bilingualism. The race was one of the closest for an incumbent councilor in 2003, but Bloess was reelected.
. On December 7, council voted in favor by a margin of 12–11 to pursue the project without the downtown segment. However, Bloess, who was on holiday during the vote, could not vote against the project, which would have derailed it. He mentioned that he was not aware that the vote would have taken place during his absence. When O'Brien modified his position to be against it because of insufficient funding, a new vote was held in which Bloess was present that officially derailed the project on December 14 by a margin of 13–11. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2006/12/13/light-rail.html http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2006/12/08/bloess-rail.html
Ottawa City Council
The Ottawa City Council is the governing body of the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is composed of 23 city councillors and the mayor. The mayor is elected at large, while each of the councillors represent wards throughout the city. Council members are elected to four year terms with the...
. He represents Ward 2 - Innes
Innes Ward
Innes is a city ward in the city of Ottawa, Canada. It includes the community of Blackburn Hamlet as well as the neighbourhoods of Orléans Village, Chateau Neuf and Chapel Hill in Orléans. It also includes the part of the community of Notre Dame des Champs formerly in the city of Gloucester. The...
covering some of the city's eastern suburbs. He was originally a member of the city council of Gloucester
Gloucester, Ontario
Gloucester is a suburb of and within the City of Ottawa. Gloucester Township was established in 1792 and originally included lands east of the Rideau River from the Ottawa River south to Manotick. It was incorporated as a township in 1850 and became a city in 1981...
, being elected to that council in 1994 on a cost cutting platform. He lives in the suburban community of Blackburn Hamlet
Blackburn Hamlet, Ontario
Blackburn Hamlet is a community in eastern Ontario, Canada in the city of Ottawa. It is considered an outer-suburb of Ottawa, and before the 2001 amalgamation of the city of Ottawa, it was in the city of Gloucester. It is still a partially rural area, but with several older and newer areas of...
. When Gloucester was merged into Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
in 2000 he ran for Ottawa city council and was elected after a strong challenge from a fellow Gloucester councilor. He has been nominated for city Councillor in the Ottawa municipal election, 2010
Ottawa municipal election, 2010
The Ottawa municipal election was contested on October 25, 2010 to elect the mayor of Ottawa, Ottawa City Council and the Ottawa-Carleton Public and Catholic School Boards...
.
Bloess is a member of the Liberal Party of Canada
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
. In 2009, he lost to David Bertschi for the Liberal nomination in Ottawa—Orléans
Ottawa—Orléans
Ottawa—Orléans is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1988....
for the upcoming federal election.
2003-2006 term
On the Ottawa council his main issue was widening Innes Road and working to encourage the spread of the booming economy of western Ottawa to the east. He is described as one of the council's fiscal conservatives and was one of three councilors to refuse the controversial 2003 pay-raise city council voted for themselves. He is generally seen as an opponent of mayor Bob ChiarelliBob Chiarelli
Robert "Bob" Chiarelli is a Canadian politician. He served in the Ontario Legislative Assembly from 1987 to 1997, and was subsequently re-elected to the legislature in 2010 after serving as regional chair and mayor of Ottawa from 1997 to 2006...
. According to the Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa Citizen
The Ottawa Citizen is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Canada. According to the Canadian Newspaper Association, the paper had a 2008 weekly circulation of 900,197.- History :...
Bloess, along with councilor Jan Harder
Jan Harder
Jan Harder is an Ottawa City Councillor representing the ward of Barrhaven. She is the appointed chair of the Ottawa Public Library board, which sets policy and has the ultimate say in decisions affecting the library system....
, are sometimes called the councils "official opposition." He once initiated a controversial motion that would have required that all residents use Ottawa in their postal address, rather than the names of their former communities. He withdrew the motion after the initiative proved unpopular.
In the 2003 Ottawa election he faced a stiff challenge from Jean-Francois Claude who argued that Ottawa East was being ignored by the city and that Bloess had failed to lobby hard enough for official bilingualism. The race was one of the closest for an incumbent councilor in 2003, but Bloess was reelected.
Light rail extension project
Bloess was an opponent of the city's light-rail extension from downtown Ottawa to BarrhavenBarrhaven, Ontario
Barrhaven is a rapidly growing suburban neighbourhood in the southwest of the urban area of the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, about southwest of downtown Ottawa. Prior to amalgamation with Ottawa in 2001, Barrhaven was part of the City of Nepean. Its population as of the Canada 2006 Census was...
. On December 7, council voted in favor by a margin of 12–11 to pursue the project without the downtown segment. However, Bloess, who was on holiday during the vote, could not vote against the project, which would have derailed it. He mentioned that he was not aware that the vote would have taken place during his absence. When O'Brien modified his position to be against it because of insufficient funding, a new vote was held in which Bloess was present that officially derailed the project on December 14 by a margin of 13–11. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2006/12/13/light-rail.html http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2006/12/08/bloess-rail.html