Boot camp opens for new city councillors

Ottawa's10 new councillors were busy at work learning how to do their new jobs at city hall Tuesday.

It was the first of a three-day orientation programto teach them about council's role, how to sit on committees, and how to draft budgets.

Mayor-elect Jim Watson kicked off the three-day boot camp by asking all councillors new and returning to think about collaboration and consensus.

"Because that's really the message I got in the election. People do want us to work together. They're tired of bickering and the finger pointing and the buck passing," Watson said.

Then it was time to get down to the nuts and bolts of being a city councillor.

"So we're gonna begin with the Constitution of Canada," said city solicitor Rick O'Connor.

Businesswoman Katherine Hobbs listened and took notes. She defeated incumbent Christine Leadman in Kitchissippi Ward.

"It is brand new. I've never been in any kind of political life before, so it's a big transition."

Mathieu Fleury sat beside her. He's 25 years old, and he ousted incumbent Georges Bdard from his seat in Rideau-Vanier.

Fleury also found time to finish his masters in sports management at the University of Ottawa.

"So, I was learning about the Olympic games a few months ago, and now I'm learning about our city and how it works," he said.

Fleury said he knows about some city departments already, because he is on staff as a head lifeguard.

But both he and Hobbs admit they have more to learn, especially if they're going to help Watson with his first order of business budget deliberations.