Ottawa 2017 is set to be a big year of celebration, with lots of special events lined up here in the capital.
But, Joining Kristy Cameron on The Newsfeed, College Ward Councillor Rick Chiarelli says although the events will be big, the amount of money the city is spending on them could be better used elsewhere.
"You can have a heck of a party for 30 million dollars - there's no doubt about it. And it will be fun, and people will enjoy it. But, I'm saying that if you're going to spend 30 million dollars, I think the people of Ottawa should've had the choice - 'Are you going to spend it on things that are blown in a day, or are you going to spend it on something that will be a lasting legacy project?'"
Chiarelli says the city could've put together a big Canada Day party and then used the rest of the money elsewhere.
"We're spending a whole ton of money on things that are one day wonders. If you're going to spend 30 million dollars to celebrate 2017, maybe what you could've done is had the biggest Canada Day party the city has ever put on for about 3 million dollars, and you could've used the rest to build a legacy project that will last for decades to come."
Chiarelli says a perfect example of this is looking back at Ottawa's Centennial Celebration in 1967, and how that brought lots of new things to the capital that are still here today.