CFN – A looming municipal election invites a wide range of citizens to declare their candidacy for public office and share their vision of the city’s future. Over the past 30-years, various candidates have promised to work to bring high paying jobs to Cornwall, repeatedly singing the hymn “I shall bring high paying jobs to Cornwall if elected – – – Ah-lay-hay-loo-yaaahhhh” during every election campaign. Except that nothing in this regard has materialized in many years. Ontario’s once vibrant manufacturing industry has collapsed while the provincial government pays over $10-billion annually to cover the interest charge on the provincial debt.
Population Growth:
Several years ago, there was an initiative to improve Cornwall’s commuter transportation link to Ottawa and the commuter bus service started. Today, it carries about 40-daily weekday riders between Cornwall and Ottawa. Except that improved transportation links to Ottawa have only benefited a few communities in the region that have undergone population growth, namely those located within 50-kms of Ottawa. On the Quebec side, opening a commuter train station at Vaudreuil to serve as the western turn-around point for Montreal’s Lakeshore commuter train service greatly increased population growth at Vaudreuil and surrounding area.
Competition from Quebec:
The Vaudreuil-Soulanges region of Quebec is located between the Ottawa and St Lawrence Rivers and border with Ontario. It has potential to compete with Cornwall for future economic development despite having long been an electoral stronghold for the Parti Quebecois and Bloc Quebecois. The recent opening of Hwy 530 across the St Lawrence River between Dorion and Chateauguay along with recent improvement to the docks at the nearby Port of Valleyfield enhances prospects for future economic development in that region. That region’s recent increase in population growth enhances future prospects to further develop Aerodrome-Montreal-Ouest at St Lazare.
Growing Cornwall’s Population:
A former Cornwall city councilor recently initiated some discussion about increasing Cornwall’s population. Perhaps at a residential district in Cornwall that is similar to Greg Quay in South Glengarry could attract a mix of professional people and retirees to Cornwall. To the east of Creg Quay on the Quebec side, the attractive village of Notre-Dame-sur-du-lac is built around a series of purposefully built interconnecting canals that provide all homes in that village with waterway access, via each backyard. It is an attractive neighbourhood where a mix of professional people and retirees live and where all houses are occupied.
Area Population Growth:
A neighbourhood similar to Notre-Dame-sur-du-lac located on the Ontario side and with each home having waterway access from the backyard may attract professional people to live in the outlying area near Cornwall. Except that several years ago, the region’s conservation authority stalled plans for such waterfront residential development at Lancaster. Unless the provincial government is prepared to repeal some of the powers accorded to some of the conservation authorities, future waterfront residential development would be out of the question in this area while it would likely prevail on the Quebec side of the border.
Cornwall Waterfront Residential Development:
Over the past several years, developers have built multiple-unit housing accommodations between 2nd Street West and the Cornwall Canal, also to the north of water street that provide some of the residents with a view over the river. While other waterfront development may be possible at Cornwall, the region’s conservation authority would likely oppose such plans. Otherwise dredging the tributary of Gray’s Creek that extends under Boundary Road into Cornwall’s east end, along with the installation of a water pump and small navigation lock, could provide summer time waterway access close to residential areas located south of 2nd Street.
Recreational Waterway:
Parks Canada oversees the Trent Severn Canal system, Rideau Canal system as well as locks on the Ottawa River to provide for recreational boating. There are plans to re-activate the old navigation canal near Coteau, Quebec, for the purposes of summer recreational boating. It may be possible at Cornwall, to build a navigation lock to the west of the new causeway, between the Cornwall Canal and St Lawrence River, to transit recreational watercraft. Mechanical boatlifts between Cornwall Canal and St Lawrence River and over the dam wall between the Cornwall Canal and Lake St Lawrence may be possible.
It may also be possible to build a shallow navigation canal using raised earth and concrete sections around the bottom of the dam wall, to link Cornwall Canal and Lake St Lawrence. The canal would include navigation locks and transit recreational and small commercial watercraft during summer. The edge of such a canal may need to be located some 50-metres away from the base of the dam wall so as to assure the structural integrity of that dam wall. Such a proposal requires further economic analysis as well as structural analysis
Barge Port:
The development of 2 x deep-sea super ports on the Gulf of St Lawrence for super-sized container ships could introduce container-on-barge traffic between those ports and inland ports. Bringing containers to a port at or near Cornwall’s front door during the navigation season could lower transportation costs for the distribution centers. Revisions to the navigable waterways act could go far to help develop a barge port at or near Cornwall. Except that the region’s conservation authority may delay development of such barge port, potentially diverting future maritime container traffic through the Port of Valleyfield and Vaudreuil-Soulanges area.
Conclusions:
Cornwall’s close proximity to the St Lawrence River enhances future prospects for waterfront and waterway development related to tourism, recreational and residential purposes. Except that the region’s conservation authority and NOT the elected municipal councils has acquired authority over such future development.
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In the US when towns have lost their industries where the vast majority have been employed they have made railroad tracks with commuter trains to the larger cities where people can work and I have said this before. Ottawa’s OC Transpo wanted to make something between Ottawa and Cornwall for the people of Cornwall but Bare Ass turned it down for some reason so people are commuting on a bus and I saw that bus one time at St. Laurent Shopping Mall when I went into Sears store with my husband. My husband said to me “do you remember the days when we were looking for work as a young couple and travelled to Ottawa in an old school bus and met some nice people from Cornwall who were working in Ottawa” and I said yes. We then decided to move to Ottawa since there was nothing in Cornwall. Now times are a great deal worse because in those days you still had your industries. Everywhere in N. America industries have left and others are still leaving. There is nothing left for the young people unless something is changed around in the economy and nobody can see anything changed so far except for the worse. Unfortunately this has happened and not for our benefit but to feather the pockets of the elite super class and the products made overseas is pure garbage.
Probably the same reason other municipalities turn these “offers” down….they’re too expensive.
Hi Hugger1 . . . . a private developer operating on private funding had initiated plans to build waterfront residential accommodations around the ponds at Lancaster . . . ponds located on private property owned by the developer. The canal community on the Quebec side of the border was also developed on private funding. The sad situation in this area has been short-sighted thinking at the municipal level and too much authority being given to the conservation authority that shut down a proposal that could have attracted professional people to live in this region . . . and commute to work in the Montreal area.
The Wynne government pays over $10-billion annually to cover the interest charges on the provincial debt, leaving little cash available to fund economic development initiatives across Ontario. The high-tech sector collapsed a few years ago and the heavily subsidized green-sector sector is beginning to fall apart. Cornwall will have to depend on private initiative for future economic and future population growth.
While some members of Cornwall city council may be content to attract retired citizens to take up residence at Cornwall, other large centres have been known to give some of the welfare clients a one-way bus ticket to Cornwall.
Some people in Cornwall believe that a university at Cornwall could create future economic development . . . . all we need to do is look at the communities of Potsdam and Canton in Upstate New York . . . . lots of colleges and universities and not too much in the way of industry and business to employ all the graduates.
Mr. Valentine the high tech sure has fallen and I knew a woman not too long when we first came to Ottawa and I met her in our doctor’s office. She was a high tech engineer who worked at Nortel and went to Oxford University in England to get her PHD in IT and she along with others were being laid off at Nortel. I haven’t seen her in some years and she used to go into the office with her sister who was a medical doctor. All the high tech companies that are left in Ottawa are mostly little start ups and the big companies are pretty well gone. DND (Department of National Defence) is going to take some of their employees in different buildings and put them in the former Nortel Building all the way out in the far west end. My daughter used to work much further and the employees find it too far to go to that place. My daughter was pretty well dead when she got home.
As for attracting people to Cornwall like professional people best of luck to all of you. A university is not the answer at all. When people see that there are no jobs they see no future and so many are stuck with debts until they get close to retirement age. There is such a wonderful young man who works with my daughter and we just love his mom who also works with my daughter and he is only 18 and doesn’t want to further in school just now because he sees nothing in front of him and that is how the young people feel these days. I heard so much Mr. Valentine and the economy is going to collapse. We haven’t seen anything yet. We are just at the beginning stages of all of this. As far as condos are concerned Lancaster would be a better place to put them and some people from Montréal already live in Lancaster and commute. I am afraid that the governments of the world are going to tax heavily those who commute because of the global warming as well as home heating fuels. I think that people are going to be forced out of their cars as time goes on and commute by the train system. Yes it is very expensive or you work where you live.
Hi Jules,
The town of Alexandria is the only town across Eastern Ontario that has the equivalent of commuter train service . . early morning AM trains going into Montreal and into Ottawa, complimented by evening PM trains from those cities. Within about a year or so, Alexandria will be connected to a water supply from the St Lawrence River.
You warn about possible economic collapse . . . such an event could occur with Canada’s #1 trading partner, the USA . . . when they underwent a severe economic downturn several years ago, Southern Ontario’s manufacturing sector quite literally shut down. Don’t be surprised that economic conditions force Kathleen Wynn to carry out one of Tim Hudak’s campaign promises . . . to lay off 100,000 government employees.
Mr. Valentine it looks as if Alexandria is going to grow and Cornwall is going to stay behind and all thanks to Bare Ass as mayor. One lady in Cornwall that I know is from the Alexandria area and when she was a single woman she used to take the train to Ottawa and back for work. I would have liked this system to be installed for Cornwall but look at what happened. Many people get out of Ottawa and go and live in the smaller communities and for very good reason. The crime rate has escalated even in the highly residential areas of the city and people want out. People who live in houses are mighty afraid and have good reason to be. A former co-worker of my daughter left Ottawa and was mighty afraid and went back to Montréal. If you saw the beautiful areas and what kind of people are living in them then you would ask what happened. Well you are a very intelligent man and you know how some are paying for them. There are no jobs here in Ottawa and elsewhere and many people cannot sell so they rent their homes out if they can find someone to rent since the rents are out of this world.
Yes the US is going to collapse and our Canadian economy is attached 80% or more with the US economy and we too are going to go down. Australia is also in a mess and they do more trade with China. China is going to go down as well since they hold the vast majority of the US debt. There is a great deal more to this but I would be here for a mighty long time. We have no more manufacturing at all and just raw materials.
Yes I sure do believe that Kathleen Wynn (Winnie) will have absolutely no other alternative but to lay off 100,000 or even more employees in the Ontario government. That doesn’t include the federal government. When I used to work in the federal government I saw a great deal of waste and many people were hired and sitting around reading books, newspapers, etc. I could not stand sitting down reading a book and tried that for an entire week and was sick. DND is one of the departments that can lay off a lot of staff and they were one of the departments that hired the most. The fat has to be trimmed and there is no other way. The little guy pays for it and that is so true but there is no other alternative but to cut.
I wouldn’t consider what Alexandria has as a “commuter train.” It arrives too late in Ottawa and is too costly for the average Joe to consider if they wanted to live there.
Alexandria will grow? Perhaps. But not to the extent of Cornwall. Alexandria has a population of 3,300. Need I say more?
As for provincial gov’t layoffs…..probably. The federal gov’t has been doing this for a number of years. But the federal gov’t is very good at smoke and mirrors.
Jules, please do NOT lump all federal PS workers in the same pile. I know when I was there the units I worked in worked very hard and with unrealistic deadlines. i never had time to read books. It gets tiring being a former PS worker and having to defend myself against baseless allegations.
Hugger I worked for Revenue Canada in the Excise Department when I was permanent. In that department we were busier than bees in a hive but when I left to stay with my kids for a short while I went back to work with the public service and agencies and DND was one of the places that hired the most and with little work. I wound up sitting behind a patrician for a whole week reading books and I had a mighty big migrane doing that and I called the agency in Hull to tell them that it was a loss to go and take money from people to read books and I cannot sit and do that and I left. The others could have done that job without hiring out from other places. There is a lot of deadwood to cut and that is the truth. Yes the feds sure did cut and then hired people back and yes full of smoke and mirrors and how mighty true that description is and if the people knew the truth about what goes on they would have the PM and others hide and hanging from the lamp posts and trees nearby.
Any town or community counting on Via Rail service in the future is walking on thin ice. The service has been, and continues to be cut all across Canada. It seems the plan is to reduce service, increase the fares, and then shut it down because not enough people use it.
Jules, I’m presuming it’s been a while since you worked in the federal PS. I retired about 3 years ago. Things have changed a lot in the last few years. When I left The Cons were just starting their latest slashing of the federal PS. When I left the unit I was in had eight people, it now has been reduced to one thanks to cuts and redistribution. Yes, the cuts were needed. But the way they went about it was not thought out. I’ve talked to people who are still there. People are still afraid of losing their jobs. When you have to enter competitions for your own job there is something terribly wrong. I retired because I had the required years and because I could not put up with the unrealistic deadlines and continual BS.
I sadly agree with you Furtz. It’s tragic.
Furtz if the railroad goes out of business do you know how many jobs will be affected by this? Our food, lumber, steal, etc. etc. etc. would be greatly affected. I told Mr. Valentine that we are going to have an economic depression and this is no lie but the entire truth and I wouldn’t be surprised that the train system would go under as well. Do you know that American investor Warren Buffet owned CN Railway and sold it but now owns a railroad in the south of the US. Even the railroads in the US can be affected as well. Do you know Furtz that I heard that we are going to have an economic depression that will make the 30’s era pale by comparison. If this happens many people will commit suicide and it is already happening. We haven’t seen anything yet. Hold on to your shorts. LOL LOL. We do have to have a little humor added here for all the living hell coming apart around us.
{MODERATED} Jules please, comments, not books. Thanks
@ Jules. I was referring to Via Rail passenger service. Not the railroad freight companies.
Got you Furtz. For a while I thought that it would be the entire railroad. Take a look at Cornwall having to call up a train by a computerized method which is literally crazy and people used to travel by train a lot and was a great deal safer than travelling by car. Yes I sure do see your point.
I enjoy most of your comments Jules and usually don’t agree with them. But unless you are going to back them up with facts, please try to limit the “I know because I know” comments.
I hate to suggest that anyone that thinks the railroads in Canada or the USA for that matter are in trouble don’t know what they are talking about, however that is likely the case.
Bill Gates bought 49% of CN Rail for a reason. Approximately 4 years ago both my CN and CPR stock were under $70 per share. When I checked the other day CPR stock had passed $210 per share. I have continued to buy rail stocks across North American and have no short or medium term thought of selling.
What people generally do not understand about the North American continent is that we are lagging approximately 15 years behind the rest of the world (mainly Europe, but not limited to).
I would tend to agree with Jules regarding a reality check here in North America. However when 2 cars in the driveway is not economically sustainable for the middle class it is the passenger rail service and increasing rail shipping business that will reap the rewards.
Warren Buffet and Bill Gates have both been right on the money so far and their investiture is in the billions.
Hi David . . . . The Fed Gov’t ‘invested’ money to upgrade the railway tracks in the Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal triangle. They revised some schedules, including the early morning train from Montreal to Ottawa, that stops at Alexandria and is supposed to arrive at Ottawa at 8:20 AM, before departing for Toronto at 8:30 AM . . . it usually arrives in Ottawa at around 8:10 AM . . . giving commuters ample time to get into St Laurent Shopping centre, down-town Ottawa or University of Ottawa at 8:30 AM. The revised train service actually suits somebody who works a 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM job in Ottawa . . . the revised train service also suits Alexandria’s business community that has same-day return service to/from both Ottawa and Montreal.
Alexandria also has a commuter bus service into Ottawa. The village of Casselman has multiple departures of commuter buses to/from Ottawa and has become a bedroom community, better than doubling their population since Hwy 417 first opened to traffic.
Up the railway line from Cornwall, Brockville has a 7:00 AM train to Toronto that arrives there at 10:00AM . . . plus a daily weekday late evening train from Toronto to Brockville (some Ottawa – Toronto trains stop at Brockville). Their business community has excellent same-day return train service to both Toronto and Ottawa.
Cornwall businesses have lost convenient same-day return train service on weekdays to both Toronto and Montreal. It is however still convenient for business people from either Montreal or Toronto to undertake a convenient same-day return trip to Cornwall.
At the present time, Delaney’s commuter bus asks $319 per month for daily weekday return service to/from Ottawa . . . it costs $20 per day to park a car at some down-town parking areas . . . plus over $20/day on gas to commute by car. Delaney apparently provides a plug-in for lap-top computers, allowing commuters to do some work aboard the bus to/from Ottawa.
With regard to the airport, most corporations have parked the corporate jets and are flying on the commercial airlines. There is no way that Transport Canada will extend the runway at Cornwall airport without doing something similar on the Quebec side, possibly at St Lazare (Aerodrome Montreal Ouest).
I just find arriving in Ottawa by “commuter train” at 8:20 a.m. to be very inconvenient. When I worked most people started before 8 a.m. I rode the Delanbey bus up from Cornwall. Previously I took the bus in from Casselman. I’m not saying the “commuter train” is bad, I just don’t think it’s realistic. This would prove true in the winter when travel times are at times unpredictable. I’d hate to be stuck in Ottawa for a night because I missed the train back.
Hugger1 . . . . the commuter bus has the advantage because they go right into down-town Ottawa, dropping off and picking up commuters right at the front door of some main office towers across Ottawa, while the VIA Rail station is away from the down-town Ottawa and out of walking distance to/from main places of employment.
The situation is a little different in Montreal where VIA Rail (Central) station is within walking distance of several major office towers in down-town Montreal . . . . also the Montreal subway operates high frequency during rush hours, with an underground walkway connecting to the VIA Rail station. Sometime in the future, Ottawa light rail (LRT) trains will connect down-town Ottawa to the VIA Rail station, so travellers based at Alexandria would have more reliable transportation to/from down-town Ottawa during bad weather.
It is possible that Cornwall people could benefit from improves intercity passenger transportation connections to large centres such as Ottawa and Montreal. Many people who live at Lancaster, Bainsville and Creg Quay commute to work in Montreal. Perhaps van pools to/from Montreal may benefit commuters who travel from Cornwall.
In Ottawa south, there are business/industrial areas located near Ottawa Airport and between the airport and Hwy 417 . . . . perhaps vanpools to/from Ottawa airport could serve commuters from Cornwall. Given the state of the economy, perhaps there is little option for people seeking to earn higher wages other than to commute to Ottawa and/or Montreal
The problem with van pools is that you can’t get commercial insurance, or it’s insanely expensive with quotes as high as $1,000 per seat per year + of course the cost of the vehicle, driver, and overhead.
I agree. The way to go is commuter bus. Taking a commuter train and then having to get on a bus to go downtown, to me, defeats the purpose of fast service.
Mr. Valentine and folks OC Transpo wanted to make a commuter train or LRT to Cornwall and back and have the people of Cornwall use OC Transpo Buses for the same price. That is what I read and Bare Ass turned it down flat. I was at the doctor’s office a while ago and I am bushed but I have noticed construction going on where the University of Ottawa is located on the other side and it looks like they are building the tunnels for the train system. Everything is covered so I couldn’t see well. The problem is that people work all over Ottawa and not just downtown and that is the problem. DND (Department of National Defence) wants to move people from an address on Rideau and another building at another street to work at the Corel Centre which is abandoned and that is way out in the far west end. People from Orleans said that it would be impossible for them and I agree. My daughter worked further and had to take 2 buses to get there and it took the same time as if she were travelling from Cornwall to Ottawa and then back again and she was literally dead when she came home. With the time I can pretty well guarantee everyone that this is what is going to happen and people will be dead by the time they arrive home. The stress and everything is unbelievable.
Mr. Oldham my husband used to travel in Europe before we were married and had a type of pass for the trains and Europeans travel like that all the time. Europass I think that is what he call it or something like that. That was years ago that we used to talk about this. Europeans do more travelling by train than by car or air. Europeans are way ahead of us in North America in everything including education and health care. My doctor has two brothers who live in Europe one in Norway and one in Sweden and he said that everything there including in Germany, France is way ahead. Warren Buffet is a self made billionaire and highly intelligent and he owned CN Railroad and then sold it and bought another in the South West of the US and I can’t remember the name of it just now.
Just this morning my husband and I were talking about Cornwall being so isolated with no more Voyageur Bus, having to dial a train and we said that sure is isolation. In the past you had all these things and yes I do believe that Alexandria, Casselman and other towns will grow. There are many rural towns like Alfred, Plantagenet and others who are also bedroom communities to Ottawa and many people live there and commute to Ottawa and Montréal. With the time I would say anywhere from 10 to 20 years you will see those communities go ahead. As long as Cornwall remains in the way it is then it will be doomed unless the people wake up and want to change things. It is all in your hands folks and only you can make those changes but electing good people and not what you have now. You all have to put your ideas together and make sure that they are implemented. Nothing will happen under Bare Ass and his gang of thugs. Real change is drastically needed.
@ Jules. I know that you don’t have a drivers license, so you don’t drive a car or ride a motorcycle. And trains and buses are a total pain to use. So how do you get around? Hard to imagine you boogieing around on a bicycle or a pogo-stick.
Furtz no I sure don’t drive and it is something that I never wanted to learn ever. I get around by my husband who drives and I use the bus and what is nearby I walk. If you ever had “the pleasure of driving in Ottawa” (I am using sarcasm here) LOL LOL you sure would understand why. LOL LOL. ROLF! Long before that back in 1959 when my sister drove in Cornwall and we almost had a very big accident and that turned me off driving completely. I only touched the wheel a couple of times and one was in Tunney’s Pasture in the mid 70’s when my husband wanted to listen to some bolt that came loose from one of the back wheels and he told me to drive the car a big to listen and when I pressed on the gas it drove off like a rocket ship. LOL LOL. Only one other time did he have me help him out and that was the last time I ever touched the wheel of a car. No motorcycle either. Gee that does sound good a pogo stick. Can you picture me jack rabbiting around the sidewalks of Ottawa. Well they do have the Royal Hospital here and maybe I need a personal reservation. LOL LOL. ROLF!
When I worked in the federal government my hours were 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 pm. and all of us in our unit worked those hours except for 2 or 3 people. If the commuter train were to start really early in the morning then those who would work late would have to stay in a coffee shop until their time to work. The problem would be coming home unless everyone worked that same shift. The commuter train wouldn’t just have to go to Cornwall but would have to make stops in many places. How about the people who reside in Long Sault, Ingleside, Morrisburg and those areas not counting all the rest. This would be a problem unless all these places would be covered as well. Williamstown, St. Andrews, etc. etc. etc. There is not even a Voyageur Bus terminal in Cornwall anymore and that really isolates a town. The Voyageur type of bus is in Casselman and Cornwall is really isolated without having other means of transportation. Think about people who want to travel and don’t drive like myself what do they have to depend on going by a “stork” or a “Canada Goose” and this isolates us. Cornwall has a very big problem and it is one that has to be dealt with.
I was thinking about all this just a while ago and even thought about all the little places just outside of Ottawa itself that have no bus to get into town and I went out to those places some years ago but today those places are developed into a lot of private homes. In the past a lot of those places was cottage country and farms, etc. but today those places are built up with beautiful homes and no transportation other than the car so people are really isolated. With the years to come things will have to change and public transportation is going to be the way that people will travel. Cornwall has no other alternative but to change and it isn’t just those in the planning board in Cornwall or wherever but the people themselves have to change. A mayor and council have to have vision and if there is no vision then why be as mayor and council. There was one young man in Cornwall who had some vision and that was young Korey Kennedy and everyone laughed at him mostly because of his behavior but he had vision and was a student of geography and most likely for urban affairs. This is exactly what people have to have and not follow what Bare Ass and his gang want. A complete change is needed and if you don’t have vision then you are deadwood.
Hi Jules,
Delaney’s commuter bus between Cornwall and Ottawa stops at multiple pick up points across Cornwall in the early AM hours, including Eastcourt Mall, downtown Cornwall and the Home Depot parking lot at Brookdale & Tollgate Road. The bus also serves St Andrew’s West and Monkland, making multiple AM stops across Ottawa that include St Laurent shopping/business centre, downtown Ottawa and extending to Tunney’s Pasture . . . arriving there around 7:15 AM every weekday morning. Delaney also operates daily weekday commuter buses from Alexandria (via Maxville), also from Finch.
Other companies operate commuter buses that serve Casselman, Embrun, Russell, Limoges, Winchester, Morrisburg, Kemptville and towns to the west and north-west of Ottawa . . . . all arriving at the end-of-the-line in Ottawa at around 7:15 AM . . . and they begin their evening pick-ups at around 4:00 PM.
For people who work 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM at either downtown Ottawa or downtown Montreal, the daily weekday train service at Alexandria actually fits the bill. There are plans to upgrade the Montreal – Ottawa railway tracks, so within the next few years, the 7:25 AM from Alexandria could arrive in Ottawa at 8:10 AM or earlier . . . making it more convenient for students who have attend classes that begin just after 8:30 AM at Ottawa U.
Does anyone actually work 9 to 5 any more? And if you did if the weather was bad you’d have to plan that for getting to the train on time to come home. Otherwise, it’s an expensive night in a hotel in Ottawa for you.
That was rather negative. It is usually more expensive to miss a day of work.
Unless the situation is perfect I don’t see taking a commuter train from Alexandria being worthwhile. Having to hop on OC Transpo in Ottawa is not ideal to me.