O'Brien befriends O-Train, Munter refuses union friends

Mayoral candidates Larry O'Brien and Alex Munter started the last week of the campaign trying to associate and disassociate themselves, respectively, with groupsthat could help or hurt their election bids.

O'Brien is trying to decide whether to pick for his team Friends of the O-Train, a group that unveiled its vision of Ottawa's future transit system last week.

The group's plan calls for an extension of the north-south diesel light rail O-Train line and a new six-kilometre light rail line downtown— a plan the group estimates would cost $300 million less than the light rail plan approved by Ottawa city council in July.

O'Brien said he likes the plan but wants to meet with the group this week to get more details.

"I want to be very, very sure that my interpretation of them solving the downtown congestion first is exactly what they intended with their plan," he said, "because I think that's the ultimate solution."

Bob Chiarelli called attention to union vote

Meanwhile, his opponent, Alex Munter, refused the support of the Public Service Alliance of Canada after an attack from Mayor Bob Chiarelli revealed the union's plans to offer some paid help.

Chiarelli sent an open letter datedSunday to Munter and the media, callingattention to a vote by the Public Service Alliance of Canada's Ottawa-area councilthat was scheduled for Monday.

The council, which endorses Munter, planned to vote on whether to pay members to work on Munter's campaign.

Chiarelli attacked Munter for allowing the contribution after promising not to accept donations from unions.

Munter said he only learned of the meeting on the weekend, and quickly wrote a letter to the union refusing to accept any of its proposed help.