Newsletter November 19, 2024

COUNCILLOR’S MESSAGE 

Newcomer reception centres 

Ever since news broke on November 7th about the proposed newcomer reception centre for 1645 Woodroffe, I’ve been communicating with residents frequently and regularly about this very controversial issue. We’ve issued three special bulletins on this topic. I’ve met with community leaders and groups and will certainly continue to respond to emails and phone calls from residents as quickly as possible. 

For this newsletter, we’re going to keep it brief, with just a few key updates. But we’re also creating a dedicated page on our website where we’ll provide answers to some of your most pressing questions, as well as a lot more detail about what is being proposed. This should be completed in the next few days, at which point we’ll issue another special bulletin. As important developments occur, we’ll continue to update residents and affected communities.  

Here are a few key updates: 

• We are looking to hold an initial Public Information Session during the first week of December, to be held at the Nepean Sportsplex. Once we confirm the date, we will post that information on our social media, and we will issue a special bulletin. 

• There have been some recent local news articles that contain much more accurate information about the newcomer reception centres. For anyone looking for transparent information, I encourage you to read CBC Ottawa’s “Sorting facts from fiction on centres for asylum seekers” and CTV News’ “What is a sprung structure”.     

• As mentioned previously, my office is actively working on addressing the concern about how Myers Riders Football Club and other sports groups would be impacted by locating this sprung structure on the football field known as “Confed Field”. We’ll provide more details soon, but we are advancing towards a solution that will enable sports groups to continue using this field.  

For more information and answers to more of your questions, please refer to our next special bulletin.  

Budget 2025 

Last week City Council received the draft 2025 City of Ottawa budget. Over the course of the next month, each component of that global budget will be debated and potentially modified at each relevant Committee meeting. On December 11, City Council will then debate, potentially modify, and then vote on whether to pass the budget.  

When the 2024 budget was passed last year, Mayor Sutcliffe stated that the 2025 budget was going to be a tough one.  This is indeed a very challenging budget, and one that would be impossible to support in its current state.  

For those who need a bit of a “budget refresh”, we’ve been essentially presented with two budgets. First, we’ve got the budget for everything other than transit, which was built on a proposed property tax increase of 2.9%, as per the budget direction. In the September 24 Ward 9 newsletter I provided my thoughts on this budget direction, voicing my concern that this kind of budget is more likely to result in the phenomena of service erosion and compounding decline. 

Then, we’ve got the budget for the Transit Commission with its recommendations for how to address a projected annual deficit of $120 million

I’ll start with the transit budget.  

If the intention with the transit budget is to set our city’s public transit on the pathway to failure, then this budget is an appropriate tactic.  

There is much to be concerned about with this transit budget. And everyone in the city – whether you use transit or not, whether you love transit or hate it – needs to be concerned with this budget. Our city’s entire economic, social and environmental outlook is tied to the success of transit. As Ottawa’s transit fails, so does Ottawa fail. It’s that simple.  

As you may recall, the city needs to address a projected $120 million gap in our 2025 Transit Commission budget. To fill this gap, the city proposed various revenue-generating “levers”, which included: 

• Increased fares and reduced discounts 

• Efficiencies and capital deferrals 

• Increase to the transit levy 

• Service cuts 

• Money from federal and provincial governments 

My first concern is that the proposed Transit Commission budget includes a “placeholder” of $36 million from the federal and/or provincial governments. This amount reflects what Mayor Sutcliffe hopes to gain as a result of his “Fair Deal for Ottawa” campaign, which was launched in August. As far as I know, Council has not heard of any tangible outcomes from this campaign yet, although the Mayor has said that he’s optimistic. Unless the Mayor can demonstrate evidence to support his optimism, even just to councillors, then I am concerned about the risk of supporting what is presented here.   

My second concern is that although the Mayor has said that the budget does not include service cuts, it still includes $12.4 million in “efficiencies” and $21.3 million in “capital deferrals”. Having not yet had enough time to get into the details of those two items, I need to investigate whether those savings could lead to an erosion of service or compounding decline. 

But my greatest concern with the Transit budget is the degree to which it proposes to raise fares and reduce discounts. In the proposed budget, the single regular fare will increase from $3.80 to $4.00 per ride, ranking us among the highest transit fares across North America. We’d be charging top dollar for a service that many consider unreliable or have grown to distrust. If the long-term strategy is to increase ridership, it’s hard to see how this will do it.  

And this is nothing compared to the impact that the proposed reduction in discount fares will have, specifically on youth and seniors. In my opinion, it’s cruel, unjust, and unwise.  

Currently youth aged 13 – 18 can purchase a monthly pass for $99.25, compared to the regular adult pass of $128.15. For 2025, the adult monthly pass is increasing to $135, and the youth monthly pass is...simply disappearing. In other words, youth will be charged approximately $36 more per month to ride transit, or $432 over the course of a year. 

And it’s worse for seniors. 

The monthly seniors pass is proposed to increase from $49/month to $108/month, which is an increase of a whopping 120%. If you’re a senior purchasing a pass each and every month, that’s an increase of $708 per year. If you’re looking to upset seniors, this is how you’d do it.

And yes, I am aware that Mayor Sutcliffe mentioned today that he and the Transit Working Group are aware of the public outcry about the impact on seniors and are considering adjustments to the proposed budget. But it begs the question: is this something that the Mayor and the Transit Working Group were ready to support in the first place? It would appear so. 

One more item when it comes to reduced discounts. The free rides for kids aged 11 and 12 would no longer be available in the 2025 budget. And since there’s no longer any youth fare, then that means kids aged 11 and 12 would now pay $4 per ride, just like an adult.  

Like I said, it’s cruel. Here’s why I think it’s unjust and unwise. 

The amount of new revenue to be generated from these reduced discounts is approximately $11.2 million ($5.5 million from eliminating the youth pass, $2.0 million from reducing the seniors’ discount, and $3.7 million from taking away free transit for kids aged 11 and 12). 

As mentioned above, one of the proposed “levers” is to increase the transit levy. If the entire $120 million gap were to have been covered by the transit levy, that would have seen the transit levy increase by 37%. As it stands, the current proposal is to increase the tax levy by 8%, which is the equivalent of an additional 1% tax increase. That’s why we’re saying that property taxes are increasing by 3.9%. There’s the original 2.9% increase to your property tax, plus the equivalent of a 1% tax increase through the larger transit levy.  

At City Hall, we’re told that a 1% property tax increase generates about $20 million in revenue. And so, if we needed an alternate source of revenue to match the $11.2 million coming from reduced discounts to youth and seniors, we could get that through increasing overall property taxes by an additional 0.56%.  

What would that cost you as a taxpayer? Let’s do the math.  

Let’s say your property taxes for 2024 were $8,000 per year. For 2025, they’re already set to go up by 2.9%. That would see your property tax bill increase from $8,000 to $8,232, or a difference of $232. And if your overall property taxes go up by 3.9% with the current increase to the tax levy, your bill would go from $8,000 in 2024 to $8,312, which is another $80.  

That’s already happening in the budget that’s been proposed.  

And what more would it cost you if we increased that tax bill by an additional 0.56%?  

$48. 

That’s the choice that’s before us as a city. We can make youth, and seniors pay an additional $432 and $708 per year, respectively, or we can ask everyone to pay an additional $48 per year. For some of us, even less.

I suppose one way to look at it is whether you think youth and seniors are sufficiently to blame for our transit problems that they merit such an outsized punishment.  

Here’s a thought: a lot of property taxpayers are also seniors who use transit, or parents with kids who use transit. Go ask them which option they prefer.  

Now, I’ll address the “everything other than transit” budget. Yes, there are some good things in it, including several items which are the direct result of things that I’ve been fighting for.  

But a budget based on a minimal tax increase of 2.9% is not going to do enough to address our critical needs, whether on infrastructure renewal, the maintenance of essential services, or much needed social supports.  

In the next issue of this newsletter, we’ll take a closer examination of the good things and the bad things in this budget. But I’ll use this opportunity to refer to some of the positive additions, including items that I’m proud to have brought to this budget:  

• Through the work I did with my colleague Councillor Johnson, we’re seeing new money ($250,000) for new streetlights, which are sorely needed in Ward 9.  

• Through the work I did with my colleague Councillor Dudas, we’re seeing increased funding for local road rehabilitation ($13.5 million).  

• Through the work I did with my colleagues Councillor Dudas and Councillor Carr, we’re seeing an increase to the budget for supervised lifeguards on our municipal beaches, which is an initiative that I led in order to address the tragic deaths at our beaches in recent years.   

• There’s more money for standalone sidewalk improvement in this year’s budget, bringing this investment up to $2.3 million. 

• Each councillor’s traffic calming budget for our wards will be increased from $75,000 to $87,500, which will allow us to be better able to consider more-preferred items like speed humps instead of flex-stakes.  

Much more to come later.  

CITY WORKS 

City of Ottawa Updates: New Three-Item Garbage Policy Implementation – Phase 2 

As of September 30, 2024, the City of Ottawa has begun implementing a new three-item garbage collection policy. We are now in Phase 2 of the implementation, which began in November. Here’s a quick update on what’s happened so far and what residents can expect in the coming months: 

Implementation Phases: 

Phase 1 (October): During the initial phase, all garbage items at the curb were collected, even if the three-item limit was exceeded. Collection staff recorded and left a custom courtesy tag to educate residents on the new limits and how to participate in waste diversion programs. 

Phase 2 (November): For households exceeding the three-item garbage limit, collection staff will now leave one item behind with a custom courtesy tag. This phase serves as a reminder to residents to comply with the new policy. 

Phase 3 (December): Beginning in December, only three garbage items will be collected per household, and items exceeding this limit will be left behind with a custom courtesy tag. Collection staff will also escalate cases of improper setouts for further review by a Solid Waste Inspector. 

Data on Courtesy Tagging: 

Over the first four weeks of Phase 1, Solid Waste staff have been actively monitoring and tagging properties that exceed the garbage limits. Here's the data collected on the number of courtesy tags issued during the first month of the policy rollout: 

Key Reminder: 

As of November, residents who exceed the three-item garbage limit or use bins over the 140L size limit will continue to receive courtesy tags. This will allow time for residents to adapt and ensure their garbage complies with the new standards. Courtesy tagging for oversized bins will continue until May 2, 2025, to give residents time to purchase bins that comply with the 140L size limit, as outlined in the Solid Waste By-law. 

Update on traffic calming projects 

Our office continues to work towards implementing road modifications and safety measures to address speeding and traffic safety in Ward 9, which continues to be a common area of concern. There will be more work happening in the coming years, but for now we wanted to provide updates on two specific projects:  

• The neighborhood traffic calming project on MacFarlane Road is now substantially complete, with only some signage, pavement markings, and gravel shoulder work remaining. Our team has done a site inspection of MacFarlane, and we are satisfied that the completed project will achieve the intended objectives. 

• The neighborhood traffic calming project on Conover Street has completed installation of the three speed humps, with only the raised pedestrian crosswalk to be completed next spring. Our team has done a site inspection of Conover, and we are satisfied with the installation of the three speed humps. We’re particularly grateful that the installation was done so quickly.  

• The neighborhood traffic calming project on Craig Henry Drive has seen some recent modifications to pavement markings, to address confusion over the right-hand side parking lane being used illegally used as a driving lane. Road users will now see a “double white line” lane marking, which should instruct drivers not to use it as a passing lane.  

Over the next few years, our office will continue to address speeding and traffic safety on some of our main collector roads and arterials. As always, the city’s resources are limited, and we need to prioritize roads where the need is greatest and where we can have the greatest impact on improving safety. In the next few issues of our newsletter, we will be surveying residents for input on concerns over speeding and traffic safety concerns on three of our main collector roads: Meadowlands Drive, Viewmount Drive, and Knoxdale Road.  

Trend Arlington outdoor rink 

Residents of Trend Arlington will be happy to see that progress is advancing on the site preparation and construction of the outdoor pavilion project, which means that we are moving closer towards having the outdoor rink set up at the original location soon. Over the coming weeks, residents should expect to see the ongoing work to lay down asphalt for the pavilion’s floor, at which point the fenced-in area will be reduced to the pavilion’s footprint, and then the rink boards will be set up. All of this should happen prior to any major snowfall.  

City of Ottawa prepares for winter operations 

It might not look like it, but winter is just around the corner, which means that the City of Ottawa’s Public Works crews are preparing for winter operations to make sure our roads, sidewalks and pathways are clear, and our communities are safe throughout the season. Effective November 15 and until April 1, winter weather parking bans can be called to support winter operations when weather conditions require more road crews to be out clearing and treating our transportation network.  

As our office does every winter, we will be attempting to notify Ward 9 residents as soon as possible about winter weather parking bans, as well as providing advance notice on which streets and roads are being scheduled for maintenance. To keep up to date on these notices, you can either check in at a new page on our website, or you can keep up to date on our Facebook or X(Twitter) pages. 

Ottawa Fire Services 2025 calendar 

Ottawa Fire Services has come out with the best stocking stuffer or Secret Santa gift for 2025. It’s the newest and best-ever edition of the 2025 Firefighter Calendar. And no, it’s not the typical firefighter calendar that you might be thinking about! 

The photos for this calendar feature the firefighters and the babies they rescued from the neo-natal intensive care unit (NICU) at the Ottawa Hospital last year, after a fire threatened that building. This amazing idea came from the doctors and nurses at the Ottawa Hospital, and all proceeds will go to the Ottawa Hospital NICU as well as the Ottawa First Responders Foundation.  

Here’s the link to get your own copy of this amazing calendar!

There will also be a “pop-up” event in Ward 9 where the firefighters from the calendar will be on site, and where you can pick up your own copy of this amazing calendar! The event will be on Thursday November 21st from 7:00am – 9:00am at Hot 89.9 (6 Antares Drive).  

Tree planting and tree equity 

There was an interesting article at CBC Ottawa that addressed the question of Ottawa’s tree planting policy, and how it strives to ensure that trees are planted equitably across the entire city. The article noted that “Most Canadian neighbourhoods with lower incomes and more racialized residents also have fewer trees than their wealthier counterparts, according to research by Nature Canada and American Forests.” 

Ottawa is no exception to this fact. Whereas the article was referring primarily to the lack of trees in equity-seeking neighbourhoods in the urban core, it also drew attention to areas surrounding Merivale Road. As readers of this newsletter are aware, our office is eagerly developing an eventual Merivale Secondary Plan, which will take many factors into account for how to properly develop this rapidly transforming area. We will ensure that trees get their place in the new Merivale!

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT  

Join Para Transpo Talk: November 19, 24, 25, and 27! 

Para Transpo customers, their families, companions, and support persons are invited to attend Para Transpo Talk, a series of in-person customer engagement events scheduled for November. These sessions are open to all, regardless of how often Para Transpo is used, and there’s no need to register in advance—simply drop in! 

Why Attend?

Customer feedback plays a key role in improving services, and Para Transpo Talk provides an opportunity to: 

• Hear updates on Para Transpo services 

• Engage directly with OC Transpo staff 

• Ask questions and provide valuable feedback to enhance the Para Transpo experience. 

Event Schedule:

Here are the locations and times for the upcoming Para Transpo Talk events: 

• Tuesday, November 19 
  4:00 pm to 7:00 pm 
  Carlingwood Mall (Community Space) 

• Sunday, November 24 
  10:00 am to 4:00 pm 
  Billings Bridge Mall (Second floor, near the entrance to Billings Bridge Station) 

• Monday, November 25 
  10:00 am to 3:00 pm 
  Mary Pitt Centre, 100 Constellation Crescent (Hallway near Tim Horton’s) 

• Wednesday, November 27 
  10:00 am to 3:00 pm 
  Bob MacQuarrie Recreation Complex, 1490 Youville Drive (Near the administration office) 

What to Expect:

OC Transpo staff will be on hand with laptops to assist with registration for My Para Transpo, an online tool that allows customers to book, cancel, and track trips without the need to call. 

These events provide an excellent opportunity for customers to have their questions answered, share feedback, and learn more about future service improvements. 

For those unable to attend the November sessions, there will be additional engagement opportunities in the future, including a virtual event in January. 

PUBLIC HEALTH & SAFETY  

Respiratory Disease Update 

We are now well into the fall season and, as many of you will have noticed, respiratory infections are everywhere. While COVID infections in the community appear to have stabilized for now, they have stabilized at an elevated rate. There is lots of disease in the community right now and rates of hospitalization are increasing, across the board for flu, COVID, and RSV. So, it remains important to use the tools you have available to minimize risk for you and your family. Open windows, use air filters, and wear masks in congregate settings to reduce transmission. 

Community Needle Retrieval Dashboard 

Ottawa Public Health is launching a new surveillance tool for the city: a dashboard that helps residents track when and where drug paraphernalia are found improperly discarded in our communities. The dashboard aims to provide transparent and accessible data on drug use equipment retrieval, supporting community efforts by allowing residents and partners to report discarded needles and view retrieval data. That means the dashboard allows residents to see where trouble spots are and to track changes over time. It’s another great public health tool that will make is easier for communities to work together to tackle this challenging problem. You can visit OPH’s website for more information and to check out the dashboard. 

Carbon Monoxide Detectors 

With the cooler weather finally here, we have returned to the season of closed windows and active furnaces, fireplaces, and woodstoves. It’s important to know that that combination can lead to elevated carbon monoxide levels in our homes—so it’s important to ensure that you have an active, functioning, and properly located carbon monoxide detector in your home. The city has produced a couple of simple graphics to help with that: one for residents and one for landlords. So, check your detectors, make sure they are working, and make sure they are in the right location in your house or multi-residential building. Happy heating! 

Free screening for valvular heart disease 

Woodvale Pentecostal Church at 205 Greenbank Road is hosting a free Heart Valve Screening on Tuesday November 19th from 8:30am – 3:30pm. This is for anyone who is 65 years and older, who have no known heart disease or stroke. This is a mobile clinic, and participants can expect an appointment of 30 – 60 minutes that includes a mini heart ultrasound, a check for diabetes and high cholesterol, as well as a short assessment of other cardiovascular risk factors. Those interested are welcome to contact the Centre for Valvular Heart Disease at 613.696.7412 or by email at [email protected] 

PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT 

1545 Woodroffe Ave. 

As we have previously reported, the owner of this property is moving forward with cleaning up the site, including removing the old, abandoned Tim Horton’s building. There are no plans at the moment to add anything to the site. We have been seeing some rumours about the possibility of some sort of housing structure being built on that site. Those reports are incorrect. The site is privately owned and remains a commercial site. We will keep you posted on any further developments with the site. You can also monitor things, any time, through the city’s Development Applications portal. 

40 Beechcliffe Street 

Residents of the area will also know that the large open site at 40 Beechcliffe Street—part of which is reserved for a future LRT station—has been selected as a site for the construction of a small number of units of affordable housing.  There will be some activity on the site for a couple of days this week with crews conducting an environmental assessment, checking soil and groundwater conditions. The disruption will be minimal and is not expected to have any effect on traffic in the area. 

COMMUNITY NEWS & EVENTS 

Ottawa native seed giveway 

Interested in helping promote biodiversity and going local at the same time? On November 23 from 1:00pm – 3:00pm, the Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library in partnership with the Trend Arlington Community Association will be hosting a native seed giveaway, where anyone who’s interested can come and grab hold of some native seeds and get instructions on how best to plant them! 

A Celtic Christmas 

Tanglewood Park craft fair