COUNCILLOR’S MESSAGE
Budget Direction 2025
The 2025 City of Ottawa budget promises to be the most challenging budget process our city has undergone in a long time. As CBC Ottawa columnist Kate Porter wrote recently: “The next few months of deliberations about a 2025 spending plan could bring either a thrilling high or some tough lows that will be hard to stomach.”
At last Wednesday’s Council meeting, we passed what’s called the “budget direction”, which presents the guidelines that we give to city staff, who then take those directions and prepare their draft budgets. Here is a quick summary of the budget direction that passed by a vote of 18-to-7:
- Council approved a property tax increase of 2.9% and instructed most city departments – except for the Transit Commission - to draft their budgets according to that 2.9% increase.
- To address the pending $120 million deficit in our transit budget, Council proposed that we fill that gap through a combination of different financial “levers”, including securing additional funding from the provincial and federal governments, massive increases to transit fares, massive increases to the transit levy, massive cuts to services, and some other options.
No matter how it plays out, this is going to be a tough year. Every Ottawa resident is going to be impacted by this, depending on which “levers” get pulled to address our significant deficits. And just so we’re clear, I voted against this year’s budget direction.
In the next issue of this newsletter, I’ll talk about transit and the proposed transit budget direction. Today I’m going to focus my comments on the citywide 2.9% budget direction.
After more than a decade of minimal increases to the city budget, we are looking at another low increase that will not meet the rising needs of our city. Ottawa Citizen columnist Mohammed Adam wrote a strong piece this week on the risks associated with this proposal.
Let me be blunt. Budget directions originate from the mayor’s office. The proposal for a 2.9% budget increase comes from Mayor Sutcliffe, and it is a budget direction that is not setting the city up for success.
We all know about the power of compounding interest—invest a little now and a little every year and, over time, that small investment grows significantly. What we are experiencing right now in Ottawa is the exact opposite of that. We are experiencing the dangerous phenomenon of compounding decline.
By sticking to tax rate increases that are routinely lower than the provincial average and frequently below the rate of inflation, we have dug ourselves a deep hole of deferred costs. We can see it in the state of our roads and in the state of our transit system. We see it with our sidewalks and our recreation centres. Look around the city and you will see the signs of that compounding decline.
Many of the conversations that I have with residents of Ward 9 involve requests that are perfectly reasonable: “Can you fix this broken streetlight?” “Can we get a garbage can installed in the park?” “Are you ever going to repair the sidewalk?” My answer, regrettably, is typically something like “We’ll get to it as soon as we can, but our resources are limited.” And then the resident calls back in another month, or two, to see if there’s an update. And my answer is often repeated.
As one of my Council colleagues pointed out recently in response to Mayor Sutcliffe’s statement that Ottawa has been able to keep taxes low while not cutting services, it’s not altogether true to say that we are not cutting services. When the growing demand for a service exceeds the small increase that we provide, what you will see is service erosion.
As I have said many times in this newsletter, the questions that need to be asked are: how much revenue is needed to properly maintain our city, and what tax rate will get us to where we need to be?
In the Feature segment below, we go into more details about comparing Ottawa’s property taxes to other municipalities.
Yes, we need to be responsible with the dollars we have. Yes, that responsibility demands that we be efficient and that we get proper value for money. And yes, I believe that we can improve our record on both of those fronts. But Council is responsible for the stewardship of our city, which includes ensuring that we can adequately maintain it. Our tendency to keep taxes as low as possible is pushing that responsibility and that burden further down the road: to the next term, to the next group of Councillors, to the next generation of residents.
It’s time for us to recognize the poor choices we have made and begin to correct them. It’s time for us to see compounding investment. Yes, we need a Fair Deal for Ottawa, to get better treatment from the upper levels of government, but a fair deal for Ottawa also means that our residents get better treatment from City Council.
My 2025 budget priorities for Ward 9
Last week I had a meeting with the Mayor and City Manager to discuss my Budget 2025 priorities for Ward 9. I went into my meeting with a sense of pragmatic realism. This is going to be a tight year, financially. No one’s getting a new pony. Well, except for Ottawa Police Services, who appear to be getting new horses.
For Ward 9, I need to be strategic. What are my top priorities that will serve Ward 9 in the long term? What are some initiatives that will serve Ward 9, but the rest of the city as well? Are there things that I can ask for that focus more on a fair and equitable allocation of resources, and not just getting shiny new stuff? Are there improvements that I can get done for Ward 9 that don’t require new money in 2025, but simply change the way we do things now?
Here is a summary of the items that I hope to see happen in 2025:
- A commitment that we commence the consultation and development plans for the Merivale Secondary Plan. One of my key long-term goals is that we will see a transformative change to Merivale Road between Baseline Road and Viewmount Drive, to transform this congestion-filled parking lot of a “stroad” into a thriving centre for mixed commercial-residential development.
- I am working with Councillor Laura Dudas on increasing the city’s budget for road rehabilitations, but also to change the policy for how the city determines which roads get done each year. The policy prioritizes arterial roads, which means most of our current $90 million annual road rehabilitation budget is spent in rural wards. My goal is to change the policy and program budget so that more collector roads and local roads get done sooner. I will also be working with our Public Works staff to see if they might do a road rehabilitation pilot project in Ward 9, to build roads that are more durable and environmentally friendly through the application of bioresin to new pavement, similar to an initiative that’s been tried and tested in St. Catherine’s, Ontario.
- Following the June 3rd drowning of a toddler at Britannia Beach, which took place less than two weeks before City of Ottawa lifeguards began supervised beach service on June 15th, l submitted an Inquiry to city staff to propose solutions for extending supervised service. Based on the positive response I got to my Inquiry, I will now be working with staff to propose a pilot project for improved supervised lifeguard service on all municipal beaches in 2025.
- Every year I get requests from residents to get new streetlights to be installed on their dark streets, which can be a very effective and cost-efficient way of improving public safety. While it’s easy to get new streetlights built and paid for by developers in areas where we see new development, it’s embarrassing that the City of Ottawa has zero dollars allocated for getting new streetlights installed in our established neighborhoods. I’ll be working with some of my fellow councillors to see if we can change that this year.
- I’m also going to be working with city staff on how we can find creative solutions to advancing the prospects for getting Baseline Bus Rapid Transit moving forward.
These are just some of the initiatives and projects that I’ll be working on throughout 2025 and the remainder of this term.
FEATURE
An “apples to apples” comparison on property taxes
Back in February, we told you about the impending revenue crunch in our city. In the February 13th issue of our newsletter, we ran a feature about the problem and, seven months later, here we are.
As you read in the Councillor’s Message above, City Council approved this year’s direction for developing the 2025 City of Ottawa budget. But it wasn’t straightforward this year. There are a number of Councillors sounding the alarm over the 2.9% guideline increase approved by the majority of Council.
Frequently in this debate, you will hear advocates for bargain-basement tax increases claim that Ottawa’s taxes are already too high. But how high are they, really? As it turns out, they are not that high compared with other major cities across Ontario, or even across the country.
As we explained in the last issue of this newsletter, property taxes are calculated against your home’s relative value—the average-priced home receives the average property tax bill while less expensive homes receive a lower bill, and more expensive ones receive a higher bill. So, comparing your home's value relative to the average value in your city is a far more accurate measure than simply comparing prices. It’s a common mistake that has been made by several councillors, simply comparing the taxes on a million-dollar home in Toronto to a million-dollar home in Ottawa. But, as confirmed by Chief Financial Officer, Cyril Rogers, during last week’s meeting, that’s not an “apples to apples” comparison. A million-dollar home in Toronto will, of course, pay lower taxes than a million-dollar home in Ottawa because in Toronto that home is below the average value for that city while a million-dollar home here is well above the Ottawa average value.
So, where does Ottawa stand relative to other major municipalities? The truth is that we are at the bottom. The average-priced home in Ottawa is taxed at a significantly lower rate than the average-priced home in almost every other city in Ontario. The minimal increases we have seen over the last decade—often below the rate of inflation—has left Ottawa 30 per cent below the average increases seen in major cities across the country over the last decade. That gap means that Ottawa has less capacity to repair its roads, maintain its sidewalks, and to fund its recreation centres than most other municipalities in the province.
CITY WORKS
Boosting Solar Power
Councillor Devine, city staff, and a Hydro Ottawa representative paid a visit to a rooftop recently to see for themselves the great sustainability work that is being done by one of Ottawa’s most successful homegrown companies. Dymon Storage has a strong corporate commitment to green energy. They have become experts on installing large scale solar arrays on the roof of their storage facilities. It’s a great use of space that helps both the company’s bottom line and helps build a more environmentally friendly and sustainable future for us all. Councilor Devine will continue to work with staff and Hydro to explore the different ways this kind of corporate green initiative can be encouraged and promoted.
Craig Henry Drive update
As many of you are aware, the speed cushions along Craig Henry Drive have now been successfully installed and corrected. City staff are currently reviewing the line painting layout to ensure it meets all safety and quality standards, and we hope to see an adjustment to the line painting over the next few months which will correct the focusion over whether there’s a second driving lane.
We understand and appreciate the frustration this project may have caused, and your patience throughout the process has been invaluable. Our office is committed to working closely with staff to prevent similar issues from arising in the future. We will continue to provide updates on any further developments, and we thank you again for your understanding and support.
New bench & bike repair station
Every councillor has a budget for discretionary spending on recreational assets. It’s called our “cash-in-lieu" budget, and the revenues for this budget are generated from developers as part of their fees. Since there hasn’t been a lot of development in Ward 9, our cash-in-lieu budget isn’t very big, but we certainly expect that to change over the next few years.
One of the projects we approved for our cash-in-lieu budget was for a new Bike Rack & Bike Repair Station, which was recently completed and installed on a popular bike path in Tanglewood, just northeast of the intersection of Woodroffe and West Hunt Club. We wanted to show some photos of the newly installed project, and we hope to showcase more of these projects as they get completed over the coming year!
Clearing away a vacant, derelict property
This is a bit of an odd item for our newsletter, but it’s something that we were excited to see.
Over the past year, there’s a handful of residents who have been eagerly seeking help from our office in dealing with neighbours who own derelict, vacant properties. Not only are these properties an eyesore, but they often attract pests and vandalism. For one property (we won’t identify which one), our office worked closely with By-Law Property Standards to apply pressure to the owner to get the property dealt with. We were happy to receive an email with the photo below as well as the words “We have been waiting for this day since 2008!”
Get Involved This Fall: Join the Cleaning the Capital Campaign!
As the vibrant colors of autumn begin to blanket our city, it’s the perfect time to spruce up our surroundings and show some love for our environment! This season, we invite you to take part in the Cleaning the Capital Fall campaign. Whether you're an individual looking to make a difference or part of a community group, this is a fantastic opportunity to contribute to a cleaner, greener Ottawa.
Registration is open until October 1! Don't miss your chance to join this impactful initiative. You can choose from a variety of public spaces to clean, including community parks, greenspaces, roadsides or shorelines. Gather your friends, family, or colleagues to form a team and make a day of it! Not only will you be making a positive impact in your community, but you'll also enjoy a rewarding experience and perhaps even forge stronger bonds with your team members.
Participating in the Cleaning the Capital campaign is easy. Simply visit ottawa.ca/clean for more information and to register your group. There, you’ll find all the resources you need to get started, including guidelines for your clean-up, safety tips, and information on what supplies you might need.
Let’s work together to keep Ottawa clean and green this fall! Every little bit helps, and your efforts can inspire others in our community to join in. Together, we can make a significant impact on the environment and ensure our city remains a beautiful place to live.
Hydro Ottawa survey
As Hydro Ottawa prepares their strategic investment plan for the next five years, they want to hear from you. What are your priorities and expectations for your electricity services? What do you want Hydro Ottawa to focus on as they modernize Ottawa’s energy grid? Fill out their online survey before October 4th and you could win a $500 on-bill credit.
Upcoming Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off Event
The City of Ottawa is hosting our next Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) drop-off event on Saturday, October 5 at the Conroy Snow Dump, 3100 Conroy Road. Residents are welcome to bring their hazardous materials to the event between 8 am and 4 pm. Of course, you don’t have to wait; the City’s Waste Explorer points to retailers where residents can return many items daily!
Please note that electronic waste is not accepted at Household Hazardous Waste drop-off events hosted by the City. Residents can bring electronic waste to retailers by checking Ottawa.ca/WasteExplorer. They can also attend electronic waste drop-off events hosted by Junk That Funk or bring electronic waste to the Trail Road Waste Facility during regular operating hours at no cost.
For information on household hazardous waste, visit Ottawa.ca/hhw.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Don’t Miss the Ward 9 Older Adults Summit – October 1st!
Following last week’s special bulletin, this is a reminder that the Ward 9 Older Adults Summit is fast approaching. Don’t miss our event on October 1, 2024, from 12:30 PM to 4:30 PM at the Nepean Sportsplex. The Ward 9 Office is proud to partner with the Council on Aging of Ottawa to bring you this valuable experience. We are also very excited to welcome the talented Lucy van Oldenbarneveld, former CBC Ottawa News anchor, as our Special Guest Emcee.
This summit promises an engaging afternoon filled with essential resources and expert discussions focused on topics including Innovative Housing Solutions, Health & Wellness, and Public Safety. Although not mandatory, please RSVP by sending an email to [email protected] with the subject line "RSVP Older Adults Summit." Don’t forget to include your name and indicate whether you’ll be attending alone or bringing guests. The more the merrier!
Come learn about Budget 2025
On Monday, October 7, the Councillors for Ward 7, 8, and 9 will jointly host an online presentation and Q&A session about Budget 2025. You can RSVP to attend the session and visit the city’s Engage page to learn more about the budget-setting process. The session will begin with opening remarks from Councillors Kavanagh, Johnson, and Devine, followed by a presentation from city staff, and then a moderated Q&A session. We'll see you there!
PUBLIC HEALTH & SAFETY
Community Safety Meeting in Tanglewood
Over the past few months, there have been several violent incidents occurring in the Tanglewood-Hillsdale community, particularly around Medhurst Park and Tanglewood Park on Woodfield Drive. The most concerning incident was a shooting in early September.
Our office has been in close contact with Ottawa Police Services and the Tanglewood-Hillsdale Community Association to coordinate a public community meeting at the Tanglewood-Hillsdale Community Centre. There will be a public community meeting to discuss these issues on Monday, October 21st at 6:30pm, at the Tanglewood-Hillsdale Community Centre, at 30 Woodfield Drive. More details to come in our next newsletter.
Respiratory Disease Update
COVID-19 levels in Ottawa have been elevated since July but, with the return to school and the more people returning to working in the office more regularly, COVID levels have been surging lately and continue to climb. No doubt, you know many people who have already fallen ill this September. Be smart, play it safe, and make sure you are using the tools available to you to keep you and your family healthier this fall. Open windows, use air filters, and wear a good mask when you are sharing the air. If you do become ill, Ottawa Public Health has published a helpful tip sheet (below) to help you manage your illness and avoid infecting others.
Health and Wellness Hubs—Emerald Plaza Drop-in Schedule
Did you know? Neighbourhood Health and Wellness Hubs offer a wide range of services:
- Dental screenings
- Vaccination
- Parenting in Ottawa Drop-Ins
- Diabetes Screening
- Employment and Social Services
For more information, full schedule and locations of Neighbourhood Health and Wellness Hubs, visit www.OttawaPublicHealth.ca/NeighbourhoodHub
Pregnancy Circle & PC Sessions Calendar
The Pregnancy Circle program offers expectant individuals a place to learn how to care for their baby and to talk about concerns related to their pregnancy with a Public Health Nurse (PHN). It is also an opportunity for pregnant individuals to connect with each other and share their experiences. The sessions are facilitated by a PHN in collaboration with a Community Engagement Team (CET) member. Each series includes 6 weekly 2-hour sessions. All sessions are available at no cost!
Due to limited spaces, the sessions are for pregnant individuals only. Clients can register for the sessions online.
PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT
Meet Robert – A City Planner with a map and a mission
This story highlights the City’s new Zoning By-law and the passionate work of Robert Sandercott. As part of a dedicated team, Robert aims to make zoning regulations accessible to residents and encourage their involvement. With over 300,000 properties in Ottawa, updating zoning rules is a significant challenge. Robert focuses on the Neighbourhood Zones, which are crucial to the new by-law and expected to draw public interest.
“These zones address how neighborhoods will change over the next two decades,” Robert notes.
The first draft, released in May, aims to simplify regulations for residential areas. This approach is intended to engage more residents, particularly those who may not speak English or French as their first language. Currently, the Zoning By-law is complex, featuring five primary residential zones divided into over 140 distinct sub-zones. The new proposal simplifies this with just 36 sub-zones. These changes aim to facilitate new homes within established communities by easing restrictions on certain types of residential buildings. The revised Neighbourhood Zones will ensure visual harmony with surrounding areas and promote missing-middle housing—multi-unit buildings with eight to twelve units.
The Official Plan calls for increased missing-middle housing through intensification, allowing development within existing neighborhoods while minimizing new infrastructure costs. Robert invites public feedback on the draft, which will be considered for future revisions. For your input, visit engage.ottawa.ca/zoning to access the draft and provide comments. Your voice is essential in shaping Ottawa’s future!
New Zoning Bylaw Workshops
Now that you’ve met Robert, there is another opportunity for you to get involved in helping shape the new zoning bylaw coming up over the next few weeks. There will be five in-person workshops to provide an opportunity for people see the proposed changes, ask questions, and then participate in roundtable discussions. Luckily for Ward 9, there is one happening right in our community. It will be held on November 5, 2024, from 6:30pm to 8:00pm at the Confederation Education Centre at the corner of Woodroffe and Hunt Club, next to the Nepean Sportsplex.
For more information about the sessions, you can check out all the details of the New Zoning Bylaw process and check for alternate dates and locations for the in-person workshops.
Update on stalled development art Baseline & Clyde
Although it’s not in our ward, we do get questions from residents about the long-stalled high-rise apartment building construction project being developed by Smart Centres, located on the northeast corner of Baseline and Clyde. This is in River Ward, which is represented by Councillor Riley Brockington, who was kind enough to o provide us with the following update on this project:
“This week, I met with the National Vice-President of Smart Centres to discuss the stalled residential development on the Laurentian Plaza property, at the corner of Baseline and Clyde. As you are likely aware, construction has stopped twice on this project, and the most recent contractor went bankrupt. Smart Centres acquired the project and is committed to seeing it fulfilled. At this time, they are finalizing plans to secure a partner, arrange financing and ultimately will need to file a new site plan with the city.
They expect to make some minor changes to unit numbers and size, repurpose amenity spaces and convert the model away from a retirement residence to general apartment building. Following the site plan process, construction is likely to resume in the Spring 2025.”
COMMUNITY NEWS & EVENTS
Join Council on Aging for the Walk of Ages!
It’s time to crank up the amp and make some noise for the Council on Aging! The Walk of Ages, an intergenerational rock-themed fundraising walk, is set for Saturday, September 28th, 2024. The Walk of Ages aims to create a community where older adults are respected, informed, and engaged. Aging is a shared experience, and we seek to break down barriers and foster intergenerational connections.
Walk as little or as much as you like! Choose your distance: 1 km, 2 km, 5 km, 10 km
Schedule:
- Registration: 10 a.m. - 11 a.m.
- Opening Ceremony: 11 a.m.
- Inaugural First Lap: 11:20 a.m.
- Festivities Begin: 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.
- Event Ends: 2 p.m.
Fun for all ages!
Join The Ottawa Humane Society for the Wiggle Waggle Walk & Run!
Join the pack and walk for the love of animals! Get ready for a fun-filled day at the Ottawa Humane Society’s Wiggle Waggle Walk & Run on Sunday, September 29, starting and finishing at The Great Lawn at Lansdowne. You can choose from a variety of exciting events: 1K Kids Fun Run, 2K Furry Fun Run (bring your pet!), 3K Walk, 5K Run, 10K Run. All routes will take you along the scenic Rideau Canal. For more information and to register, please visit the Ottawa Humane Society’s website.
Fundraiser for Nelson House
Harvest Night Market
