Now that City Council has finally slowed down a little, I wanted to take the opportunity to let you know about the Term of Council Priorities process that we just completed last week. Over the last few months, I joined my fellow councillors and the mayor on a process where we each identified our own priorities and concerns, whether for our individual wards or the city. The goal of this process was not only to find common ground and consensus, but to ensure that our list of final priorities was short. Because if we end up with too many priorities, then we have no priorities at all.
At last week’s July 12 Council meeting we approved our 2023-2026 Term of Council Priorities – a focused vision that will help steer the actions of City staff over the next four years. These four priorities aim to create an Ottawa that:
- has affordable housing and is more livable for all
- is more connected with reliable, safe and accessible mobility options
- is green and resilient
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has a diversified and prosperous economy
I am very pleased with this list of priorities, since not only does it align with my own personal values and principles, but because it reflects the most common issues that were raised during my 2022 election campaign, which were the need to address housing and general affordability, the need for safer active transportation and more reliable transit, and the need to address our city’s resilience and emergency preparedness.
Along with the four priorities, Council identified three long-term goals to accomplish over the next 10+ years to provide a vision for the future of Ottawa as a national capital that is prosperous, sustainable, inclusive and resilient. The goals will help create a city:
- where residents experience a good quality of life and live in neighborhoods that are diverse, inclusive, safe, connected, accessible and affordable
- where residents benefit from a healthy, sustainable and equitable built environment that supports efforts to address climate change
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that is economically diversified and prosperous, attracting people to Ottawa to live, work, play, invest, learn and visit.
Over the next few months, the City of Ottawa will be making public our 2022-2026 Strategic Plan, which will be based on these Term of Council Priorities.
