The update that I was originally going to provide this week is much different than the update that I am delivering today.
I had a meeting scheduled for later today with senior staff working on the Newcomer Reception System. For this meeting I had prepared a thorough and extensive list of questions addressing my significant concerns over the procurement and financing of the Newcomer Reception Centre; two issues that I have been raised publicly on multiple occasions.
However, a lot has changed in the last several hours.
This morning, senior staff responsible for the Newcomer Reception System issued a Memo to Council saying they are changing course on their preferred option for providing these much-needed services. They are cancelling the plan to build a structure in Ward 9 and are now focused on pursuing more permanent options elsewhere.
Since we all first learned about this proposal on November 7, I have consistently advocated for our city’s efforts to provide good, appropriate supports and services to vulnerable newcomers arriving in our city. Throughout this process, though, I have also been raising concerns about the way in which this file has been handled. In my oversight role, I have pushed back on staff and questioned the site selection process, site safety, the project’s procurement, and the project’s financial support. I have repeatedly questioned whether there might be a better way to accommodate the needs of newcomers to our city.
And now, it appears the city may agree with me.
I first learned of the change in direction yesterday afternoon. The memo speaks to an overall downward trend in the number of newcomers arriving in Ottawa and the protracted timeline to get a temporary structure in place. Staff now believes it can find more permanent solutions within a similar timeframe.
On the issue of capacity, specifically, the Memo states:
“Due to federal immigration policy changes introduced in the fall of 2024, as well as success in increasing the capacity in newcomer-specific transitional housing, the number of asylum claimants being served in community shelter and overflow beds has decreased. Over the last six months, Ottawa has experienced sustained reductions in the number of newcomers accessing the shelter system.”
The Memo then goes on to reference how the city has added new transitional beds to the system, as well as new opportunities for spaces that have arisen in the past several weeks, including the YMCA at 180 Argyle, as well as a federal building at 250 Lanark.
Speaking to the issue of timing, the memo states:
“As staff worked to solidify construction timelines for a prefabricated Newcomer Reception Centre [at 1645 Woodroffe], the implementation timeline to complete the work became longer than anticipated, in part due to the requirement to undertake a competitive procurement process. As such, the revised timeline for the construction of these structures facilitates staff’s ability to pursue other opportunities to meet the need within a similar timeline. These new opportunities, paired with demand trending downwards, will eliminate the need to develop the Newcomer Reception Centres at 1645 Woodroffe Avenue and 40 Hearst Way. As such, the procurement process and the plans to build at these locations will not proceed.”
That’s the update. There will not be a Newcomer Reception Centre at 1645 Woodroffe.
And it looks like the pursuit of a more transparent and open procurement process has contributed to this change in direction. If the efforts from my office, members of the local construction industry, as well as concerned and informed residents helped provide an opening for better outcomes for Ward 9 residents as well as our Newcomer Reception System, it will certainly have been well worth the effort.
I continue to have questions about this whole process. So, I will continue to work with program staff to get answers to my questions—about the procurement process, about the proposed facilities, about the financing—and I will share what I learn as we go.
For more information, please visit the Engage Ottawa Page.
