Meetings from January 10 to 14
Ottawa – All Council, Committee and Board meetings will be held by remote, electronic participation, unless otherwise noted. For a complete agenda and updates, please sign up for email alerts, visit ottawa.ca/agendas or call 3-1-1.
The City of Ottawa continues to take COVID-19 seriously, and in following the advice of provincial and federal governments is making significant changes to services and programming to help protect the health and wellbeing of the community. City Hall is temporarily closed to help stop the spread of COVID-19. In-person meetings have been cancelled. Such meetings, as warranted, will be held electronically until further notice. For more information about service disruptions, please visit our COVID-19 webpage.
Police Services Board Policy and Governance Committee – Monday, January 10 at 9 am
Police Services Board Finance and Audit Committee – Thursday, January 13 at 11 am
Ottawa – All Council, Committee and Board meetings will be held by remote, electronic participation, unless otherwise noted. For a complete agenda and updates, please sign up for email alerts, visit ottawa.ca/agendas or call 3-1-1.
The City of Ottawa continues to take COVID-19 seriously, and in following the advice of provincial and federal governments is making significant changes to services and programming to help protect the health and wellbeing of the community. City Hall is temporarily closed to help stop the spread of COVID-19. In-person meetings have been cancelled. Such meetings, as warranted, will be held electronically until further notice. For more information about service disruptions, please visit our COVID-19 webpage.
Police Services Board Policy and Governance Committee – Monday, January 10 at 9 am
- Board 2021 work plan: year-end status
- Draft 2022 work plan
- Proposed amendments to Procedure By-Law No. 3 of 2014
Police Services Board Finance and Audit Committee – Thursday, January 13 at 11 am
- 2022 annual audit plan
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Committees approve first brand-new Official Plan since Amalgamation
Ottawa – The City’s Planning Committee and Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee today approved a new Official Plan at a joint meeting, setting the stage for Ottawa to become a global city with a population of two million people by the end of the century. If Council approves, it will mark the first time since amalgamation in 2003 that Ottawa has had a brand-new Official Plan – the city’s most comprehensive planning document.
The new Official Plan will guide growth and redevelopment for the next 25 years. It is framed around five big policy changes that, together, move Ottawa towards being the most livable city in North America.
The new Official Plan also introduces a framework of six areas, referred to as transects. Policies related to the transect model would define a development based on where it is located – the rural area, suburban area, Greenbelt, outer urban area, inner urban area and downtown core. The aim is to ensure that the height, density and massing of a development fit the context of the areas where they are being built.
The new Official Plan includes policies to help expand the number of 15-minute neighbourhoods – communities where people can live without a car because daily needs are within a 15-minute walk of home. Those policies set the conditions for a diverse mix of housing, services, schools, greenspaces and daycares in both new and established communities.
Ottawa would become a city of connected, inclusive and walkable communities, with greater density of housing, employment and services around rapid-transit hubs and along transit corridors. Policies further encourage new small, local-serving businesses and services throughout Ottawa’s rural villages and the city’s urban area.
Recommendations from today’s meeting will rise to Council on Wednesday, October 27.
For more information on City programs and services, visit ottawa.ca or call 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-2401). You can also connect with us through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Committees approve first brand-new Official Plan since Amalgamation
Ottawa – The City’s Planning Committee and Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee today approved a new Official Plan at a joint meeting, setting the stage for Ottawa to become a global city with a population of two million people by the end of the century. If Council approves, it will mark the first time since amalgamation in 2003 that Ottawa has had a brand-new Official Plan – the city’s most comprehensive planning document.
The new Official Plan will guide growth and redevelopment for the next 25 years. It is framed around five big policy changes that, together, move Ottawa towards being the most livable city in North America.
- Growth – encouraging more growth through intensification than through new development in undeveloped areas would help accommodate projected population increases in Ottawa’s existing neighbourhoods. The new plan also introduces policy tools to require more housing affordability.
- Mobility – promoting more use of sustainable transportation than private vehicles would make Ottawa a city of proximity, where residents have easy access to the things they need. The new Official Plan also includes polices to encourage complete streets that offer a vibrant and safe public realm for all road users.
- Urban Design – creating policies for well-designed sites will ensure intensification is done sensitively, in a way that benefits the streets and communities involved. The new Official Plan also promotes sustainable design to create a resilient and climate-adapted city.
- Resiliency – bringing environment, climate and health considerations to the forefront of planning will ensure the new Official Plan recognizes the climate crisis and our urgent need to reduce, and eventually eliminate, carbon emissions.
- Economy – establishing a strong relationship between land use and economic development will set the stage for businesses and entrepreneurs to succeed.
The new Official Plan also introduces a framework of six areas, referred to as transects. Policies related to the transect model would define a development based on where it is located – the rural area, suburban area, Greenbelt, outer urban area, inner urban area and downtown core. The aim is to ensure that the height, density and massing of a development fit the context of the areas where they are being built.
The new Official Plan includes policies to help expand the number of 15-minute neighbourhoods – communities where people can live without a car because daily needs are within a 15-minute walk of home. Those policies set the conditions for a diverse mix of housing, services, schools, greenspaces and daycares in both new and established communities.
Ottawa would become a city of connected, inclusive and walkable communities, with greater density of housing, employment and services around rapid-transit hubs and along transit corridors. Policies further encourage new small, local-serving businesses and services throughout Ottawa’s rural villages and the city’s urban area.
Recommendations from today’s meeting will rise to Council on Wednesday, October 27.
For more information on City programs and services, visit ottawa.ca or call 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-2401). You can also connect with us through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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Committee receives construction update on Stage 2 LRT
Ottawa – The City’s Finance and Economic Development Committee received an update Dec 17th on the three extensions of the Stage 2 LRT project, to the east, west and south. In the south, work is progressing at the Walkley Maintenance and Storage Facility and on multiple bridges, with girder installation underway at the Ellwood Diamond and Hunt Club rail bridges. Station construction has begun at all sites to the south. The first Stadler vehicle has been delivered and assembly is underway. Remaining vehicles will arrive in 2022.
In the east, Highway 174 roadwork is underway, and utilities are being relocated to make way within the centre median for LRT infrastructure. Construction has started on four of the five planned LRT stations. Construction of the East Rail Flyover bridge and Montréal Station bridge has been completed.
In the west, work continues at the Moodie Light Maintenance and Storage Facility, as well as at Queensview, Iris and Lincoln Fields stations, and along Byron Linear Park. Work is progressing at the slurry plant at Rochester Field and the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway. Cut-and-cover tunnel construction is underway on the Byron Linear Park Tunnel and the Parkway Tunnel, which will run between Kìchì Sìbì and Lincoln Fields stations travelling under the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway.
The Committee received an updated schedule outlining the anticipated substantial completion dates for the three extensions. The COVID-19 pandemic has had impacts on major construction projects across Ontario, and City staff are closely monitoring construction schedules and any anticipated delays as a result. The Committee was informed that the O-Train South extension is now anticipated to open in spring 2023, as a result of contractor delays, which pushes out the original schedule of summer 2022. The O-Train East Extension is tracking toward its anticipated completion date in 2024. The O-Train West Extension has some pressure on its scheduled completion date of 2025, but the City and contractor are working together to resolve the critical timelines.
The Committee also approved the acquisition of 3101 Albion Road from the Canadian Pacific Railway, for possible future expansion of the Walkley Maintenance and Storage Facility. The Committee also delegated authority to the director of the rail construction program to negotiate and carry out both station construction and operating agreements for the Airport Link with the Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport Authority.
For more information on City programs and services, visit ottawa.ca, call 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-2401) or 613-580-2400 to contact the City using Canada Video Relay Service. You can also connect with us through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Ottawa – The City’s Finance and Economic Development Committee received an update Dec 17th on the three extensions of the Stage 2 LRT project, to the east, west and south. In the south, work is progressing at the Walkley Maintenance and Storage Facility and on multiple bridges, with girder installation underway at the Ellwood Diamond and Hunt Club rail bridges. Station construction has begun at all sites to the south. The first Stadler vehicle has been delivered and assembly is underway. Remaining vehicles will arrive in 2022.
In the east, Highway 174 roadwork is underway, and utilities are being relocated to make way within the centre median for LRT infrastructure. Construction has started on four of the five planned LRT stations. Construction of the East Rail Flyover bridge and Montréal Station bridge has been completed.
In the west, work continues at the Moodie Light Maintenance and Storage Facility, as well as at Queensview, Iris and Lincoln Fields stations, and along Byron Linear Park. Work is progressing at the slurry plant at Rochester Field and the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway. Cut-and-cover tunnel construction is underway on the Byron Linear Park Tunnel and the Parkway Tunnel, which will run between Kìchì Sìbì and Lincoln Fields stations travelling under the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway.
The Committee received an updated schedule outlining the anticipated substantial completion dates for the three extensions. The COVID-19 pandemic has had impacts on major construction projects across Ontario, and City staff are closely monitoring construction schedules and any anticipated delays as a result. The Committee was informed that the O-Train South extension is now anticipated to open in spring 2023, as a result of contractor delays, which pushes out the original schedule of summer 2022. The O-Train East Extension is tracking toward its anticipated completion date in 2024. The O-Train West Extension has some pressure on its scheduled completion date of 2025, but the City and contractor are working together to resolve the critical timelines.
The Committee also approved the acquisition of 3101 Albion Road from the Canadian Pacific Railway, for possible future expansion of the Walkley Maintenance and Storage Facility. The Committee also delegated authority to the director of the rail construction program to negotiate and carry out both station construction and operating agreements for the Airport Link with the Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport Authority.
For more information on City programs and services, visit ottawa.ca, call 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-2401) or 613-580-2400 to contact the City using Canada Video Relay Service. You can also connect with us through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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For immediate release:
December 8, 2021
Council approves the City’s 2022 budget, with focus on affordability
Ottawa – Council approved the City’s 2022 budget today, ensuring the City can continue to deliver essential services while still advancing Council priorities, including affordable housing, support for social services, affordability for small businesses and the health and safety of residents.
The budget will help keep Ottawa affordable by capping the overall municipal tax increase at three per cent, valued at an estimated $56.1 million. This means the average urban homeowner will pay an additional $119 per year while the average rural homeowner will pay an additional $91 per year.
The budget includes $427.3 million in capital funding to improve roads, bridges, culverts, sidewalks, pathways and intersections. It provides $194 million for the integrated program, which includes $76 million for road resurfacing. The program also includes $118 million for integrated projects that reduce costs by coordinating underground infrastructure work with reconstruction of roads, sidewalks and pathways. Another $62 million will fund major road construction projects while $13.4 million will enhance active transportation through programs like the Cycling and Pedestrian Facilities Programs.
The City will invest $17 million to develop more affordable and supportive housing, which includes $15 million in capital and $2 million in development charge exemptions for residents in greatest need. That investment builds on commitments in the previous three budgets totalling $51 million in this Term of Council. An additional $1 million in City funding will help local landlords make essential repairs and further increase the supply of affordable rental units in Ottawa.
The City has earmarked $27 million in Community Funding to non-profit social services agencies. With this largest increase to the Community Funding Framework since 2006, the funding demonstrates the City’s commitment to sustaining a strong social services sector to support communities that are most marginalized in Ottawa. The cost of the EquiPass for low-income residents and the Community Pass for Ontario Disability Support Program recipients will also remain frozen at 2018 rates.
Council allocated $2.1 million from the Ottawa Police Service budget to support racialized youth program solutions, community-based, culturally appropriate mental health prevention services, addictions and crisis outreach services, and culturally safe mental health programs, services, crisis and social supports for our Indigenous community. It also directed up to $550,000 to develop an alternative call referral program identifying how and to whom low-risk, low-acuity 911 calls should be redirected.
Council allocated $435,000 from the Ottawa Police Service budget to fund a mental health strategy for the ByWard Market and Lowertown areas. The initiative is a partnership between local stakeholders, service providers and City representatives.
A proposed 2.5 per cent general fare increase for OC Transpo will only come into effect one full month after 15 trains are made available by Rideau Transit Group (RTG) for revenue service on O-Train Line 1. Once available, the number of trains in use to meet customer demand will be at the discretion of the General Manager of Transit Services. OC Transpo is also providing up to 2,000 no-charge transit passes to emergency shelters for the use of shelter clients.
The budget commits to greater affordability for local small businesses as well. The City has implemented a 15-per-cent tax discount for small businesses on qualifying properties. The full discount will be phased in over two years starting with a 7.5-per-cent reduction in 2022, benefiting about 10,000 small businesses.
Council received three new audits, examining the City’s grants and contributions program, benefits processing for long-term disability and the competitive procurement process. In all cases, the City agreed with recommendations from the Office of the Auditor General. Council also approved the Auditor General’s 2022-2023 workplan.
Council approved a zoning amendment on the creation and placement of outdoor commercial patios and retail pop-up spaces on private property. The amendment eliminates the minimum separation required between a patio and a residential zone, offering more flexibility for potential patio operators. While the City introduced these measures on a temporary basis in 2020, the amendment approved today will make those changes permanent.
Council also approved a new secondary plan to clarify the types of development permitted on or adjacent to Bank Street, between the Rideau Canal and Highway 417. The Bank Street in the Glebe Secondary Plan would make future growth in the area more predictable and ensure intensification happens in ways that protect the Glebe’s heritage character and build on the community’s pedestrian-oriented nature.
For more information on City programs and services, visit ottawa.ca, call 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-2401) or 613-580-2400 to contact the City using Canada Video Relay Service. You can also connect with us through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
December 8, 2021
Council approves the City’s 2022 budget, with focus on affordability
Ottawa – Council approved the City’s 2022 budget today, ensuring the City can continue to deliver essential services while still advancing Council priorities, including affordable housing, support for social services, affordability for small businesses and the health and safety of residents.
The budget will help keep Ottawa affordable by capping the overall municipal tax increase at three per cent, valued at an estimated $56.1 million. This means the average urban homeowner will pay an additional $119 per year while the average rural homeowner will pay an additional $91 per year.
The budget includes $427.3 million in capital funding to improve roads, bridges, culverts, sidewalks, pathways and intersections. It provides $194 million for the integrated program, which includes $76 million for road resurfacing. The program also includes $118 million for integrated projects that reduce costs by coordinating underground infrastructure work with reconstruction of roads, sidewalks and pathways. Another $62 million will fund major road construction projects while $13.4 million will enhance active transportation through programs like the Cycling and Pedestrian Facilities Programs.
The City will invest $17 million to develop more affordable and supportive housing, which includes $15 million in capital and $2 million in development charge exemptions for residents in greatest need. That investment builds on commitments in the previous three budgets totalling $51 million in this Term of Council. An additional $1 million in City funding will help local landlords make essential repairs and further increase the supply of affordable rental units in Ottawa.
The City has earmarked $27 million in Community Funding to non-profit social services agencies. With this largest increase to the Community Funding Framework since 2006, the funding demonstrates the City’s commitment to sustaining a strong social services sector to support communities that are most marginalized in Ottawa. The cost of the EquiPass for low-income residents and the Community Pass for Ontario Disability Support Program recipients will also remain frozen at 2018 rates.
Council allocated $2.1 million from the Ottawa Police Service budget to support racialized youth program solutions, community-based, culturally appropriate mental health prevention services, addictions and crisis outreach services, and culturally safe mental health programs, services, crisis and social supports for our Indigenous community. It also directed up to $550,000 to develop an alternative call referral program identifying how and to whom low-risk, low-acuity 911 calls should be redirected.
Council allocated $435,000 from the Ottawa Police Service budget to fund a mental health strategy for the ByWard Market and Lowertown areas. The initiative is a partnership between local stakeholders, service providers and City representatives.
A proposed 2.5 per cent general fare increase for OC Transpo will only come into effect one full month after 15 trains are made available by Rideau Transit Group (RTG) for revenue service on O-Train Line 1. Once available, the number of trains in use to meet customer demand will be at the discretion of the General Manager of Transit Services. OC Transpo is also providing up to 2,000 no-charge transit passes to emergency shelters for the use of shelter clients.
The budget commits to greater affordability for local small businesses as well. The City has implemented a 15-per-cent tax discount for small businesses on qualifying properties. The full discount will be phased in over two years starting with a 7.5-per-cent reduction in 2022, benefiting about 10,000 small businesses.
Council received three new audits, examining the City’s grants and contributions program, benefits processing for long-term disability and the competitive procurement process. In all cases, the City agreed with recommendations from the Office of the Auditor General. Council also approved the Auditor General’s 2022-2023 workplan.
Council approved a zoning amendment on the creation and placement of outdoor commercial patios and retail pop-up spaces on private property. The amendment eliminates the minimum separation required between a patio and a residential zone, offering more flexibility for potential patio operators. While the City introduced these measures on a temporary basis in 2020, the amendment approved today will make those changes permanent.
Council also approved a new secondary plan to clarify the types of development permitted on or adjacent to Bank Street, between the Rideau Canal and Highway 417. The Bank Street in the Glebe Secondary Plan would make future growth in the area more predictable and ensure intensification happens in ways that protect the Glebe’s heritage character and build on the community’s pedestrian-oriented nature.
For more information on City programs and services, visit ottawa.ca, call 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-2401) or 613-580-2400 to contact the City using Canada Video Relay Service. You can also connect with us through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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For immediate release:
September 7, 2021
Committee united on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Ottawa – The Finance and Economic Development Committee today moved to have the City observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation starting in 2021.
The federal government established the new federal holiday earlier this year to honour First Nations, Inuit and Métis Survivors, their families, and communities, and ensure that public commemoration of their history and the legacy of residential schools remains a vital part of the reconciliation process. It is to be observed each year on September 30. Mayor Jim Watson would make an official proclamation marking the day, and, at sunset, the Heritage Building and Marion Dewar Plaza at City Hall and the OTTAWA sign in the ByWard Market would be illuminated orange to recognize the impact the residential school system has had on Indigenous communities.
City employees would be entitled to a holiday with pay, and service levels that day would be adjusted. Administrative buildings and Client Service Centres would be closed, while OC Transpo services may operate on a reduced schedule. Recreation and cultural facilities would be open, and recycling and garbage collection would operate on normal schedules. Council will consider this report on Wednesday, September 8.
The City is anticipating an overall year-end surplus of $8.1 million in 2021, including a projected surplus of $6.1 million for tax-supported programs and $2.1 million for rate-supported services, like water and sewer. The Committee received a status update on the 2021 budget, which includes projections to the end of the year. The City ended the second quarter with an overall surplus of $13.4 million, including a surplus of $12.5 million for tax-supported programs and $865,000 for rate-supported services.
The projected year-end surplus includes $136 million in COVID-19 costs, offset by $135.2 million in funding from senior levels of government. The Province will cover the forecasted $11.8 million in costs for the City’s portion of its vaccination program.
The Committee received a progress update on the City’s Corporate Diversity and Inclusion Plan, which aims to build a workforce that reflects the community it serves and provide an inclusive work culture. This approach seeks to promote public confidence and ensure that a diversity of minds, experiences and perspectives are shaping the City’s stakeholder engagement, operations and services.
The plan includes an equitable hiring strategy, increased community engagement, new learning initiatives and better data-collection tools. By 2024, the City aims to achieve targets for workforce representation of employment equity groups based on Canada’s 2018 regional workforce availability rates. Since 2019, City workforce representation has gone up for Indigenous peoples, visible minorities, and persons with disabilities.
The Committee approved an agreement with Waste Management for their planned landfill site at the West Carleton Environmental Centre on Carp Road. To compensate neighbouring communities for the burden of hosting an active landfill, the agreement would reduce the landfill’s service area and require Waste Management to collect fees per metric tonne of waste deposited each year at the site – fees that would be used to benefit the neighbouring communities. Staff would report back in the first quarter of 2022 with recommendations on how the collected fees might be used.
Recommendations from today’s meeting will rise to Council on Wednesday, September 22, unless otherwise indicated.
September 7, 2021
Committee united on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Ottawa – The Finance and Economic Development Committee today moved to have the City observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation starting in 2021.
The federal government established the new federal holiday earlier this year to honour First Nations, Inuit and Métis Survivors, their families, and communities, and ensure that public commemoration of their history and the legacy of residential schools remains a vital part of the reconciliation process. It is to be observed each year on September 30. Mayor Jim Watson would make an official proclamation marking the day, and, at sunset, the Heritage Building and Marion Dewar Plaza at City Hall and the OTTAWA sign in the ByWard Market would be illuminated orange to recognize the impact the residential school system has had on Indigenous communities.
City employees would be entitled to a holiday with pay, and service levels that day would be adjusted. Administrative buildings and Client Service Centres would be closed, while OC Transpo services may operate on a reduced schedule. Recreation and cultural facilities would be open, and recycling and garbage collection would operate on normal schedules. Council will consider this report on Wednesday, September 8.
The City is anticipating an overall year-end surplus of $8.1 million in 2021, including a projected surplus of $6.1 million for tax-supported programs and $2.1 million for rate-supported services, like water and sewer. The Committee received a status update on the 2021 budget, which includes projections to the end of the year. The City ended the second quarter with an overall surplus of $13.4 million, including a surplus of $12.5 million for tax-supported programs and $865,000 for rate-supported services.
The projected year-end surplus includes $136 million in COVID-19 costs, offset by $135.2 million in funding from senior levels of government. The Province will cover the forecasted $11.8 million in costs for the City’s portion of its vaccination program.
The Committee received a progress update on the City’s Corporate Diversity and Inclusion Plan, which aims to build a workforce that reflects the community it serves and provide an inclusive work culture. This approach seeks to promote public confidence and ensure that a diversity of minds, experiences and perspectives are shaping the City’s stakeholder engagement, operations and services.
The plan includes an equitable hiring strategy, increased community engagement, new learning initiatives and better data-collection tools. By 2024, the City aims to achieve targets for workforce representation of employment equity groups based on Canada’s 2018 regional workforce availability rates. Since 2019, City workforce representation has gone up for Indigenous peoples, visible minorities, and persons with disabilities.
The Committee approved an agreement with Waste Management for their planned landfill site at the West Carleton Environmental Centre on Carp Road. To compensate neighbouring communities for the burden of hosting an active landfill, the agreement would reduce the landfill’s service area and require Waste Management to collect fees per metric tonne of waste deposited each year at the site – fees that would be used to benefit the neighbouring communities. Staff would report back in the first quarter of 2022 with recommendations on how the collected fees might be used.
Recommendations from today’s meeting will rise to Council on Wednesday, September 22, unless otherwise indicated.