“We’re protecting Ontario from economic uncertainty driven by tariffs and protectionism. We’re protecting Ontario from the threats to our national and global security.”

The province said the proposed 10-year strategy could create as many as 43,000 jobs, add $6 billion annually to Ontario’s economy and generate more than $400 million in yearly provincial tax revenue by 2035.

According to the province, Ontario’s defence sector currently comprises more than 300 companies employing over 13,000 workers and contributing upwards of $5 billion annually to the economy.

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Rain Ready Ottawa is a program aimed at protecting waterways by awarding rebates to residents who undertake actions on their property that reduce the harmful impacts of stormwater runoff.

City staff explained the reason for expanding the program.

“[The existing rebate program] is one of our most effective tools,” they said. “Council directed staff to explore a low-rise MURB rebate when the RRO was approved in 2024.” 

The proposed program expansion would apply only to low-rise MURBs (buildings under three storeys), including cooperative housing, condominiums, rental housing, and affordable housing. Rebates for MURBs could amount to as much as $30,000. 

Although the new rebate stream will be funded out of the existing program budget of $500,000, with $100,000 specifically allocated to low-rise MURBs, city staff clarified that availability of the existing stream for private residents is not expected to be impacted. 

Councillor Theresa Kavanagh (Bay) expressed her support for the expansion, but wondered about how this might impact the existing program’s capacity. 

“I think we have to grow it. I worry that we have a backlog, and we as a council have to look at the budget,” she said. “Because this program should be expanded. It’s been a huge success.” 

City staff clarified that there is no backlog currently. “We don’t have a backlog when it comes to rebate application itself… The intent of this is to help us further maximize the budget that we have right now.” 

The committee approved the motion, which will be taken to the next city council meeting on May 27.

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The Liaison Strategies survey — commissioned by the Ottawa Compass and iPolitics — found that 64 per cent of respondents disapproved of OC Transpo service, including the O-Train.

Reliability and delays were flagged as the biggest concern (54 per cent), with safety, wait times and poor connectivity far behind at 11 per cent each.

Around 1,000 Ottawa residents were randomly surveyed for the poll between May 8 to 10 using random digit dialling across landline and cellphone networks. It carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3.09 percentage points.

The public transit service has been routinely criticized for delays and cancelled trips, as well as its handling of the problem-plagued O-Train Line 1, which is currently running only single-train cars due to issues with the vehicles.

Eighty-one per cent of respondents disapproved of OC Transpo’s handling of service reliability, while the service receives better grades for security, with only 47 per cent disapproving (compared to 32 that approve, and 21 that don’t know).

Approval ratings are also underwater for frequency of service and waiting times (60 per cent disapproval), while residents said Ottawa should prioritize improving existing services instead of expanding the system (60 to 20 per cent).

Meanwhile, 47 per cent said they would be more likely to regularly use OC Transpo if it became more reliable.

Transit will likely become a major issue in the run-up to this fall’s municipal elections.

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The Liaison Strategies survey — commissioned by the Ottawa Compass and iPolitics — also found that 38 per cent of respondents viewed traffic as a “very serious problem,” with blame mostly laid on there being too many cars on the road (37 per cent), though a sizeable chunk credited it to “poor coordination of roads, signals, and construction.”

However, 35 per cent of respondents found both were contributing to the problem.

Around 1,000 Ottawa residents were randomly surveyed for the poll between May 8 to 10 using random digit dialling across landline and cellphone networks. It carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3.09 percentage points.

Sixty-seven per cent of respondents said traffic had become worse over the past year, a number that varied little across different sections of the city, by age group or language spoken at home.

Twenty-seven per cent said it had stayed mostly the same, and only two per cent said it had gotten better.

There was little variation across the city on any of the survey questions, though voters in downtown and the surrounding neighbourhoods were more likely to view traffic as a very serious problem.

But still, most respondents (52 per cent) viewed traffic as only a somewhat serious problem.

The biggest warning sign in the poll for Mayor Mark Sutcliffe — whose first term in office elapses this fall — is that 77 per cent disapprove of the city’s handling of congestion, with that number rising to 81 per cent in the central neighbourhoods.

Voters are split on solutions, with better timing traffic lights (22 per cent) and improved transit (21) leading the pack, compared to faster road construction (18) and more road capacity (16). Enforcement of traffic rules came in behind at 14 per cent, with something else drawing 7 per cent of responses.

Meanwhile, 67 per cent thought the city was doing a poor job in coordinating road work to reduce traffic disruption.

On a separate question, voters seemed to support ‘safe and balanced’ streets (48 per cent) as a bigger priority than moving more car traffic quickly (31), however.

Voters will elect a new city council in October. Sutcliffe hasn’t formally announced his plans to seek a second term, but the Compass/Liaison poll had him narrowly leading the race.

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Sutcliffe, who hasn’t officially announced his intention to run for a second term, was the top choice of 37 per cent of decided and leaning voters.

The poll, commissioned by the Ottawa Compass and iPolitics, tested Sutcliffe and four other prospective candidates. This includes Coun. Tim Tierney, who has announced his plans to seek re-election in Beacon Hill-Cyrville rather than run for mayor.

Kitchissippi Ward Coun. Jeff Leiper finished second to Sutcliffe, drawing the support of 32 per cent of respondents. Homebuilder Alex Lawson followed with 14 per cent, while Tierney drew the backing of 11 per cent of voters.

Economist and community organizer Neil Saravanmuttoo rounded out the field at five per cent.

Around 1,000 Ottawa residents were randomly surveyed between May 8 to 10 using random digit dialling across landline and cellphone networks. It carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3.09 percentage points.

“Tierney’s entry does not knock Sutcliffe out of first place, and it does not push Leiper out of second,” David Valentin, principal at Liaison Strategies said in a statement. “What it does do is add another double-digit candidate to the decided-and-leaning ballot, which makes the challenger field more crowded.”

Tierney’s prospective candidacy appeared to have the strongest impact in East Ottawa, where he polled at 27 per cent among decided-and-leaning voters, compared to 33 per cent for Sutcliffe and 24 percent for Leiper.

Among all voters, 34 per cent remained undecided when Tierney was included on the ballot, compared to 41 per cent without him.

Sutcliffe, Leiper and Lwason post identical support levels in both scenarios, suggesting that Tierney’s presence primarily pulls from undecided voters.

“For Sutcliffe, the race is still manageable but not comfortable. He leads both decided-and-leaning ballot tests, but his approval is underwater and down from April,” Valentin said, noting Sutcliffe’s job approval stands at 41 per cent, down four points from last month.

“Voters can prefer the incumbent and still be unhappy with the way the city is going,” he said.

The poll found housing affordability leads as the issue agenda, followed by transit, inflation, homelessness, crime and other.

“Only one in four residents think Ottawa is moving in the right direction, that creates room for challengers, but the ballot shows that no single challenger has consolidated that dissatisfaction yet,” Valentin said.

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Public Works and Infrastructure Committee chair Coun. Tim Tierney joined Mayor Mark Sutcliffe on 4550 Bank Street to launch the city’s annual construction season, unveiling nearly $700 million in infrastructure projects ranging from road rehabilitation and bridge repairs to drinking water, wastewater and stormwater upgrades. City officials said it will involve roughly 700 infrastructure projects across the capital this year.

Under the major investment is the $50-million Bank Street widening upgrade, a push that Sutcliffe said will help prepare Ottawa for an expected population boom over the next 25 years.

The corridor serves as a key commuter route into Ottawa’s south end, an area that has seen rapid residential growth in recent years.

“This Bank Street upgrade project is tremendously important to serve the growth that we’re seeing in the south of the city, and you can’t build a small city, an urban area with rural infrastructure,” Councillor Steven Desroches said.

Intended to improve access not only for drivers, but also for pedestrians, cyclists and transit users, Desroches noted that residents currently cannot safely walk or cycle to nearby destinations like the Fred Barrett Arena.

The multi-year project will add a new four-lane roadway, sidewalks on both sides of Bank Street and five protected intersections, while upgrading underground infrastructure throughout the corridor.

Desroches noted that Ottawa’s population growth is projected to reach 500,000 people in the next 25 years, making roads and sidewalks investment, as well as water infrastructure a critical point.

The announcement comes as residents continue voicing frustration over worsening congestion tied to roadwork and transit-related lane closures across the city, particularly along Highway 417. When asked by a reporter about these concerns, Sutcliffe acknowledged the disruptions and said the city is trying to find “better solutions” to manage construction impacts.

“We need to be more mindful of what motorists and commuters are going through, we’re doing everything we can to improve our roads and improve our infrastructure in the city,” Sutcliffe said.

“There’s going to be a little bit of pain, but we have to do the best job possible,” Sutcliffe said.

In a separate interview with iPolitics, Coun. Tierney said Ottawa has increasingly shifted toward bundling infrastructure work into larger construction phases. He said the approach shortens timelines and avoids repeated disruptions caused by piecemeal roadwork.

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The Liaison Strategies poll, commissioned by the Ottawa Compass and iPolitics, shows Sutcliffe’s approval rating on every major issue is below water in advance of this fall’s municipal election.

The mayor performs the worst on transit, with 71 per cent of voters disapproving of his handling on the file. His best performance is on crime, where 48 per cent disapprove, compared to 44 per cent who support his approach.

A majority of respondents offered a negative assessment of Sutcliffe’s performance on the other issues, including homelessness (58 per cent disapproved), traffic (57 per cent), housing affordability (54 per cent) and inflation (51 per cent).

For the automated phone poll — conducted between April 11-12 — Liaison Strategies based the results on response from 1,000 Ottawa voters. The data was matched with the city’s profile from the 2021 Census, with the results broken down by region in the city, gender, age and language.

The margin of error is reported as 3.09 percentage points, though is higher for sub-samples.

The mayor’s only positive approval ratings in the poll came on the questions of crime and inflation. On crime, he polled above water among west residents (49 per cent approved) and those 65 and older (53 per cent). When it came to inflation, only those in the 65+ crowd gave him a positive approval (47 per cent to 44 that disapproved).

The Ottawa Compass and iPolitics have partnered with Liaison to provide exclusive polling data on the 2026 Ottawa municipal election.

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On Tuesday morning, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe met with Ontario’s Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria in city hall as part of Sutcliffe’s Mayor’s Breakfast conversations. The two discussed issues surrounding transportation and public transit in Ottawa. 

During the meeting, Sarkaria expressed that he believed there was a “good case” for a ring road in Ottawa, and that the province was open to examining the possibility further. Sarkaria said that the conversations being had on the possibility are “very preliminary.” 

The OC Transpo LRT and provincial ownership of Highway 174 were the central topics discussed during Tuesday’s meeting at city hall. 

Sarkaria reiterated a promise made by Doug Ford during his visit to Ottawa on Monday, that the province will upload the cost of Ottawa’s LRT system. Ford met with Sutcliffe on the sidelines of a summit hosted by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, where he said he made a commitment that Queen’s Park would take over the O-Train system. 

Sutcliffe confirmed during a press conference on Tuesday that the province had also committed to taking ownership of Highway 174, which runs in the city’s east end. Shifting ownership of the highway will be a multi-step process, Sutcliffe said. 

Last summer, the city approved a plan for the next 20 years of transportation in Ottawa, dubbed the 2046 Transportation Master Plan. During the debates over what to include in the plan, Tierney advocated for the inclusion of a ring road. 

Plans for a ring road were not included in the plan which was released in July. Tierney welcomes the newfound openness from the province and the mayor towards a ring road as a turning point for the project. 

Tierney’s outlook on the future of such a project has changed like “night and day,” the Ward 11 councillor said. 

“I’m glad everyone’s seeing the light,” Tierney said. “I think we heard the public outcry, and now things are changing,” he added.

Constituents have come to Tierney with concerns over traffic congestion in the city, which Tierney said has reached a boiling point. Beyond that, implementing a ring road in the city would help to reduce pollution, he said. 

“If we can remove traffic from the 417, the 416, and move it around, it will make it much easier for everyone, cut down on pollution, and allow for people to spend more time at home,” Tierney said. 

The province has been receptive to concerns from Ottawa residents, which has led to the potential project being considered more seriously than it has been previously, by both the city and Queen’s Park. 

“I’m happy to hear it’s back on the radar,” Tierney said, “the province has certainly heard from residents in Ottawa.” The existence of a ring road comes hand in hand with an improved LRT system, the councillor added.

The O-Train, which has suffered significant technical and financial issues over the past year, being under provincial ownership is compatible with provincial assistance for a ring road project in the city, he said. 

Conversations between city officials and the province have picked up steam in recent months, Tierney said, bringing greater attention to the prospective project. 

“We’re definitely moving ahead… now things are changing,” Tierney said, expressing optimism as he described “talking quite a bit” with Minister Sarkaria.

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Troy Charter, the city’s interim general manager of transit services, told council’s transit committee on Thursday that it would happen in May. 

“Every effort is being made to accelerate the work that is required,” said Charter. “We’re trying to accelerate as much as we can to restore the service for our customers.” 

The current issues with Line 1 were first identified in January, when providers Rideau Transit Group (RTG) and Alstom found spalling on the Line’s vehicles’ Cartridge Bearing Assemblies (CBAs).

Since then, long wait times and overcrowding on key light rail platforms across Ottawa have been ongoing. Delays to full service were further pushed back when RTG and Alstom discovered additional safety concerns while replacing the CBAs.

Charter said he understands the timelines offered for return to service “may be disappointing for our customers,” but OC Transpo’s commitment is “always to support the safe operation of our service.”

“We do anticipate that our customers will see the effects of gradual improvements to capacity on Line 1 in the coming weeks, and our work on Line 1 will ensure that we’re ready to keep customers moving during the summer festival season.”

Coun. Tim Tierney (Beacon Hill-Cyrville) highlighted the link between Line 1 and the East End expansion of the Line, which continues to be delayed. 

“Obviously Line 1 is critical, but there’s a lot in the east end, there is a real linkage, so we need a commitment when we’re going to get an update specific to the east end,” said Tierney.

“If we don’t have trains running by September in the east end, that has massive impacts on the entire system.” 

Charter confirmed that a detailed update would be provided at the next Transit Committee meeting in May.

“We want to give you that detailed information about trial running, what it means for our customers, what they can expect, and the timelines associated with that.” 

Coun. Marty Carr (Alta Vista) shared Tierney’s concerns, and wondered who was paying for the various additional measures being undertaken to address the safety issues discovered by Alstom and RTG.

“RTG and Alstom are wholly responsible for the design manufacture of the vehicles and the system, so those are costs for them to bear,” said Charter. 

Carr noted that operational costs to the service, in terms of the required extra operators and busses, still fell on the city. 

The next Transit Committee is expected to take place on May 14. 

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The construction of sidewalks along Arundel Avenue, Braemar Street, Jeffery Avenue, and Kilbarry Crescent in the Manor Park neighbourhood has been a contentious topic, with one local opposition group gathering together under the slogan “Don’t pave paradise.” According to a survey undertaken by Coun. King, 52 per cent of respondents were in opposition to the sidewalks, while 40 per cent were in support.

But the voices against the proposed motion were numerous at Monday’s committee meeting. Among those voices was Rob Attrell, a board member of Bike Ottawa, who was also representing community organizations such as Ecology Ottawa, CAFES Ottawa, the Ottawa Disability Coalition, Walkable Ottawa, and the Ontario chapter of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment — among others.

“Debates like this that divide a neighbourhood threaten to set a dangerous precedent for the entire city,” said Attrell. “When a community group challenges the Official Plan, trying to opt out of minimum safety and accessibility standards, it should be based on more than a desire to maintain the status quo.”

He added that the construction of sidewalks now, during a time when roads are scheduled for other maintenance, is cost-efficient. “If the city skips putting these sidewalks in now, you’re all voting to lock in known safety deficiencies for decades.”

Safety and accessibility were two recurring themes brought up by delegations who came to Monday’s meeting to oppose the proposed motion. Opponents also expressed concerns over this setting a precedent in other neighbourhoods.

“Don’t allow communities to opt-out of the evidence-based plans based on vibes,” said Attrell. “If the ‘no sidewalks’ group succeeds in delaying or canceling these plans, you can be sure that other areas are going to be lining up to be excluded, probably for their own unique reasons.”

Coun. Glen Gower (Stitsville) noted that the policy to install sidewalks in Ottawa is “based on a foundation of some pretty solid policy.”

“In new neighbourhoods in our community in Stitsville, there’s sidewalks installed not in every street, but in most streets, because we know that’s the right thing to do, for accessibility reasons, for equity reasons,” he said.

Coun. King concluded the debate by clarifying that he supports sidewalks and pedestrian safety.

“Supporting sidewalks and questioning their placement here are not contradictory positions,” he said. “This is not about ideology, it’s about getting the location, the sequencing, and the prioritization, and the timing right.”

Ultimately, the motion was defeated in a 7–5 vote against deferral.

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