Ahead of the release of the Ontario government’s budget on Thursday, Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said he hopes to see issues like public transit, public safety, downtown revitalization, affordable housing and economic development in Ottawa prioritized.
Whether these issues are addressed in the delayed budget or weigh into ongoing discussions withe the province, Sutcliffe said he and city manager Wendy Stephanson will continue to prioritize Ottawa’s needs and “are working with [the province] almost every day.”
“We want to build a stronger economy. We want to build a better downtown. We want to address public safety issues. We want to respond to the mental health crisis and the substance use crisis that we’re witnessing, and we want to build more homes and more affordable homes,” Sutcliffe said in a media availability after city council met on Wednesday. “So there’s a lot we’re working on.”
“Some of it may show up in the budget,” he continued. “Some of it may follow in other discussions and other announcements we make together with the provincial government.”
He acknowledged, for example, that the City of Ottawa has not been meeting its targets for building housing, but said that he doesn’t expect the budget to provide much clarity.
“I’ve had a couple of conversations with [Ontario Municipal Affairs and Housing Rob Flack]. I expect to talk with him again soon,” said Sutcliffe. “I think every municipality in Ontario is finding the market conditions very challenging right now, and these are factors that are largely beyond our control, so I would expect that there will be some collaboration with the provincial government on how we can move forward together.”
Stephanson added that the Ontario government has fulfilled its financial commitments to Ottawa that are laid out in the New Deal for Ontario, which Premier Doug Ford announced in Ottawa last March.
The agreement includes up to $197 million over three years in provincial operating supports and up to $346 million over 10 years in provincial capital supports, and Stephanson said these commitments have already “made their allocations”, so she won’t be looking for them reflected in the budget. Instead, she said the pressure is on Prime Minister Mark Carney’s new government.
“We’re moving along in terms of signing agreements, and the money is flowing in terms of the commitments that were made,” she told reporters. “When you look at the deal, there was a commitment with respect to engagement with the federal government, and that is a work in progress.
“When the mayor talks about the conversations that are happening, both at the political and the administrative level, we’re wanting to engage our federal partners to have those conversations and influence the budget when they do table it.”
Also during the city council meeting Wednesday, councillors moved to review the patio fee in an effort to support small businesses, removed the all-way stop at the intersection of McKeown Drive and Barfield Road, and reinstate parking pads during the Longpré Lebrun Marquette Integrated Renewal project.
Council also moved in-camera to receive legal updates on LRT Stage 1 as well as legal updates regarding the Ontario Land Tribunal.
Notably, on Thursday, the Joint Emergency Preparedness and Protective Services and Public Works and Infrastructure Committees will receive a feasibility study on implementing a social infrastructure bylaw, also called the “bubble bylaw”, which has been the topic of discussion and controversy in Ottawa since it first crossed councillors’ desks last year.
On Wednesday, Sutcliffe said it’s “clear” where he stands on the bylaw and has spent the last few weeks consulting various community members and organizations to address how to “strike the balance.”
“I think there’s a consensus that we need to do something, but that we need to be very, very careful about what we do,” he said. “We need to protect the right of people to demonstrate and protest in the nation’s capital of Canada.
“We need to make sure that people are still able to exercise their constitutional right to demonstrate, but we also need to make sure that people are able to access the places that they’re going to, places like schools and places of worship,” Sutcliffe continued. “And so I think there is a place where we can land that accomplishes both.”
While he said it’s “not easy” and will require “threading the needle”, he will defer to “experts” and follow lessons learned from municipalities that have implemented similar bylaws.
“There will be a robust process for developing a bylaw, if a motion were to pass, that will involve consultation,” he said. “So we will listen to the community and will arrive in a place that is appropriate and makes sense for everyone.”
