2023 City of Ottawa budget passes unanimously

Ottawa city council has approved its $5.5 billion 2023 budget, which includes a 2.5 per cent increase to property taxes.

The budget unanimously passed Wednesday afternoon after about five hours of debate, which included discussions on police and transit funding. The average urban homeowner will see their property tax bill rise by $104 this year. The urban water fee is going up $38 and the police levy is increasing by $17.

The City of Ottawa's 2023 operating budget at a glance. (Source: City of Ottawa)

The budget fulfills a campaign promise by Mayor Mark Sutcliffe to keep property tax increases to a 2.5 per cent cap.

"I'm gratified by the collaboration and co-operation during this process," Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said. "We tabled a budget on Feb. 1 and a lot of work was done in the last month to improve that budget, to work with councillors, to collaborate, to find consensus and I think that was reflected in the meeting today and in the outcome of the meeting today and I'm grateful to have the support of all of council for the budget." 

The budget also includes a freeze for OC Transpo fares for 2023, and a plan to make transit free for children under 12.

• RELATED: Six ways the city of Ottawa's 2023 budget will affect your wallet

The meeting was briefly interrupted by a protest against police funding, which led to a 30-minute recess and two people being led from council chambers and banned from city hall.

"Following the incident at City Council and in accordance with the guidelines outlined in the City’s Public Conduct Policy and Corporate Trespass to Property Procedures, two individuals were issued a written notice for causing a disturbance," a statement from corporate security program manager Clayton Foster said. "This Trespass Notice prohibits the individuals from City Hall for one year."

The protesters, Robin Browne and Bailey Gauthier, walked into the middle of the horseshoe table just before the budget debate began to convince councillors to vote against a $15.2 million increase to police funding. They are the same people who disrupted an Ottawa Police Services Board meeting in November.

"It's never actually kept us safer to pour money into the police and not fund things that do keep us safer like affordable housing, mental health programs, domestic violence programs, climate change; these are the things that actually keep us safer. So, giving all the money to the police and not putting it there does not keep us safer," Browne told reporters outside city hall.

An Ottawa police officer speaks to protesters Robin Browne and Bailey Gauthier following a disruption at city council. March 1, 2023. (Jackie Perez/CTV News Ottawa)

Browne told CTV News he's requested a review of the trespass notice, arguing that he should only be banned from the council chamber and not all of city hall, as the ban would prevent him from conducting other business at city hall. He's also alleging the possibility of racially-motivated discrimination against himself by security.

"The security officer who was letting people through the electronic gate, after the bag check, was very aggressive with me - and only me as far as I saw - and behaved the same way inside the council chamber. Seeing as I am Black, this could indicate that his actions were racially motivated and this must be investigated," he said.

Ultimately, the $401 million police budget passed by a vote of 17 to 8.

In favour were Laura Dudas, Glen Gower, Clarke Kelly, Matthew Luloff, Tim Tierney, Cathy Curry, Catherine Kitts, Marty Carr, George Darouze, David Brown, Wilson Lo, Steve Desroches, David Hill, Stéphanie Plante, Allan Hubley, Riley Brockington, and Mayor Mark Sutcliffe.

Against were Rawlson King, Sean Devine, Laine Johnson, Jessica Bradley, Ariel Troster, Jeff Leiper, Theresa Kavanagh, and Shawn Menard.

Menard had introduced a motion to take $500,000 from the police budget and redirect it to mental health services, but his motion was defeated by a vote of 15 nays to 10 yeas.

The approximate growth in the average property tax bill in 2023 (* Does not reflect any impact from tax policy or reassessment). (Source: City of Ottawa)

TRANSIT BUDGET APPROVED WITH $39M HOLE

The transit budget, which includes a $39 million deficit that staff hope will be filled by upper levels of government despite no confirmation of any additional funding, passed by a vote of 21 to 4 on the operating portion of the budget and 18 to 7 on the capital portion.

The four councillors who voted against the operating budget were Sean Devine, George Darouze, David Brown, and Laine Johnson. Voting against the capital budget were Rawlson King, Sean Devine, George Darouze, David Brown, Laine Johnson, Ariel Troster, and Shawn Menard.

Speaking to reporters after the council meeting, Sutcliffe said the city needs to work with other levels of government on sustainable transit funding.

"I'm in regular conversations with elected officials at the other two orders of government and I'm hopeful we'll get their support," he said. "It's clear that public transit ridership in Ottawa and across the country has not returned to pre-pandemic levels... I think it's a reasonable request and I'm hopeful our conversations with the other levels of government will be productive."

Council also approved a motion to extend free transit for kids to include children aged 8 to 12 starting July 1, at a cost of $365,000 to be funded by a reduction in the fuel budget.

A motion to keep scaffolding up at Hurdman and Tunney's Pasture stations until April 30, with a goal of finding a permanent solution to protecting the bus platforms from the elements before next winter, also passed.

MORE TOILETS AND WADING POOLS

A motion by Coun. Menard to take $50,000 from the diesel fuel budget and spend it on rentals of 48 more portable toilets for parks and another 17 wading pools to be used on Canada Day and the August long weekend was passed unanimously.

The issue of a lack of public toilets has been longstanding in Ottawa. Menard's motion also calls on staff to increase the operating season for wading pools in 2024 as well as washroom operating hours for existing facilities and bring these forward as part of the 2024 budget process.

He thanks councillors online after the motion passed.

"Thanks to council for passing my budget motion to increase bathrooms in Ottawa and to open several geographically dispersed outdoor pools on July 1st and August Civic Holiday. In the future, these small quality of life changes should be accelerated in our city," he said on Twitter. 

Average impact to water bills for average users in 2023. (Source: City of Ottawa)

Also included in the budget was a motion by Coun. Laine Johnson to increase the city's sale of surplus land account budget by $1 million to $2.5 million and direct the extra revenue towards affordable housing.