City of Ottawa budget to be finalized this week
Ottawa city council will finalize the 2023 budget this week.
Councillors will vote on the final budget Wednesday after a month of committee meetings and public delegations on the multi-billion dollar spending plan that includes $4.5 billion in operational expenses and $1.06 billion in capital spending.
The City of Ottawa's 2023 operating budget at a glance. (Source: City of Ottawa)
Some final committee meetings are being held ahead of the budget vote on March 1, including the Ottawa Police Services Board and the Ottawa Board of Health on Monday and the Community Services Committee on Tuesday.
The police services board will finalize its $401.2 million budget Monday and hear from public delegations. Police are budgeting an extra $15.2 million in 2023, but there have been demands from the public to freeze police spending for the past couple of years. Mayor Mark Sutcliffe ran on a campaign that included increasing police spending and hiring more police officers.
Also of note is nearly $54 million in "efficiencies" included in the draft budget, $47 million of which come from the transit file. Documents presented to the transit commission earlier this month show $4.4 million in savings under bus and Para operations, including a projected savings of $1.5 million in overtime expenditures and $2.9 million in materials and services, defined further as a reduction in bus fleet size to match current service levels. The other $42.7 million that makes up the $47 million in transit efficiencies comes from a reduction in contributions to the capital reserve.
The city says it is getting rid of 117 buses that are no longer roadworthy or are too costly to maintain and several infrastructure projects are being delayed until 2024 in order to find savings this year.
The transit budget is increasing by $11 million over 2022 levels, while projecting a lower ridership estimate than last year.
This year's budget does include a $39-million hole in transit that staff are expecting will be filled by provincial and/or federal funding, as the other levels of government have done throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff admit, however, that funding from upper levels of government has yet to be confirmed.
The overall budget includes a 2.5 per cent increase to property taxes and a 4.2 per cent overall increase to urban water bills. It would see the annual tax bill rise by $104 for an urban home assessed at $415,000 or $85 for a rural home. The urban water bill is going up $38 for urban residents and $10 for rural residents.
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)
Average impact to water bills for average users in 2023. (Source: City of Ottawa)
Sutcliffe described the 2023 budget as "tight" and said the "savings and efficiencies" found in the budget would mean services would not have to be cut. The budget also includes a one-year fare freeze for OC Transpo and a 10 per cent reduction in youth activity fees.
However, Sutcliffe said the city would need help from other orders of government to balance future budgets.
"Without the appropriate level of support from our provincial and federal governments, we will have significant pressures on our finances next year and beyond, particularly on transit and infrastructure," he said.
The COVID-19 pandemic is still factoring into the city's spending plans. Ottawa Public Health's 2023 budget, to be finalized Monday, includes $51 million in pandemic-related spending alongside $77 million in base program funding. The province has confirmed that it would cover extra COVID-related costs in 2023.
Medical officer of health Dr. Vera Etches expects COVID-19 will continue to cause illness and death through 2023. An average of three people have died of COVID-19 in Ottawa every week since the start of the year.
BUDGET MEETINGS THIS WEEK
Ottawa Police Services Board: Monday, 4 p.m.
Board of Health: Monday, 5 p.m.
Community Services Committee: Tuesday, 9:30 a.m.
City Council: Wednesday, 10 a.m.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Ottawa police deem death of a woman in south end park a femicide
A Montreal man is charged with first-degree murder in connection to the stabbing death of a woman at a park in Ottawa’s south end on Thursday.
Ontario plans to bar international students from medical schools starting in 2026
Ontario will not allow international students in medical schools beginning in the fall of 2026, and will also cover tuition for more than 1,000 students who commit to becoming a family doctor in Ontario, Premier Doug Ford said Friday.
Tiny house with elaborate – and erotic – frescoes unearthed at Pompeii
Archeologists have uncovered a tiny house in Pompeii that is filled with elaborate – and sometimes erotic – frescoes, further revealing the ornate way in which Romans decorated their homes.
Is it a cold or flu? These are the most common symptoms
Understanding the common symptoms of a cold or flu can help you make an informed choice about treatment. Here’s what to know about each illnesses’ symptoms and when it’s time for a doctor visit.
Mother sues AI chatbot company Character.AI, Google over son's suicide
A Florida mother has sued artificial intelligence chatbot startup Character.AI, accusing it of causing her 14-year-old son's suicide in February and saying he became addicted to the company's service and deeply attached to a chatbot it created.
High-ranking Ont. police officer allegedly sped through a school zone, says report, but details are still murky
An Ontario police force has been accused of letting a deputy chief off the hook for speeding tickets. The results of an investigation into the allegations have not been provided, despite repeated requests for details.
Here's why a mortgage broker thinks a 30-year amortization is a 'trap'
The federal government allowed 30-year mortgage amortizations for first-time homebuyers purchasing new builds in August, and the new rules are set to expand in December to everyone looking to buy a newly-constructed home.
'Demanding an autopsy': Mother of 6 dies in deportation centre after Canadian government refuses to repatriate her
A Quebec mother of six, once detained in northeast Syria, has died while waiting for repatriation. The Canadian woman was known only by her initials F.J.
'Well-man' remains found at a castle have been linked to an 800-year-old Norse saga
Researchers have connected the identity of skeletal remains found in a well at Norway’s Sverresborg castle to a passage in a centuries-old Norse text.