Ottawa Mayor Addresses Budget that Includes Proposed 3.9% Property Tax Hike

 Draft budget day at Ottawa City Council is considered one of the most important meetings of the year. The departments of the municipal government present their projected operating and capital budgets, which city staff and committees have developed over the preceding months. Mayor Mark Suttcliffe began the Council session by

The City of Ottawa Needs Your Help as it Gears up for Winter

 The City of Ottawa has released an advisory prepping residents for the snowy season that will soon be upon us. In addition to safety tips for pedestrians, reminding residents to step out of the way of snowplows and sidewalk plows when their lights are flashing blue, signalling that they are

City of Ottawa is Asking for Input in Preparation for the 2025 Draft Budget

 It’s summer, and while many are in vacation mode, it’s time to get engaged and inform City of Ottawa officials about what priorities matter to you. The city has opened pre-budget public consultations that will continue until the 2025 draft budget is tabled on November 13, 2024. Last year, Mayor
Signage alerting drivers to the use of Municipal Speed Cameras in Ottawa

Are Speed Cameras Exploiting Ottawa Residents Under the Guise of Safety?

 Property taxes are always a municipal election issue. During the 2022 Ottawa election campaign, then-candidate for mayor Mark Sutcliffe defended capping property taxes at 2.5 percent while his main rival, former Councillor Catherine McKenney, openly stated they would raise taxes.  It is unclear whether McKenney’s transparency accounted for her defeat.

The City of Ottawa Tables 2024 Draft Budget

 City Council tabled the draft 2024 budget for the City of Ottawa. Despite his customary hand-off approach, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe gave a long speech on the city’s financial master plan for the next year. He began by noting that in the months leading up to the budget, he took the

An Opportunity For Para Transpo Users to be Heard

 One of the topics I talk about the most is Para Transpo and how the city continues to ignore the needs of people with disabilities when it comes to Para Transpo users. Over many years, I’ve attended countless meetings at City Hall, including speaking at city council meetings. I’ve also

It’s Better to Bust a Gut Than to Bust a Wheel

 For the fourth week in a row, the LRT is still down. Riders continue to complain about the service interruptions, while both OC Transpo and the City of Ottawa, along with our Mayor and some City councillors, continue to point fingers at each other and ignore people, especially people with
LRT leaving Pimisi Station

Fix OC Transpo Leadership to Fix LRT

 There is an old adage that efficient government can make the trains run on time. With yesterday’s announcement from Premier Doug Ford that there will be no funding for Stage Three of the LRT until the City of Ottawa sorts out the problems with the Confederation Line—and with Stage One

Depriving while subsidising the suburbs.

 “Investing in transit, cycling, and walkability makes communities more affordable and accessible, improves air quality, and prevents needless traffic deaths.” — Nick Grover By Nick Grover Debates about the suburbs are rarely productive. They too often focus on aesthetic critiques — “cookie cutter” houses, manicured lawns, monotony, conformity. I say leave

Ottawa’s Featherston Drive Public School is changing the way students think about food

 ABOVE: Students from Featherston Public School (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT) Hanad, Randa, Deqa, Rima, Seamus, and Jaela. The student body at Featherston Drive Public School is representative of the diverse cultural communities that make up the City of Ottawa. They remind us that we live in a place where people from many backgrounds meet to

OPS and City of Ottawa appear prepared for ‘Rolling Thunder’

 ABOVE: The exclusion zone shows the areas of downtown closed to motor vehicles participating in the event. (MAP COURTESY CITY OF OTTAWA) The City of Ottawa has released a map showing “the vehicle exclusion zone” for this weekend’s anticipated ‘Rolling Thunder’ convoy. Despite being a practical tool to show bikers the

Ottawa Councillor Mathieu Fleury gets it right on e-scooters

 The core of Ottawa is a place where leaving your car at home is very easy to do. There is excellent bike infrastructure to help commuters get around but if you need to use a sidewalk, there is a problem. Councillor for Ward 12, Mathieu Fleury has rightfully pointed out

Providing proof of vaccination, and how it could affect people with disabilities

 Recently, there has been more talk about people needing to prove that they are 100 per cent vaccinated against Covid. This week, I’ll be examining the potential impact that it could have on people with disabilities. First off, let me again mention that several individuals and even families scattered across

LeBreton Flats. Where dreams go to fizzle out.

 Above: View of LeBreton Flats (PHOTO: c.1892, photograph: silver gelatin, Bytown Museum, P752) Ottawa is the only G7 capital that features a gigantic ghost town within sight of its parliamentary precinct. This peculiarity is not the result of some natural disaster, but rather the good intentions of the Diefenbaker government to

Ottawa’s Community Organizations Present an Alternative Budget

 As Canadians deal with the financial crunch of COVID-19, and reliance on government services is increasing, several of Ottawa’s prominent community organizations have come together to present their ideas for how our City should spend on its services. Describing itself as “a broad coalition of organizations from across the City

Low-Speed Automated Shuttle pilot kicks off in Ottawa

 The first Ontario pilot project for an electric Low-Speed Automated Shuttle (LSAS) lauched this week in Ottawa. The project will test the vehicles to assess the effectiveness of automated shuttles operating in various conditions in a real-world transportation environment. Proponents believe LSAS have the potential to create cleaner and more efficient

COVID is highlighting the need for cars — even downtown

 By Johanne Brownrigg COVID 19. We know it’s changing us and those around us. Families and work lives have been impacted. We simply aren’t yet sure if these changes are permanent. Some though, if not permanent, are definitely long-term. A lot has been written about the potential gutting of downtown

Ottawa’s neighbourhoods: The Market

 It’s hard to know when to stop when subdividing Ottawa into smaller communities, so for this series of articles on Ottawa’s different neighbourhoods, I’m writing based on how cohesive each place feels to me. Certainly the walkable area bookended by three rivers west of Vanier feels like a single place.

Head to Bank Street to check out Ottawa’s new mural

 The Bank Street BIA, in partnership with Wallak’s Art Supplies and the City of Ottawa, is proud to announce that artists Kalkidan Assefa, Allan André and Jimmy Baptise have completed a new mural in Ottawa. Located at the intersection of Bank Street and Lisgar Street, the mural depicts a positive

Ottawa Police Service — Sheep in sheep’s clothing

 The Ottawa Police Services Board (OPSB) has received multiple complaints about harassment and misogyny against female officers and employees on the force for over a decade. On July 8, 2020 Ottawa police officer Carl Keenan was found guilty in a Gatineau court of assault causing bodily harm in relation to

How Covid-19 has impacted myself and PWD

 Covid-19 has impacted many peoples lives in a magnitude of ways. Jobs were lost, small businesses were forced to close, and many people are no longer with us. The list is long in terms of the different ways in which we’ve all been affected. For people with disabilities, it’s been

Local artist turns lockdown sketch into lasting tribute

 For many creatives, the inspiration for their art reflects the reality of life around them. In the case of local illustrator and muralist Dom Laporte, a trip through South East Asia cut short due to the novel coronavirus is now enshrined as a tribute to front line workers. Laporte’s ten

Ottawa YMCA-YWCA works to reduce the spread of COVID-19

 Due to the threat of COVID-19, Ottawa’s YMCA-YWCA has partnered with Ottawa Public Health to help slow the spread of the virus. They are working together to implement preventative measures to reduce the threat of the coronavirus spreading in the Taggart Family Y’s Shenkman Residence. Four families and one individual

Everything you need to know about the Ottawa flood 2019

 Photo credit: City of Ottawa (Twitter) Citizens of Ottawa have experienced rising flood levels leading to an absolute nightmare for any resident: the evacuation of their own home. Thousands of homes have been affected by the flooding, resulting in residents who are forced to leave their homes and settle elsewhere until the

Everything you need to know about the Elgin Street renewal project

 Starting Monday, road closures to one of the busiest streets in Ottawa will take effect. The road will be closed to traffic, transit and cyclists from Somerset Street to Catherine Street. One southbound lane will remain open along Elgin Street from Laurier Avenue to Somerset Street. The northbound lane will