December 12, 2025 Newsletter

Dear Residents:

This week, I offered cautious support to the overall 2026 City Budget while expressing serious concerns about specific priorities that I believe require attention and consideration. After more than nine hours of debate, Council approved the budget in a 21-4 vote. While the budget evolved enough during the process to elicit my support and that of the majority of Council, I want to share with you the factors that influenced my decision.

The 2026 Budget commits $5.2 billion to City operations and $1.92 billion to capital projects. It includes a 3.75-per-cent property tax increase, adding $166 annually to the average urban homeowner's bill. For a home assessed at $415,000, this breaks down to $56 more for City services, $36 more for police, and $74 extra for transit. The budget also includes a 4.5-per-cent increase for water and wastewater services (an additional $47.30 for the average connected home), a $2 monthly increase in solid waste fees (bringing the annual total to $267), and a 2.5-per-cent increase in transit fares.

Beyond tax and rate increases, the budget funds 25 new police officers, 23 new paramedics, six new By-law positions, and 22 new OC Transpo special constables to be hired over two years. It allocates $41.7 million for new parks and improvements, a $4-million increase for social and community housing, $700,000 to expand the alternative mental health response program ANCHOR, $476,000 more for food security initiatives (bringing total food security funding to $5.5 million), and 600 new child care spaces through the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care system.

My support for the 2026 Budget was earned through significant improvements to funding our transit system. This year's transit budget represents a record investment of $938.7 million, an increase of $91.6 million over 2025. Most significantly, Council approved free fares for riders 18 and under on weekends, holidays, and during two summer months starting Canada Day. This meaningful step toward affordability will help thousands of families across our city access transit when they need it most.

Council also chose to enhance LRT scheduling in response to customer feedback. Starting in April, Line 1 trains will run every six minutes during weekday mid-day hours (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.) and every 7.5 minutes during weekday evenings (6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.) – a substantial improvement from the current 10-minute frequency. Additionally, we extended transfer times during afternoon rush hours to help riders facing long commutes.

I also worked to improve weekend transit service in rapidly growing neighbourhoods such as Wateridge Village and across the city. Council approved my motion, seconded by River Ward Councillor Riley Brockington, directing staff to consult with Ward Councillors to identify high-growth and high-need neighbourhoods where there are transit access challenges. Staff will review ridership trends in these areas and identify potential service adjustments to enhance connectivity and reliability, with consideration for implementation in 2027. This is particularly important for Wateridge Village, where residents currently have weekday Route 25 service but no weekend connections to employment, recreation, local businesses, and community amenities.

However, I must note that while I supported this record transit investment to improve bus reliability, I voted against the 2.5-per-cent fare increase that will see the adult single-ride fare rise from $4.00 to $4.10 and monthly passes increase to $138.50. Affordability remains a critical concern for transit users.

The budget was also revised to begin addressing our critical infrastructure deficit. Ottawa faces a massive $10.8-billion infrastructure gap over the next decade to 2035 – the difference between what's needed to repair and upgrade our roads, sewers, community centres, and other public assets, and what we currently have funded. This deficit is driven by aging infrastructure, the impacts of climate change, and rising construction costs, and will require significant new debt, rate increases, and difficult budget decisions in the years ahead simply to maintain current service levels. While the $20 million in new budget funding for roads, sidewalks, parks, and recreation facilities, plus an additional $24 million from developer contributions for park projects, represent important steps forward, they are only a beginning in addressing this long-term challenge. Continued investments are essential for maintaining the quality of life our residents deserve.

While I voted in favour of the overall budget, I did not vote for the police budget. I voted against the $26.1-million increase in base funding, representing an 8.7-per-cent overall increase (including one-time funding from reserves), because I believe investments in public safety need to be balanced with investments in social services. I acknowledge that over the past several years the Ottawa Police Service has been evolving in the right direction. The implementation of multi-year budgeting, the restoration of community policing through a new district model set to take effect in 2027, and ongoing equity, training, and inclusion initiatives are all positive developments.

However, my preference is for equitable investments in social services and programs such as ANCHOR – our alternate response program that supports people experiencing mental health or addictions-related crises. ANCHOR has handled 4,464 calls in its first year of operations, providing culturally informed, non-police crisis intervention and reducing reliance on emergency services. Policing alone cannot solve all our safety challenges. We need to invest equally in preventing the crises that require police response in the first place.

I brought forward a motion, seconded by College Ward Councillor Laine Johnson, calling for Council to match dollar-for-dollar the one-time $5.4-million police reserve allocation with equivalent investment in community-based safety and crisis response. My motion proposed $3 million to expand ANCHOR to 24/7 response coverage, increase mobile crisis teams, reduce wait times, and expand into underserved rural and suburban areas with a view to make the program permanent. The remaining $2.4 million would have extended hours at high-demand sites such as the Catherine Street Community Hub, increased outreach staff for vulnerable neighbourhoods, and improved support for youth, gender-based violence prevention, and poverty initiatives.

Unfortunately, the funding portion of my motion was not supported by the majority of Council. However, Council did approve directing staff to report back to the Community Services Committee by fall 2026 with an evaluation of outcomes from ANCHOR and community hub investments, options for sustainable funding models, and recommended performance metrics. While the program will receive $700,000 in the budget to expand into one new neighbourhood, this falls short of the comprehensive, citywide expansion needed to truly address our community's mental health and social service needs.

While the 2026 Budget reflects compromise and progress in key areas, particularly transit and infrastructure, work must continue to ensure all residents feel safe and supported through balanced investments in both traditional and alternative approaches to public safety. In welcome news, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced significant federal investments in Ottawa this week that complement our municipal budget priorities. Through the new Build Canada Homes agency, the federal government will partner with the City on a $400-million joint investment to build up to 3,000 mixed-income and affordable housing units beginning in 2026. Additionally, the federal government is investing more than $1.2 million in a pilot project to address substance abuse in Ottawa, working with the City and the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction to develop a coordinated, system-level response to the drug crisis. This framework will identify gaps in services and opportunities for greater collaboration with mental health providers – an approach that aligns with my advocacy for comprehensive, prevention-focused public safety strategies. These federal investments demonstrate the value of partnerships between different levels of government in addressing the housing affordability and public health challenges facing our community.

Next week, a joint session of the Agricultural and Rural Affairs Committee and Planning and Housing Committee will consider the final draft of the City's new comprehensive Zoning By-law. This major municipal process will update all zoning rules to align with new provincial laws and the City’s new Official Plan. The review has involved extensive research and public input and will require Council approval for multi-year implementation, with the aim of ensuring modern, effective regulatory structure for land use. My office has released a position paper on the comprehensive Zoning By-law review based on input from residents, community associations, and extensive review of the multiple drafts. I encourage residents to stay engaged in this important process that will shape how our community develops for years to come.

Sincerely,

Rawlson King
City Councillor