City Budget 2023

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Consultation has concluded

It’s your city and your budget, so we want to hear from you! Your feedback helps inform the City’s budget priorities and contributes to decisions about investments in services that you want and need. Using this online tool, you can ask questions, or share ideas about the budget.

How the City budget works

Watch a short video and learn the basics of how the City budget works.

For more information on understanding the City budget, visit Ottawa.ca

Have your say

Share your feedback:

  • Submit a question below
  • Submit your ideas to your Ward Councillor
  • Follow and communicate with us on Facebook and Twitter @ottawacity, using the hashtag #OttBudget
  • Call 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-2401). Rural residents call 613-580-2400
  • Accessible formats and communication supports are available, upon request

Budget 2023 Survey As-We-Heard-It Report

Disclaimer: The Draft Budget 2023 survey results is one of many ways the City of Ottawa collects budget input from the public. Survey results are reflective of those who participated and may not reflect the overall views shared across the many forms of input offered throughout the budget process. Residents are welcome to participate in Committee meetings, attend Councillor led public consultations, get in touch with their Counillor or share their thoughts through the City of Ottawa social media channels. The results of all feedback platforms are carefully considered and are passed along to the appropriate budget planning teams. When planning for the Draft Budget 2024 staff will be considering feedback from prior years and will work with Councillors on ensuring a revised survey that will allow residents to provide input well in advance of the budget tabling.

Opportunities for participation in our budget process

During the budget process, members of the community can provide input by asking questions, communicating with the Mayor and Council, and completing surveys. There are Councillor led public consultation sessions for you to share your views with Council. A list of sessions will be available on this page.

The draft budget presentation is Wednesday, February 1, 2023. Each standing committee or board will review the budget of specific service areas that reports to them. These meeting dates are published on this page, and on Ottawa.ca. At the meetings, there is an opportunity for community delegations to register and make a brief presentation to the Standing Committee.

On Wednesday, March 1, 2023 Council will approve the 2023 budget. The draft budget books are updated, and posted on Ottawa.ca.

City services and standing committee/external board reporting structure

A list of all City Services, the department name, and the Standing Committee that reviews the budget is provided on the 2023 budget information page if you wish to look at specific budget details. The list will indicate which standing committee will review the budget of a specific service.

For more budget information, visit Ottawa.ca.

It’s your city and your budget, so we want to hear from you! Your feedback helps inform the City’s budget priorities and contributes to decisions about investments in services that you want and need. Using this online tool, you can ask questions, or share ideas about the budget.

How the City budget works

Watch a short video and learn the basics of how the City budget works.

For more information on understanding the City budget, visit Ottawa.ca

Have your say

Share your feedback:

  • Submit a question below
  • Submit your ideas to your Ward Councillor
  • Follow and communicate with us on Facebook and Twitter @ottawacity, using the hashtag #OttBudget
  • Call 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-2401). Rural residents call 613-580-2400
  • Accessible formats and communication supports are available, upon request

Budget 2023 Survey As-We-Heard-It Report

Disclaimer: The Draft Budget 2023 survey results is one of many ways the City of Ottawa collects budget input from the public. Survey results are reflective of those who participated and may not reflect the overall views shared across the many forms of input offered throughout the budget process. Residents are welcome to participate in Committee meetings, attend Councillor led public consultations, get in touch with their Counillor or share their thoughts through the City of Ottawa social media channels. The results of all feedback platforms are carefully considered and are passed along to the appropriate budget planning teams. When planning for the Draft Budget 2024 staff will be considering feedback from prior years and will work with Councillors on ensuring a revised survey that will allow residents to provide input well in advance of the budget tabling.

Opportunities for participation in our budget process

During the budget process, members of the community can provide input by asking questions, communicating with the Mayor and Council, and completing surveys. There are Councillor led public consultation sessions for you to share your views with Council. A list of sessions will be available on this page.

The draft budget presentation is Wednesday, February 1, 2023. Each standing committee or board will review the budget of specific service areas that reports to them. These meeting dates are published on this page, and on Ottawa.ca. At the meetings, there is an opportunity for community delegations to register and make a brief presentation to the Standing Committee.

On Wednesday, March 1, 2023 Council will approve the 2023 budget. The draft budget books are updated, and posted on Ottawa.ca.

City services and standing committee/external board reporting structure

A list of all City Services, the department name, and the Standing Committee that reviews the budget is provided on the 2023 budget information page if you wish to look at specific budget details. The list will indicate which standing committee will review the budget of a specific service.

For more budget information, visit Ottawa.ca.

Consultation has concluded
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    Sustainability means not wrecking our environment for future generations. This means expanding our roads does not solve the traffic issues. What does is sustainable strategies? Why widen the roads when that does not solve anything? I would rather see our money go to expanding our green spaces and stop cutting our trees down for 19th Century practices. It's time to get fresh ideas as widening our roads cause more problems than anything else. As we are in climate crisis, stop cutting down our trees for roads- we do not need anymore roads. Think environment!

    Brent Williamson asked about 1 year ago

    The City’s 2013 Transportation Master Plan (TMP) emphasizes the importance of sustainability and includes the following vision statement: In 2031, Ottawa’s transportation system will enhance our quality of life by supporting social, environmental, and economic sustainability in an accountable and responsive manner. The TMP is currently being updated, and the draft policies include a strong focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and prioritizing sustainable modes of travel. These policies reflect the City’s recently approved Official Plan which calls for more than half of trips to be made by walking, cycling, transit, and car-pooling by 2046. The draft TMP policies acknowledge that continuing to expand roads to accommodate peak travel demand is unfeasible at the scale needed, and that widespread road expansion runs counter to City objectives related to climate change mitigation, urban design, health, and safety.  

    However, sustainability encompasses more than just the environment; it also considers economic and social objectives. Roads are needed to provide access to new communities. They are used as truck routes and play an important role in the City’s economy. They also accommodate transit vehicles and active transportation facilities. In developing options to meet the City’s mobility needs, transit and active transportation will be prioritized. However, new roads and road widening projects may still be required to provide access to new development, reduce cut-through traffic, or accommodate residual travel demand that cannot be met by other modes. Road projects will be pursued where transit alternatives have been exhausted and where isolated measures such as intersection improvements are insufficient to address bottlenecks.  

    Overall, the 2023 Draft Budget includes more than $52 million of new investments with moderate or major climate contributions. Of these, more than $30 million of investments are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions beyond the Energy Evolution business-as-planned scenario and $22 million of investments are expected to make a moderate or major contribution to build climate resiliency. As part of this funding, $5 million is allocated to support projects under the Climate Change Master Plan including Energy Evolution and the Climate Resiliency Strategy.  Although, we know it isn’t enough to fully implement the Climate Change Master Plan, the 2023 Draft Budget is the first year that the Climate Change Master Plan has had stable, consistent funding that is expected to continue. At a high level, the $5 million spending plan includes funding to advance:  

    • Municipal, residential and commercial building retrofits 

    • Community heating and district energy studies 

    • Distributed energy and renewable natural gas studies 

    • Carbon budget and accounting framework 

    • Resiliency opportunities 

    • Climate communication, education and engagement programs 

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    Are we the public able to see the results of the survey before the budget 2023 consultations so we're able to make informed judgements of what is being proposed and if it aligns with the results of the survey? Thanks!

    TylerW asked about 1 year ago

    Thank you for your inquiry regarding the Budget 2023 survey.

    The survey results are now available on the Engage Ottawa Budget 2023 pages. 

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    The fee for a Distinctive Tree Permit is increasing 37% from $500 to $685. Why the increase is so large (10 times inflation)?

    GOHBAJason asked about 1 year ago

    In accordance with our user fee policy, and to work towards net zero impact on the budget, an increase in the permit fees for both infill permits and distinctive tree permits is included in this budget. Staff plan to reassess ahead of each budget year to determine if we need to adjust the increase based on actual permit revenue. These fees were based on comparable fees in other municipalities. 

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    Is a new bus route for Arcadia in Kanata North included in this budget? It was included in Councilor Curry's budget request.

    Amber M asked about 1 year ago

    The draft 2023 budget package for Transit Services does not include new service or service enhancements. Notwithstanding this, staff are currently working on a proposal for bringing service closer to the Arcadia community, for implementation at a time when funding may become available.  We anticipate briefing Councillor Curry on this plan in the near-future, as well as discussing ways in which any improvements could be implemented sooner. 

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    I realize a new solid waste plan is under development. The current Integrated Waste Management Plan approved and supported by our elected officials mentions the importance to "reduce, reuse, rethink…and only then recycle" under the key initiative to "Enhance Waste Diversion". In this budget, how much of $113,618,000 dollars of estimated gross expenditures for 2023 are allocated to diversion activities that will result in reduction or reuse in 2023? Of the $113.6 million it seems that all of it is allocated for recycling, composting, landfill, collection, operations, or future planning. Thank you.

    JayGar asked about 1 year ago

    Thank you for your question. The City has submitted a draft budget of $57.6 million for diversion activities in 2023. As shown on page 8 in this year’s Environmental and Climate Change Committee – Tax Supported book under ‘Expenditures by Program – Diversions/Recycling’, this $57.6M pressure is the highest among others that make up the $113.6M, many of which also contribute towards diversion activities. 

    Additionally, Solid Waste Services has identified $287,000 for Promotion and Education which will also work towards increasing waste diversion activities. 

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    What is the timeline on the conversion of the BRT corridor between South Keys and Hurdman (passing through Billings Bridge) into a passenger rail corridor?

    Alyssa Gonzalez asked about 1 year ago

    The conversion of the Southwest Transitway to a rail transit corridor is not in the City's planned transit network.   

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    What steps is the city taking to prevent the construction of new car-dependent places and redirect that energy, effort, and funding toward transit-oriented development, including the associated public transit, pedestrian, and cycling infrastructure?

    Alyssa Gonzalez asked about 1 year ago

    The City's Official Plan (OP) has various policies on density and transit-oriented development; lands selected for inclusion in the City’s urban boundary were specifically selected based on their proximity to transit and there are policies to coordinate development activity with the provision of transit services.  

    In addition, the OP has a target that by 2046, the majority of trips will be made by walking, cycling, transit and carpooling. The Transportation Master Plan (currently being updated) will include policies and actions to support and advance the Official Plan's sustainability objectives.  Key policies in the draft TMP include prioritizing modes of travel that are space efficient, encouraging sustainable transportation through community planning and design, and aligning development tools to support mode share targets. However, there will still be residual trips that must be made by vehicles, including commercial vehicles, and therefore the network will also include infrastructure for this mode. The City's road designs include sidewalks and cycling facilities. Local buses operate on roads to expand the City's transit coverage beyond the Transitway and O-Train corridors. 

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    I was hoping that there would be funding to convert the old railway line going through Dunrobin to a multipurpose pathway. My understanding was that this was planned but I see no reference to it in the draft budget. When can we expect that this project will proceed?

    mcarrier asked about 1 year ago

    Thank you for your inquiry about the old railway line going through Dunrobin. 

    The 2023 draft budget does not include funding for this pathway project. 

    The City purchased the abandoned rail corridor, the western segment of the Beachburg Subdivision, in late 2021/early 2022. This is reflected in the agenda of the October 13, 2021 Council meeting.  In City ownership, it is being protected for future longer-term transportation needs. 

    The interim use of this corridor (for a multi-use pathway for example) is being assessed as part of the update to the Active Transportation network.  The priority project listwhich includes this pathway and other planned active transportation projects across the City, will be presented to the Transportation Committee and Council for consideration later this year. That list will form the basis for future year funding requests. 

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    Why is there no email address where residents can send in question about the draft budget?

    Johnny asked about 1 year ago

    Thank you for your interest in the 2023 Budget.  

    All residents are welcome to get involved in the budget process through committee and council meetings, joining a public consultationemailing their City Councillor or asking their questions on the Budget 2023 Engage Ottawa page. 

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    Is there a summary of what is being spent on roads and what is being spent on active transport infrastructure, and how those compare to previous years?

    Dan Kaplansky asked about 1 year ago

    Thank you for your inquiry about roads and active transportation infrastructure. 

    The full budget book for the Transportation Committee can be found in the agenda of the February 1, 2023 Council meeting. 

    The adopted books from the previous three years are on Ottawa.ca and the information on roads and active transportation infrastructure would be under the Transportation Committee sections of those as well.