City Budget 2025

Thank you for your input into the 2025 Draft Budget. Your comments and concerns regarding the reduction of discounts to senior’s fares have been forwarded to OC Transpo. Please note that the proposed changes to fares will be discussed at Transit Commission on November 25 and a final determination will be made by Council on December 11.

The results from the survey have been presented in the "As We Heard It" report showcased on this page and can be accessed here.

Yes, the 2025 budget for Children’s Services includes a net taxation requirement of $19.662M which is mostly related to the Provincial requirement to cost-share various programs at 20%.

The Draft Budget 2025 poll results are one of many ways the City of Ottawa collects budget input from the public. Poll results are reflective of those who participated and may not reflect the overall views shared across the many forms of input offered during the budget process. Some of the other ways residents are welcome to get involved include participate in Committee meetings, attend Councillor-led public consultations, get in touch with their Councillor or share their thoughts through the City of Ottawa social media channels. The results of all feedback platforms are carefully considered by Council and the budget planning team.

Per the Ontario Municipal Act, 2001, municipalities may levy taxes for various purposes such as Transit, if deemed necessary for funding purposes. In Ottawa, transit funding is a critical component of the city’s budget. The City of Ottawa utilizes a combination of funding sources to support its transit system, including federal and provincial grants, municipal funding, and user fees. The rationale for having the Transit Budget separate from the rest of the City of Ottawa’s Budget is primarily to ensure transparency and dedicated funding for transit services. This separation allows for a clearer understanding of how funds are allocated and spent specifically on transit, which is a significant and complex part of the city’s infrastructure and services. The City’s Fiscal Framework states as one of the guiding principles for property taxes that “separate levies should be used for categories of expenditures that are not fully within Council’s control”.

By maintaining a distinct transit budget, the City can more effectively manage and plan for the unique financial needs of its transit system and ensure that Transit deficits do not divert property tax revenue away from other essential tax supported services. To be financially sustainable Transit Services needs to be self-funding.  Many provincial and federal funding and grants are targeted exclusively to transit-related projects. 

A separate transit budget also allows for more focused public engagement and accountability. Residents can see exactly how their tax dollars are being used towards transit services, and the city can report on the performance and financial health of its transit system.

The draft 2025 Budget includes $10.5M for standalone investments in new cycling infrastructure and multi-use pathways. This includes the Pedestrian Facilities Program, Cycling Facilities Program and Active Transportation Missing Links.

The Draft Budget 2025 reflects a commitment to transparency and fiscal responsibility while addressing the city’s pressing needs, in particular the budget pressures facing Transit Services. The budget proposes a balanced approach, including a 2.9% increase in the citywide tax levy and an 8% increase in the transit levy. These measures aim to sustain essential services and invest in critical areas such as housing, public safety, and transit.

Through service reviews and continuous improvement initiatives resulted in $207.7 million in efficiencies since 2023, translating to avoiding approximately 10 per cent in tax levy increases. However, the reality of rising costs and variable revenues, necessitates ongoing discussions about sustainable funding solutions.

The City is committed to engaging with residents and having honest conversations about the financial realities and the need for potential tax increases to maintain and improve services. Public consultations and feedback mechanisms are in place to ensure that residents’ voices are heard in the budget process.

The Draft 2025 Budget calls for expenditures of $22.5 million in Forestry Services and $45 million in Parks Maintenance Services.

The budget for Forestry Services funds tree planting, tree and forest maintenance, tree protection, invasive pest management and the implementation of the City’s Urban Forest Management Plan. Further details can be found on page 17 of the Environment and Climate Change Committee’s draft 2025 budget document.

The budget for Parks Maintenance funds the operation and maintenance of parks grounds, open spaces, leased hydro easements and naturalized areas. This includes sports fields, ball diamonds, turf, beaches, wading pools, play structures, outdoor rinks, trails and municipal facility grounds. Further details can be found on page 43 of the Community Services Committee's Draft 2025 budget document.

The City does issue debenture for capital projects. We are a leader in the issuance of labelled bonds (green debenture, sustainable debenture) and are one of the largest government issuers of these type of debentures in the country.  The debentures are distributed through a syndicate of Bank Dealers who market and sell the debentures in the capital markets on the City’s behalf. Investor participation has been oversubscribed for our issuers leading to attractive funding levels when issuing.

Thank you for your inquiry.

As Ottawa’s population is growing, changing, and aging, the City of Ottawa is committed to responding to these demographic changes and has been implementing an Older Adult Plan (OAP) since 2012.

The latest iteration of the OAP in 2020, committed to 24 actions organized around four (4) strategic areas that were consistent with the provision of City services for older adults: Aging with Choice, Transportation and Mobility, Well-being, and Communication. The OAP assigned responsibility for each action to a City Department, which had committed to its implementation within the stated timeline. The Community and Social Services Department provided the overall coordination and monitoring function for the OAP.

In 2020, City Council approved $350,000 in the Community and Social Services Department (CSSD) annual operating budget for the implementation of Corporate-wide Older Adult Plan initiatives. CSSD invited City Departments to submit proposals to fund initiatives that align with the priorities of the previous OAP. This process allocated $350,000 to initiatives and projects that aligned with the priorities identified in the last iteration of the OAP.

City staff are currently working on the renewal of the City’s OAP, which began with a fulsome consultation strategy from June to September 2024. City staff consulted and engaged with residents and community agencies to ensure the development of the renewed plan is adapted to new and emerging needs of older adults. The consultation process was structured to align with the Ministry’s Creating a More Inclusive Ontario: Age-Friendly Community framework, along with the World Health Organization’s Age-Friendly Cities framework. The frameworks characterize Age-Friendly Communities as responding to both the opportunities and challenges of an aging population by creating physical and social environments that support independent, active living to enable older adults and people with disabilities to continue contributing to all aspects of community life. The findings of the consultations will inform the development of a new iteration of the OAP, which will be released in 2025.  

As the new OAP is under development until 2025, the 2025 funding allocation process will occur once the plan priorities and the governance structure are established. The funding allocation process will be reviewed and updated to align with the new governance structure, the Community Funding Framework, and the new OAP priorities. This process will allocate $350,000 for the selected initiatives. Therefore, we are unable to confirm at this time the amount that will be allocated for “aging in place” initiatives. However, the funded initiatives will align with the priorities established from what we heard from the public during the consultations.

This request has been sent to the Planning, Development and Building Department for their feedback as well. The following has been provided:

Official Plan includes Healthy and Inclusive Communities as a “cross-cutting issue” where implementation policies span multiple themes and sections in the Official Plan, City policies, other master plans, by-laws, or other practices. Healthy and Inclusive Communities in section 2.2.4 of the Official Plan also includes the following policy intent:

2) Build accessible, inclusive communities, and design for all ages, including children and older adults

Health is shaped by the conditions in which we live, work and play. These are known as the social determinants of health and can affect some groups’ health and well-being more than others. Inequities in communities can be mitigated through the design of the built environment. Planning decisions shall support development of equitable, inclusive, gender and age-friendly communities in ways that build the city’s vibrancy and resiliency and foster community health and well-being. Plans and policies shall ensure that communities and places are designed to consider a diversity of experiences, including children, older adults, people with disabilities, women and gender-diverse persons, those identifying as 2SLGBTQQIA+ and people living with lower incomes. An equitable and inclusive community considers the needs of various cultural groups and seeks to reduce barriers and promote equity for people who are racialized. It integrates opportunities to advance reconciliation and engage with Indigenous peoples. Neighbourhoods designed to be inclusive help to ensure communities are built for everyone, meet needs across the lifespan and contribute to overall health and quality of life.

Healthy, inclusive communities:

• Integrate and honour Indigenous values, knowledge and cultures in city-building, through relationship-building and engagement. This includes through Indigenous representation in planning, placemaking, as well as environmental stewardship;
• Integrate age-friendly design by considering the needs of children and older adults, and support aging-in-place;
• Are designed to be universally accessible;
• Provide housing across the city for a range of ages, income levels and backgrounds, and help meet housing needs across the lifespan;
• Support, and prioritize, active transportation for all ages and abilities. This includes the needs of children and older adults in the design of safe, convenient active transportation infrastructure and sustainable mobility options that can be used all seasons, including winter;
• Support placemaking features that consider the needs of women, children and older adults and cultural groups. This could include child-friendly urban design, inclusive public gathering places and cultural assets; and
• Leverage opportunities to respond to land use, transportation and infrastructure needs in neighbourhoods identified in Ottawa’s Neighbourhood Equity Index, as having strong equity concerns. Master plans, local plans and development can help strengthen neighbourhoods, providing a better quality of life.