City of Ottawa 2021 Draft Budget at A Glance

Draft Budget 2021 – At a Glance
Investing in our community.

Moving Ottawa forward.
Investing in our community. Moving Ottawa forward.
Budget Highlights
2020 has been a year unlike any we have experienced. In cities across Canada, the
COVID-19 pandemic has taken a financial toll on residents, businesses and local
government. Municipal services are critical in the pandemic response, reinforcing how
greatly residents rely on the City. Ottawa has a proven record of sound financial
management, but COVID-19 has led to revenue losses and unplanned costs, resulting
in a forecasted year-end deficit.
The first phase of the Ontario Safe Restart Agreement delivered $124 million in federal
and provincial funding to our COVID-19 response efforts and has helped close the 2020
budget gap. These funds are helping us protect and deliver the many municipal services
residents depend on.
Draft Budget 2021 is a no-frills budget that strikes a balance between supporting
evolving community needs during this pandemic and delivering essential municipal
services, while also advancing Council’s priorities. This is integral, both to our
community’s recovery and to Ottawa’s future prosperity.
Many residents in our community face continued financial hardship; it’s more important
than ever that Ottawa stay affordable to keep us on solid financial ground. Draft Budget
2021 maintains services that meet the community’s evolving needs, while limiting the
property-tax increase and delivering on Council’s promise to keep increases at three per
cent.
The year ahead still poses challenges and contains many unknowns, but decades of
careful financial stewardship have made Ottawa resilient. With the continued
commitment from our federal and provincial partners, we are on solid footing as we
work towards a vibrant future and continue to meet the challenges of the changing world
in which we live. The Draft Budget 2021 has been cautiously developed while we await
further information on additional municipal funding from the federal and provincial
governments in the coming months.
Draft Budget 2021 – At a Glance 1

Keeping residents safe and secure
The health and safety of residents is our top priority. A healthy and resilient community
is the foundation we need to facilitate social and economic recovery and to keep the
momentum going. Delivering essential City services is integral to our residents’ well-
being – be that key social services, long-term care, public health response or recreation
programs for your family’s physical and mental health.
Highlights
Parks, recreation and culture

• 6 million to upgrade and improve parks
• $1.03 million to partner with community groups to develop, renovate, expand and
improve parks and recreation facilities
• $682,000 to upgrade and make recreation infrastructure better meet community
needs
• $500,000 to redevelop parks
• $300,000 to repair facilities and improve public access and service at City buildings
• $100,000 per ward, to be used at the discretion of the Councillor to enhance
recreation or park facilities
Transportation
• $12.6 million to improve active transportation facilities through the Ottawa
Pedestrian and Cycling Plan
• $4 million to implement the Strategic Road Safety Action Plan
• $806,000 to implement temporary traffic-calming measures
• $523,000 to improve road safety
• $512,000 to install pedestrian crossovers
• $500,000 to improve technology and support development of a bike-parking program
• $7.8 million to design, upgrade and expand the Huntley winter materials storage
facility and two buildings at the Moodie works yard
• $50,000 to support traffic-calming projects for each ward, guided by the Ward
Councillor
• $12 million to improve intersections, adding traffic signals and addressing safety
concerns in growth areas

Transit
• $23.9 million to purchase and install fare control equipment for all Stage 2
extensions, and to update existing equipment to allow Open Payments
• $13 million to improve Blair and Tunney’s Pasture stations, adding canopies and
information panels, as well as replacing an elevator and adding an elevator at Blair
Station
• $6 million to install operator barriers on existing buses
• $6 million to prepare for and deliver expanded rail service on Lines 1 and 2
• $3 million to modify roads, signals and other traffic measures to improve bus speed
and reliability
• $2 million to upgrade OC Transpo’s fare systems
• $1.5 million to install additional high-resolution video cameras in transit stations
• $1.5 million to improve stations and other facilities with amenities like benches
• $1 million to install new bus pads, shelters and other improvements at bus stops
• $500,000 to improve accessibility at stations and other facilities
Emergency services
• With this budget, the City would hire 14 full-time paramedics - part a commitment to
hire 54 additional paramedics during this Term of Council
• Draft Budget 2021 promises continued support to add 85 new police officers over
the course of this term, with 30 to be hired in 2021
• $7.5 million to build a new fire station in Kanata North and $2 million to build a
paramedic deployment facility in the west end
Environment
• $8.7 million to cap Stage 3A of the Trail Waste Facility
• $3.1 million to enhance corrosion control at the Lemieux Island and Britannia water
purification plants
• $3 million to enhance and retrofit facilities and reduce energy use, costs and
greenhouse gas emissions, with an average eight-year payback
• $1.5 million to plant 125,000 trees
• $300,000 to spray for wild parsnip, including about 1,500 kilometres of roadside and
in more than 100 parkland locations
• $1.2 million for solid-waste projects, including expanding the recycling in parks pilot
Long-Term Care Homes

• $15 million for staffing, PPE and infection control at the City’s four long-term care
homes, to help prevent the spread of COVID-19
• $9 million for renovations, equipment and accessibility for safety, comfort and to
provide quality and professional services for the residents

Supporting affordable living and housing
The hallmark of any prosperous and vibrant city is its ability to provide every resident
with the same opportunity to achieve self-sustainability and to contribute to the
community. Many residents cannot afford a place to call home – especially youth, older
adults on fixed income and those earning minimum wage. The pandemic compounds
problems with housing affordability as more people experience furloughs, lower income
and job losses.
Highlights
Housing
• $15 million to create new affordable and supportive housing, matching investments
in both the 2019 and 2020 budgets for a three-year total of $45 million
• $5 million of that investment is an increase to the affordable housing base budget,
on top of a $1-million increase in 2020, promising future resources to invest in more
multi-year affordable housing projects
• Ottawa has secured $32 million in federal funding to help the City create affordable
housing units quickly. With the City’s $15 million, that’s a record-setting $47 million
capital investment in affordable housing.
• $33 million for community-based housing and homelessness programs and supports
Community services
• $25.2 million in Community Funding to help non-profit providers
deliver social services to residents facing the greatest need – an increase of
$485,000
• $500,000 in one-time funding to support local agencies as the City transitions to a
new Community Funding framework
Transit
• As affordable transportation is critical for low-income residents, the cost of the
EquiPass and the Community Pass for Ontario Disability Support Program recipients
will remain frozen at 2018 rates for another year
• Child care is essential to the economic recovery of our Ottawa, and fee subsidies
continue to be available for families so that they can return to work, or school and
investing in these programs is essential for the well-being of children and families

Investing in infrastructure
Infrastructure investment is a key element needed to support Ottawa’s economy during
this pandemic, along our road to recovery and into the future. It will lead to more
development, attracting new investments and businesses, which will generate
employment, which in turn supports our local retail and service industries. Stage 2 of
our expanding LRT system is one of many major infrastructure projects that will help
keep our economy and the future job market moving forward.
Funding to maintain and renew assets such as roads, sidewalks and City facilities will
increase by $25 million this year – bringing us to $171 million invested in 2021. It will
also reduce the infrastructure gap – the difference between what the City spends and
what it needs to spend annually to maintain infrastructure in good repair – by $6 million
in 2021 to just under $43 million, compared to the $70 million gap in 2017.
Highlights
Infrastructure
• $45 million to resurface roads, up from the yearly average of $35.5 million in the last
Term of Council
• $28 million to renew roads infrastructure, allowing for a cost savings by coordinating
needed sewer and road work
• $40 million to support rural infrastructure, an investment on par with the four-year
average of $39.7 million
• $57 million to fund road growth projects
• $9.9 million to repair asphalt, including potholes
• With this year’s road investments, the City could resurface, renew or rehabilitate
about 116 kilometres of roads
• $5 million for transit growth projects, including $2.4 million for Baseline Road Bus
Rapid Transit system
• $13 million to improve water systems and to rehabilitate watermain transmission and
distribution
• $9.5 million to repair and improve sewers
• $4.5 million to rehabilitate trenchless sewers
• $3.7 million to increase sewer and pump-station capacity
• $3.5 million to rehabilitate storm and water infrastructure
• $2.7 million to renew culverts on and resurface Highway 174
• $2.5 million to implement the Ottawa River Action Plan and Wet Weather
Infrastructure Master Plan
• $1.9 million to renew guiderails
• $1.9 million to make Richmond Road a complete street
• $1.5 million to upgrade the Byron Avenue sewers
• $360,000 for comprehensive asset management
• $240,000 for flood-plain mapping
• $200,000 to carry out the rural servicing strategy

Have your say on Draft Budget 2021
Public engagement and feedback are important parts of the draft budget process. They
help the Mayor and Councillors guide and direct investment of public funds. As part of
the pre-budget process, Councillors consulted with residents, providing information on
the municipal budget process and listening to you about your priorities for this draft
budget. The City offered online resources to raise awareness about the budget process,
including a survey.
With Draft Budget 2021 tabled, there are still opportunities to offer input before Council
considers the final Budget on Wednesday, December 9.
1. Register as a public delegation at a standing committee, board or commission

budget review meeting. Members of the public can present for up to five minutes:
o November 16 – Public Health Board
o November 17 – Standing Committee on Environmental Protection, Water and
Waste Management
o November 18 – Transit Commission
o November 19 – Community and Protective Services Committee
o November 23 – Police Services Board
o November 24 – Audit Committee
o November 26 – Planning Committee
o November 30 – IT Sub-Committee
o December 1 – Finance and Economic Development Committee
o December 1 – Ottawa Public Library Board
o December 2 – Transportation Committee
o December 3 – Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee
Presentations on specific subjects must be brought to the standing committee, board
or commission that is responsible for that subject. You can find a breakdown of
standing committees, boards and commissions by services on ottawa.ca/budget.
To register before the meeting, contact the relevant Committee Coordinator through
ottawa.ca or call 3-1-1. Presenters are encouraged to provide a copy of their
presentation electronically before the meeting.
2. Contact your City Councillor
You can contact your Councillor directly to express your views or any concerns you
might have about the Draft Budget 2021.
3. Tweet @ottawacity using hashtag #ottbudget.
4. Call 3-1-1 or 613-580-2400 (TTY: 613-580-2401).

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Draft Budget 2021 – At a Glance

Investing in our community.

Draft Budget 2021 – At a Glance 1

Parks, recreation and culture

Draft Budget 2021 – At a Glance 2

Long-Term Care Homes

Draft Budget 2021 – At a Glance 3

Draft Budget 2021 – At a Glance 4

Draft Budget 2021 – At a Glance 5

1. Register as a public delegation at a standing committee, board or commission

Draft Budget 2021 – At a Glance 9

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