Police, transit and climate take centre stage at 2022 marathon city budget debate

The last municipal budget of this four-year term saw council shift a modest amount of money from the police force to social services in a plan that will see more than $4 billion in spending in 2022.

Wednesday's marathon budget discussions, which ran late into the evening, turned to fundamental questions about how the city spends its money on some of the major issues of the day: policing, but also transit and climate change.

The budget was ultimately approved in a 16 to 8 vote.

Mayor Jim Watson contended that what people want in these uncertain times is predictability and stability.

"That's why I'm pleased that my colleagues, on a two-to-one basis, voted for our budget, but capped the tax increase at threeper cent, which was the commitment I made a few years ago," the mayor told reporters following the 10-hour meeting.

He saidwhen we "don't know, literally, from one day to the nextwhat's goingto happen with COVID, we have to be prudent."

The world has changed around us, and yet, this budget is business as usual.- Coun. Diane Deans

But other councillors called the budget process flawed, suggesting it didn't meet residents' need foraffordable housing, cheaper transit and quicker action on climate change.

"We want to see equity, we want to see people put first," said Coun. Catherine McKenney, who described the 2022 budget as the worst one since they were elected in 2014.

Coun. Diane Deans said the city needs to engage the public in a more meaningful way, arguingdecisions around the budget are made "long before they reach the council table."

"This budget is underwhelming," she said. "The world has changed around us, and yet, this budget is business as usual."

Deans and McKenney were joined by councillorsRick Chiarelli, Mathieu Fleury, Theresa Kavanagh, Rawlson King, Jeff Leiper and Shawn Menard in voting against the 2022 budget.

Taxes increase promised 3%

The draft version was presented nearly a month ago, and includes a property tax increase of three per cent for the average urban home. That translates into a $119 a year increase for a home assessed at $415,000, and $91 for a home in the rural area. For a large commercial property, the tax hike comes out to an additional $240.

The budget also includes nearly $989 million in capital spending, which includes $55 million to buy 74 electric buses, as well as doubling the amount spent on resurfacing roads for 2022.

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A handful of changes were made during the month of meetings since then, and at city council on Wednesday, including making transit rides free up to age 7, and adding a million dollars for climate change projects.

Police budget approved at 2% increase

The most notable, however, was a decision by the Ottawa Police Services Board to cap the force's budget increase at two per cent,allowing it to spend $2.65 million less than the force hadpitched.

The service is set to find up to $7 million in savings for 2022 and police chief Peter Sloly called that "an extremely aggressive goal."

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Most councillors, and the police chief, agree the status quo of policing needs to evolve to include providing alternate responses to calls, where social service workers could handle situations that involve mental health, addictions and homelessness.

Some, including Coun. Laura Dudas, were skeptical that front-line services wouldn't be adversely affected next year, even though the chief confirmed there would be no layoffs with the two per cent increase budget for 2022. In fact, the service will grow by 22 positions next year.

Council debated the police budget for hours,but ultimately endorsed the two per cent increase in a 19 to 5 vote.

WATCH |Police chief says overhauling police system requires cooperation from other services

Police chief says overhauling police system requires cooperation from other services

3 years ago

Duration 1:26

Ottawa police Chief Peter Sloly says changes to the police service cannot depend on the police alone, with social services, health care workers and housing officials all having a role to play.

Watson, who previously didn't sound like he supported the board's decision, pointed out that the service hasn't managed to balance its annual budget in recent years. When that happens, the city covers the shortfall, which the mayor says still concerns him.

"I have confidence that Chief Sloly will work with our staff and with the board and with others to ensure that we do our very best not to take advantage of the fact that, by law, cities have to carry the burden of deficits," Watson said.

Council members voted to put the $2.65 million intoaddictions and crisis outreach programs,prevention of violence against Indigenous women and girls andplans for a culturally-appropriate call referral program, which would identifyhow low-risk calls to 911 could be re-directed to social service workers.

Those are all pieces of its community safety and well-being plan, approved this fall.

10 vote against the transit budget

The transit budget was also a key focus of the budget debate, with a number of councillors looking for a way to freeze fares next year and beyond.

Most transit fares and passes were slated to increase by the usual 2.5 per cent in January, but the transit commission decided they will be frozen until all 15 trains are running againon the Confederation Line.

McKenney moved to have fares frozen the whole year through, paid for by increasing the amount collected for transit on property bills. It failed 15 to 9.

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Council wants to have a big-picture discussion about how to run transit operations for the long term, so that the city counts less on revenues from fares and passes.

"We can't keep raising it every year," said Dudas. "We can't keep having this conversation every single budget."

She moved a motion, which was carried unanimously,asking the treasurer's office to report back on how more of the transitfare can be covered by the tax base or by federal funding.

Still, 10 councillors voted against the transit operating budget, some because they disagreed with the fare hike, and others because the budget is based on an 82 per cent ridership forecast for next year. Ridership is less than half what it was in pre-pandemic times, and the city expects upper levels of government to make up a shortfallthat could be $60 million, or more.

$9M extra for climate voted down

The question of priorities came up many times during this year's budget cycle.

Councillors heard from several public delegations over the past month who said the city wasn't taking climate change seriously enough.

Council approved an extra $1 million, beyond the $800,000 coming from the Hydro Ottawa dividend, forclimate change projects.

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However, McKenney and Scott Moffatt moved a motion to use $9 million from the federal gas tax provided to the city which was doubled in 2021 for capital projects to address climate change under the city's Energy Evolution program.

"We have a plan, we've committed to it, we all supported the targets. But if you actually want to do something and get us to a point where we're actually funding this stuff, the opportunity it before us,"Moffatt said.

Council did not take the opportunity to add $9 million to the climate plan and instead deferred the whole issue to next year.

Nor did it decide to go big on affordable housing funding. During committee discussions, the Alliance to End Homelessnesspointed out the city spends$34 million on emergency shelters each year, and asked that it spend an equivalent amount on solutions to homelessness.

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Coun. Mathieu Fleury proposed adding an extra $19 million to the $15 million already slated for housing, recommending the additional money come from a city reserve fund. Council voted down the motion.