2022 Ottawa Municipal Election

[Proof Sheet]

Originally Posted by waterloowarrior

Whoops, thanks for the correction. So likely only 2-3 people on the next Council with more than two terms experience. Big shift in Committee chairs too.

I predict that if there is a seismic shift to the left especially with new councillors and if the mayor is also part of that seismic left than the Committee chair will swing left and the right minded councillors will cry foul just like the left minded councillors cry foul now. This last term has been a very fractured group of councillors.

[rocketphish]

Why aren't more people registering to run in Ottawa's municipal election?
Registrations opened at the beginning of May, which means anyone considering to run for a council seat hasn't capitalized on three months of fundraising time.

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Jul 30, 2022 • 53 minutes ago • 7 minute read

Imagine a municipal election where five councillors, or 20 per cent of the new council, went unchallenged and waltzed back to city council seats without a campaign fight.

That’s a dream scenario for incumbent candidates who aren’t facing contests.

They’ll be watching the election registration list to see if they have to run campaigns. If the clock strikes 2 p.m. on Aug. 19 with no one else running in their wards, they automatically keep their jobs for four years.

On Friday, the lack of candidates in some City of Ottawa wards was glaring with the 2022 nomination cutoff approaching.

So, where are all the candidates?

Remember when 17 people signed up to battle in Orléans ward in 2018?

The 2018 Orléans winner, Coun. Matthew Luloff, was the only one on the 2022 municipal election ballot in the redrawn Orléans East-Cumberland ward as of Friday.

Other incumbents who were the only ones signed up in their wards as of Friday included Riley Brockington in River, Laura Dudas in Orléans-Innes, Rawlson King in Rideau-Rockcliffe and Tim Tierney in Beacon Hill-Cyrville.

Even some wards without incumbents had few candidates.

Alta Vista ward will get a new councillor with Jean Cloutier’s departure from politics, but only two candidates were signed up as of Friday. Longtime councillor Diane Deans isn’t running for re-election in Gloucester-Southgate, but only three candidates had signed up to challenge for the seat.

Newly created Riverside South-Findlay Creek ward, which doesn’t have an incumbent, had two candidates registered.

The last time a council seat was up for grabs in a vote was the 2020 byelection in Cumberland ward. Coun. Catherine Kitts won in a field of 10 candidates. As of Friday, Kitts was one of only two candidates in the new Orléans South-Navan riding.

Some ward races do have more than a few candidates, like Knoxdale-Merivale with six as of Friday. The mayor’s race had 11.

Some ward races in 2018 also had few candidates: five wards with only two each. No one was acclaimed.

Candidates can’t collect contributions or spend money on campaigns until they have registered to run. Registrations opened at the beginning of May, which means anyone considering to run for an Ottawa council seat hasn’t capitalized on three months of fundraising time.

One factor turning off potential hopefuls might be the drama on council, particularly in the current term. Political and personal divisions have run deep and in-fighting has been on public display. Council isn’t doing a great job marketing those jobs to anyone kicking around the idea of being a local politician.

Another complicating factor is the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It’s unclear how city hall will operate administratively as it juggles public-health requirements.

West Carleton-March Coun. Eli El-Chantiry, who’s not seeking re-election, said recently that the loss of face-to-face interaction with at city hall colleagues had contributed to the lack of cohesion on council.

In another interview about the province’s “strong mayor” idea, veteran councillor Jan Harder, who’s not seeking re-election in Barrhaven, said the recent term had been the worst for city-building in her political career.

When she announced her imminent departure from municipal politics, Gloucester-South Nepean Coun. Carol Anne Meehan talked about how running for office took a big commitment. She said candidates had to fundraise for campaigns and be ready to take criticism.

Still, there are candidates who, after weighing pros and cons, have decided it’s the right time to run for seats on council.

Bina Shah, a science and math teacher running in Kanata South, applied to fill the Kanata North vacancy last year through the appointment process. She received two votes from council and used it as a motivator to keep pursuing political office.

Shah said she knew the divisive nature of politics wasn’t easy, but said she was willing to take on the challenge of bringing council closer together.

When it comes to social media, Shah said, “the world has more good than bad” and she believes she has a thick skin to absorb the knocks.

“I’m a person of colour, I’m a female, and I’m part of the queer community, so I know I do have an X over my head,” Shah said. “But I do also know standing up and fighting for what you believe in outweighs the hate, and it comes down to having a supportive network of friends and family that you can rely upon.”

Campaigning can be a wildly new experience for candidates needing to knock on thousands of doors to meet voters.

So far, Shah has had positive reactions, except one evening when a father, who indicated he had COVID-19, became verbally abusive when she apparently interrupted his children’s bedtime routine. After Shah said she was sorry and moved on to other houses, the man came out and apologized to her.

“People are having hard times, and I just think, ‘Don’t take it personally,'” Shah said.

Online feedback can be vicious, but it’s hard for candidates to ignore social media when it’s also a critical promotion tool. After candidates are elected, they must decide how much of a social media presence they can handle.

When Mayor Jim Watson announced in December that he wouldn’t seek re-election, he talked about how difficult it was to be a politician in the age of social media because of the “corrosive” comments.

Tyler Cybulski, a candidate in Rideau-Vanier ward, recently announced he was turning off the ability for people to comment on his social media posts after seeing those pages become “an outlet for bullying and harassment.”

Cybulski said he had watched councillors and election candidates “vilify” others who didn’t share the same positions.

“We need diverse opinions, we need diverse ideas, and what you’re seeing now, and certainly what I’ve experienced online, is that diversity isn’t wanted,” Cybulski said. “They’re only looking for one group of candidates with the same policy prescriptions for the issues.”

Running in a ward that has historically sent Liberal candidates to provincial and federal governments, Cybulski said, “as a pretty open conservative, I knew what I was getting into when I came into the race.”

He expected some negativity, but “I wasn’t expecting the ugliness that I’ve seen, not only in my campaigns, but in other campaigns around the city.

“I’ve been urging (potential candidates) to take time and really assess if this is for you and something you want to pursue,” Cybulski said. “I support anyone who wants to run. I think it’s a great thing to put your hat in the ring and put yourself out there and present your ideas to an entire ward of people, but, unfortunately, it’s a lot tougher now than it used to be with the political climate the way it is and how people go about their attacks.”

Taayo Simmonds said that being a lawyer, with other litigators regularly attacking his viewpoints as part of the legal process, had helped him grow a thick skin for the adversarial parts of politics.

Municipal issues like the ongoing LRT saga and last winter’s trucker convoy occupation, on top of an interest in seeing new blood around the council table, drove Simmonds to seek the council seat for Barrhaven West.

The job of city councillor can be time-consuming, with meetings during the day and public consultations regularly scheduled at night.

Simmonds, a father of two, said his young family factored weighed heavily in his reflections about running for council. There was also the matter of balancing competing demands during the long election campaign while continuing to oversee his law practice.

“It’s been a lot,” Simmonds said. “During the evenings, during the weekends, whenever, I’m trying to catch up on work. There’s a lot of late nights when I’m sending out emails and things like that.”

Simmonds said it was worth the toil if he was able to convince voters to send him to city hall on Oct. 24.

Gloucester-Southgate ward candidate John Redins enters the 2022 municipal election as potentially the city’s most seasoned political hopeful. This will be his third municipal election as a candidate. He has also run three times provincially and once federally.

“Politics is a really tough game to be in,” Redins said. “What we’ve been through the last three years with COVID, the protest downtown, it shows that it can be ugly.”

Redins, an advocate for accessibility and transit issues who often makes deputations at city meetings, said the political climate required candidates to absorb blunt, and often crude, criticism.

“You really have to have a hard, hard stomach to take what’s going on,” Redins said, but he’s encouraging people considering runs for office to speak up and enter the political fray.

“If you have a voice,” Redins said, “then use it.”

[email protected]
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local...cipal-election

[rocketphish]

What the lack of outdoor swimming pools tells us about Ottawa's priorities

Ariel Troster
Jul 25, 2022 • 6 days ago • 3 minute read

On a blistering hot day in Toronto, seniors dragging a wagon caught my attention. Two couples who looked to be between 80 and 90 years old began to unpack their provisions for an afternoon at the outdoor public pool.

First, they pulled out folding chairs, then a golf tent for shade. They set out a picnic and sat back to observe their neighbours enjoying a free and joyful public amenity, one that is exceptionally rare in the city of Ottawa: an outdoor swimming pool, with an actual deep end. The price of entry? Zero dollars.

That same day, the City of Toronto’s Twitter account announced that outdoor pools would stay open until 11:45 p.m. that week, to help residents cope with brutally hot temperatures. As lifeguards drained the only wading pools in downtown Ottawa at 5 p.m., my neighbours could only express envy at Toronto’s empathetic, common-sense approach.

As it stands, there are no outdoor, adult-depth swimming pools in Ottawa’s downtown. My neighbours are more likely to live in apartments without access to outdoor private space, in rooming houses or shelters, or in older buildings lacking air conditioning. Public swimming pools are essential heat relief to city-dwellers. And right now, we have none designed for people over the age of eight.

While swimming pools come to mind on a hot day, other city services are in short supply to Ottawa residents. The bus that gets cancelled and never comes. The library that is closed on Sundays. The lack of public bathrooms. The shrivelling, tiny trees offering little shade on Bank Street. The absence of benches or any place to sit down. The bus stop that offers no shelter from the elements.

As I speak to downtown residents as a part of my campaign for city council, the dominant sentiment I hear is a sense of abandonment and a feeling that the majority of council has little regard for them.

Perhaps the most acute example: those three terrible weeks in January and February when our neighbourhoods were occupied by the convoy. As Centretown residents contended with non-stop honking, gas fumes and harassment, the city did absolutely nothing to intervene for more than 21 days. Urban councillors begged for support as they dealt with hundreds of calls from residents, including seniors scared to leave their homes to buy food.

While convoy supporters characterized people who live downtown as the “Ottawa elite,” nothing could be further from the truth. Based on 2021 Census numbers, the median income of residents within the convoy “red zone” was $20,000 to $30,000 lower than that of the rest of Ottawa.

People in my neighbourhood are clearly struggling from the impacts of the pandemic, the overdose crisis and the bare-bones services that work overtime to help them. I recently met with staff at the Somerset West Community Health Centre. They described an uptick in overdose deaths in our neighbourhood and the high rate of burnout among front-line staff.

While I visited, I watched as harm reduction workers rushed to administer Naloxone to someone experiencing an overdose. Fortunately, this happened during working hours, because the safe consumption site in the health clinic does not have funding to run overnight. When the service is closed, nearby residents report finding people in distress and discarded needles on the street.

All of this is what makes me suspicious when council and mayoral candidates promise to lower or freeze city taxes without indicating what they are willing to cut.

And while residents in the suburbs may not see the challenges downtown, urban taxpayers subsidize suburban expansion. Last year, the city commissioned a study revealing that suburban sprawl beyond the Greenbelt costs an additional $465 per person, per year. That would pay for lots of outreach workers and swimming pools in my neighbourhood.

While there is little appetite to raise property taxes, the reality is that cities have limited tools to raise revenue to support the services and amenities we all need and deserve. This will force us to make tough choices.

Do we want endless sprawl or 15-minute neighbourhoods? Sky-high police budgets or a deeper investment in social services? Barely functioning public transit, or an affordable system that gets you where you need to go?

I choose to dream big of a city that leaves no one behind. And of outdoor swimming pools everyone can dive into on a hot day.

Centretown resident Ariel Troster is running to be the next city councillor in Somerset Ward.

https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/tr...was-priorities

[J.OT13]

Ottawa's park scene and amenities is pretty mundane. Lots of grass. Some sports fields and structures, basic splash pads, but nothing really great. There's a reason parks in Montreal are always jam packed with people compared to Ottawa's.

[zzptichka]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Ottawa's park scene and amenities is pretty mundane. Lots of grass. Some sports fields and structures, basic splash pads, but nothing really great. There's a reason parks in Montreal are always jam packed with people compared to Ottawa's.

The Mooney's Bay Canada 150 playground is a good example.
Just a bunch of mediocre slightly modified off-the-shelf structures thrown together, you can find in any city in North America.

What could've been something special: https://activecities.com/blog/these-...t-playgrounds/

[rocketphish]

Why taxpayers will pay departing council members at least $549K
Officially, it's not called severance, but the idea is the same — under a municipal policy, councillors get a payout whether they leave or are voted out

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Aug 02, 2022 • 14 minutes ago • 4 minute read

Bing Crosby crooned, “What can you do with a general?” as he played army veteran and showman Bob Wallace in the classic holiday movie White Christmas.

“Who’s got a job for a general when he stops being a general?” Crosby sang. “They all get a job, but a general no one hires.”

It also aptly describes the potential employment problem for Ottawa’s municipal politicians when they leave city hall. It’s why departing members can start receiving their pre-Christmas goodbye gifts totalling at least $549,264.44 when the new council term arrives in November as part of a severance program.

Officially, it’s not called severance, but rather “transition assistance allowance.”

The idea remains the same, though: The members’ employment is being severed from the City of Ottawa and, under a municipal policy, they are entitled to money, whether they decide not to run for re-election or are voted out.

The 2022 payouts are poised to be hefty with so many current council members not seeking re-election in October. As of Tuesday, nine members had said publicly they won’t attempt a return to council for the 2022-2026 term.

Confirming the number of departures comes in two waves: The registration deadline for the municipal election on Aug. 19 and the election itself on Oct. 24.

Each departing member will be entitled to receive one month of salary for every consecutive year served on city council, up to six months of pay.

An Ottawa councillor’s annual salary is $111,111.

Veteran councillors who have indicated they won’t seek re-election, and as a result, would be eligible for the $55,555 maximum transition pay are Jan Harder, Eli El-Chantiry, Keith Egli, Diane Deans, Mathieu Fleury, Jean Cloutier and Scott Moffatt.

Deans is eligible to receive an additional $23,991.37 from her days on the pre-amalgamation Ottawa council, acting clerk Michèle Rochette confirmed. Deans is the only current council member with a “frozen entitlement” from a pre-amalgamation municipality, Rochette said.

Coun. Carol Anne Meehan would be eligible for an allowance equalling four months of salary for her one four-year term on council. She can receive $37,037.

Mayor Jim Watson, who was elected in 2010, would also top out at six months in transition allowance. The mayor’s salary is $198,702, which means Watson’s transition allowance would be $99,351.07, according to the city’s figures.

On top of the allowances, council members can access a three-month career transition program from the city.

The transition allowance wouldn’t apply to departing council members who are returning to jobs they held before being elected, members who quit mid-term or members who are elected in another municipality or level of government.

The city changed the rules in 2013 to allow council members to receive the transition allowance if they aren’t running for re-election.

Before that, members had to run for re-election if they wanted to receive the allowance, as per a policy rooted in a 2004 report of a citizen’s task force on remuneration for Ottawa council. Losing an election was like being fired from a job and members who didn’t win another mandate should receive a severance-type payment, the task force suggested.

In structuring the original rules for a council transition allowance, the task force noted the payments “must be balanced with the public perception of past abuses and the misperception that politicians often reap large cash windfalls upon exiting from the public stage.”

But in 2013, as part of the traditional midterm governance review, the clerk’s office expressed apprehension about not offering payments to retiring council members.

“While elected officials who do not to seek re-election are not ‘being fired’ in the same sense as a Councillor who is defeated in an election, the loss of a job is similar,” a report submitted by clerk Rick O’Connor said.

Departing members can’t access employment insurance or hunt for jobs while being bound to their obligation to serve constituents for the full term, the clerk observed.

Council agreed, with one dissent.

Of course, there have been municipal politicians who have left city hall and found new careers. Councillors who have served even a single term have gained skills that could pay off outside city hall. They leave armed with knowledge of the inner-workings of local governments and professional connections with decision-makers in the bureaucracy.

At the same time, politicians’ world-views, policy beliefs and, sometimes, outbursts become part of the political discourse for everyone, including prospective employers, to look up.

The total payout to current councillors could increase over the next three months.

If Catherine McKenney, the councillor for Somerset ward since 2014, doesn’t win the mayor’s race, they will be entitled to a transition allowance. The same goes for any incumbent ward councillor who doesn’t win re-election.

McKenney and fellow mayoral contenders Mark Sutcliffe and Bob Chiarelli don’t have any complaints about the city’s policy on the transition allowance. They each provided a statement on Tuesday evening.

“We want skilled and experienced people to be able to run for public office in this city, and severance is a fair part of compensation for those who choose to leave more stable employment in order to serve in elected office,” McKenney said.

“Attracting great people to run for office and serve the public is something our city should strive to do,” Sutcliffe said. “I respect the work of city councillors, and I understand the principle behind the policy of providing transition funding to people who are changing careers, sometimes on short notice.”

Sutcliffe added: “While many elected officials may choose or need a severance, if I’m fortunate enough to be elected, I would not accept any transition funding when I leave office.”

“Irregardless of whether a mayor or councillor runs and gets defeated or decides not to seek re-election, they should qualify for a severance,” Chiarelli said. “These individuals do not qualify for employment insurance. This is to help them transition to what’s next for them.”

[email protected]
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local...-at-least-549k

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Ottawa's park scene and amenities is pretty mundane. Lots of grass. Some sports fields and structures, basic splash pads, but nothing really great. There's a reason parks in Montreal are always jam packed with people compared to Ottawa's.

Ottawa municipal government uses the federal government as a crutch, depending on them to create attractive public amenities. I look at almost every little town around which find ways to develop nice parks and hang flower planters along the main street. Not Ottawa.

I once complained about the footbridge at South Keys, which was supposed to be an entrance landmark for people coming from the airport. I complained how the base of the bridge was either mud or weeds. If this was supposed to welcome people into our city, why could we not invest in some good landscaping and flowers? Ottawa does not do this sort of thing.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Why taxpayers will pay departing council members at least $549K
Officially, it's not called severance, but the idea is the same — under a municipal policy, councillors get a payout whether they leave or are voted out

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Aug 02, 2022 • 14 minutes ago • 4 minute read

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local...-at-least-549k

Sweet deal. Where else do you get a severance when you quit or get fired. Well, I guess that's more common than it should, just look at the former police chief. And the deputy police chief. And a lot of people at or near the top of the food chain.

[Williamoforange]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Sweet deal. Where else do you get a severance when you quit or get fired. Well, I guess that's more common than it should, just look at the former police chief. And the deputy police chief. And a lot of people at or near the top of the food chain.

To quote the article...... "Veteran councillors who have indicated they won’t seek re-election, and as a result, would be eligible for the $55,555 maximum transition pay are Jan Harder, Eli El-Chantiry, Keith Egli, Diane Deans, Mathieu Fleury, Jean Cloutier and Scott Moffatt."

At most each are being paid $55,500 and it was put in place at the recommendation of a citizen task force. There niether eligible for EI.

It's a big whoop-ti-do about nothing,

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Williamoforange

To quote the article...... "Veteran councillors who have indicated they won’t seek re-election, and as a result, would be eligible for the $55,555 maximum transition pay are Jan Harder, Eli El-Chantiry, Keith Egli, Diane Deans, Mathieu Fleury, Jean Cloutier and Scott Moffatt."

At most each are being paid $55,500 and it was put in place at the recommendation of a citizen task force. There niether eligible for EI.

It's a big whoop-ti-do about nothing,

55k is just about the average yearly salary in Ottawa. All that for 8 years of work. While Meehan is getting 37k for 4 years of work. Seems a little much.

Not to mention many of them are 65+, so they will be getting their generous pension as well.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

55k is just about the average yearly salary in Ottawa. All that for 8 years of work. While Meehan is getting 37k for 4 years of work. Seems a little much.

Not to mention many of them are 65+, so they will be getting their generous pension as well.

I definitely see the benefit of the transitional allowance in terms of attracting good candidates to run for office. Otherwise it is less likely that people will be willing to give up good jobs to serve, and those with less financial security may be excluded entirely.

As for the pension, do you know how much they get? I thought that it was just the standard pension which they have been paying into. That would be pretty limited unless they have been there for a long time.

[waterloowarrior]

I don't have an issue with this...saves the 500k cost of a by-election and acts as a penalty for anyone leaving early

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by phil235

I definitely see the benefit of the transitional allowance in terms of attracting good candidates to run for office. Otherwise it is less likely that people will be willing to give up good jobs to serve, and those with less financial security may be excluded entirely.

As for the pension, do you know how much they get? I thought that it was just the standard pension which they have been paying into. That would be pretty limited unless they have been there for a long time.

Not sure how the pension system works, but I imagine Deans, Harder and El-Chantiry, who have all been there for 20+ years, will probably get a decent "living wage" kind of pension. That should be factored into the calculation.

Surprised Harder won't get the pre-amalgamation bonus. I guess it was just an Ottawa thing and does not apply for former Nepean Councillors.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by waterloowarrior

I don't have an issue with this...saves the 500k cost of a by-election and acts as a penalty for anyone leaving early

Been a while, but wasn't Nussbaum offered a "transitional" payment when he quit a few weeks after the election to go work as head of the NCC? As I recall, he didn't take it.

[rocketphish]

Ottawa Council is going to change dramatically. Pay attention, voters
The mayoral candidates have given us much to ponder — but we need to know more.

Mohammed Adam, Ottawa Citizen
Aug 04, 2022 • 4 hours ago • 3 minute read

Municipal campaigns are so long that voters often have a hard time keeping track of what the candidates are all about. Campaigns begin with registration in May, then go through the summer when holiday travel is top-of-mind and politics takes a back seat. You can’t blame voters from tuning out.

By the time back-to-school chores are done in mid-September, and people begin to focus on the October election, there’s hardly time to properly vet candidates and their platforms.

That’s why Ottawa residents need to pay particular attention beginning now because we are facing a consequential local election. We are not only electing a new mayor for the first time in 12 years, we could be electing 11 new council members, nearly half of council. On top of this, there’ll be a new dynamic in city politics, as whoever we elect as leader becomes a mayor with stronger powers to overrule council.

As of Aug. 3, a dozen candidates had registered to run for mayor, but the choice really comes down to Bob Chiarelli, Mark Sutcliffe or Catherine McKenney. The winner will be either an octogenarian former mayor, an entrepreneur with no political experience, or a two-term councillor. This is not a run-of-the-mill election. It’s not a mere changing of the guard, but the ushering in of a new and uncertain era. It is why Ottawa residents should start paying attention, so that when October comes, we’ll be well-informed enough to make the right choice.

On the Citizen’s website, the top three have given us a glimpse of their priorities and where they would take the city as mayor. They all express love for Ottawa, of course, but it would be surprising if you were running for mayor and didn’t love the city you wanted to lead. They all believe City Hall needs new direction, but which direction remains to be seen. And they all vow to unite a divided city, but who wouldn’t? Indeed, it would be scandalous if a new mayor didn’t invest the time and energy to bring council together, given the toxicity that has marked the current one. What matters the most though, is where the candidates stand on the big issues, and what that means for you.

Sutcliffe lists affordability, including affordable housing and lower taxes, public transit and safety as his top priorities. McKenney’s pressing issues are affordable housing, transit and climate change. Chiarelli’s focus is on what he sees as the poor state of city finances, particularly its high debt. He says escalating costs are a major issue, and his top priority would be the restoration of the city’s financial health. To do that the city must have the courage to cut costs, beginning with its bloated bureaucracy.

From what the candidates have said so far, public transit would clearly be a big issue, as would taxes and housing affordability. Perhaps climate change. McKenney would not increase transit fares, and Sutcliffe says the city cannot simply pass on increased costs to riders. All of which means that if fares are heavily subsidized, someone would have to pick up the slack, and that can only be property taxpayers. What appetite city taxpayers have for absorbing fare increases, investing in climate change, public safety and affordable housing are key unresolved questions. But that’s where the candidates appear to be heading.

All three mayoral candidates say the city’s $4-billion budget would require serious re-examination, but to what end remains unclear. We’ll see the detailed plans when their platforms are released. We now have a little under three months before voting day, and it may seem like a long way off.

But it’s August already, and summer will soon give way to fall, and before you know it, the election will be upon us. The candidates have given us something to ponder as we consider our choices. But we need to know more. We have to keep asking questions; we have to demand concrete solutions, and learn as much as we can about what they stand for, before we vote. The stakes have never been higher, and we just can’t get it wrong.

Mohammed Adam is an Ottawa journalist and commentator.

https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/ad...tention-voters

[rocketphish]

Mayoral hopeful Bob Chiarelli pledges to freeze property taxes in first year, believes in 'efficiencies' in city budget
Chiarelli also wants to put on hold the $332 million redevelopment of Lansdowne Park and said he would push to defer council's authorization of the project until he fully understood the state of the city's finances

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Aug 08, 2022 • 11 hours ago • 4 minute read

Mayoral candidate Bob Chiarelli believes he can pull a trick out of his hat from the era of his first go-around as the head of Ottawa city council by promising to freeze property taxes in 2023.

How he would make the magic happen, considering the high rate of inflation and contracted increases to salaries in the municipal public service, is unclear.

He said a “top-to-bottom review” of the city’s finances by outside experts in the first 100 days of the term would find the savings required to hold the line on taxes and user fees in Year 1 of a Chiarelli administration.

“I think it’s important to stabilize the situation and one of the ways of stabilizing the situation is by freezing taxes,” Chiarelli said in an interview on Sunday, observing that “life in Ottawa is becoming unaffordable” for citizens and small businesses.

He planned to release his tax-freeze proposal on Monday.

Asked if cuts would be inevitable under his proposed tax freeze, Chiarelli said he didn’t agree with the word cuts, noting that the city’s annual spending is about $6 billion and that “efficiencies” can be uncovered.

“We can defer things that are not absolutely essential until the economy turns around and things get normalized a lot more,” Chiarelli said.

Chiarelli pointed out that he managed to freeze taxes as regional chair and again over a three-year term as the amalgamated city’s first mayor just over 20 years ago.

The city’s long-term debt has increased requiring the municipality to pay more for servicing the borrowing, Chiarelli said. The city’s 2021 audited financial statements put the long-term debt at $3 billion at the end of the year.

Chiarelli is also concerned about LRT-related legal disputes whose outcomes could cost the city more money.

Under Chiarelli’s tax proposal, there wouldn’t be spending increases in the first year of the term unless they’re related to essential health, safety and social services.

Chiarelli said he hasn’t made a decision about whether his proposed freeze would be applied to water and sewer rates, which have seen higher annual increases than property taxes.

The tax level for subsequent years in the term would be addressed annually, Chiarelli said.

As for the cost of the external review to find savings, Chiarelli said “it’s not insignificant,” but the fees and outcomes are usually “responsible.”

Chiarelli also wants to put on hold the next redevelopment of Lansdowne Park. The city wants to build a new arena and north-side stands at TD Place for $332 million, with high-rise buildings whose revenue would help cover the cost of borrowing money for the new sports facilities.

Council is scheduled to provide the final authorization for Lansdowne 2.0 in 2023, but Chiarelli said he would push to defer the decision until he fully understood the state of the city’s finances.

Under Mayor Jim Watson’s administration, annual tax increases have ranged between 1.9 per cent at the low mark in 2014 and three per cent at the high mark in the current term. Watson’s approach has been to secure council’s endorsement of an annual tax increase early and craft a budget matching the revenue projection.

Watson isn’t seeking re-election.

Mayoral candidates Catherine McKenney and Mark Sutcliffe were asked if they would be making campaign promises on taxes and if they think it’s possible to freeze taxes in any given year.

McKenney noted the financial strain families are feeling and promoted their approach of “smart” spending, but they didn’t talk about their approach to property taxes and whether a tax pledge will be part of their campaign.

“Ottawa families are feeling the impact of the rising costs of living,” McKenney said in a statement sent by their campaign.

“It’s more important than ever that we spend smart at city hall. Budgets are about priorities. Ottawa can become a city that works better for everyone, and stays fiscally responsible at the same time. I have a proven record of saving the city money while improving the services we count on. As mayor, I will deliver on my campaign commitments by spending smart.”

Similar to Chiarelli’s plan, Sutcliffe said he would lead a “zero-based budgeting” process that would include a line-by-line review of spending, challenging how every tax dollar is spent.

“Without asking tough questions high-priority areas may be underfunded and low-priority areas never get looked at,” Sutcliffe said in a statement sent by his campaign. “If we simply pile one budget on top of another taxpayers will not get value-for-money. We need a fresh set of eyes and a new approach to make this happen.”

Sutcliffe said there’s an “affordability crisis” in Ottawa and, like McKenney, he talked about “smart” use of tax dollars.

“This election is about who voters in Ottawa trust to help make their lives better and more affordable. Keeping taxes, fees and transit fares as low as possible is a major part of what residents expect their mayor to do,” Sutcliffe said.

The municipal election is Oct. 24.

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https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local...in-city-budget

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Mayoral hopeful Bob Chiarelli pledges to freeze property taxes in first year, believes in 'efficiencies' in city budget
Chiarelli also wants to put on hold the $332 million redevelopment of Lansdowne Park and said he would push to defer council's authorization of the project until he fully understood the state of the city's finances

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Aug 08, 2022 • 11 hours ago • 4 minute read

Mayoral candidate Bob Chiarelli believes he can pull a trick out of his hat from the era of his first go-around as the head of Ottawa city council by promising to freeze property taxes in 2023.

How he would make the magic happen, considering the high rate of inflation and contracted increases to salaries in the municipal public service, is unclear.

He said a “top-to-bottom review” of the city’s finances by outside experts in the first 100 days of the term would find the savings required to hold the line on taxes and user fees in Year 1 of a Chiarelli administration.

“I think it’s important to stabilize the situation and one of the ways of stabilizing the situation is by freezing taxes,” Chiarelli said in an interview on Sunday, observing that “life in Ottawa is becoming unaffordable” for citizens and small businesses.

He planned to release his tax-freeze proposal on Monday.

Asked if cuts would be inevitable under his proposed tax freeze, Chiarelli said he didn’t agree with the word cuts, noting that the city’s annual spending is about $6 billion and that “efficiencies” can be uncovered.

“We can defer things that are not absolutely essential until the economy turns around and things get normalized a lot more,” Chiarelli said.

Chiarelli pointed out that he managed to freeze taxes as regional chair and again over a three-year term as the amalgamated city’s first mayor just over 20 years ago.

The city’s long-term debt has increased requiring the municipality to pay more for servicing the borrowing, Chiarelli said. The city’s 2021 audited financial statements put the long-term debt at $3 billion at the end of the year.

Chiarelli is also concerned about LRT-related legal disputes whose outcomes could cost the city more money.

Under Chiarelli’s tax proposal, there wouldn’t be spending increases in the first year of the term unless they’re related to essential health, safety and social services.

Chiarelli said he hasn’t made a decision about whether his proposed freeze would be applied to water and sewer rates, which have seen higher annual increases than property taxes.

The tax level for subsequent years in the term would be addressed annually, Chiarelli said.

As for the cost of the external review to find savings, Chiarelli said “it’s not insignificant,” but the fees and outcomes are usually “responsible.”

Chiarelli also wants to put on hold the next redevelopment of Lansdowne Park. The city wants to build a new arena and north-side stands at TD Place for $332 million, with high-rise buildings whose revenue would help cover the cost of borrowing money for the new sports facilities.

Council is scheduled to provide the final authorization for Lansdowne 2.0 in 2023, but Chiarelli said he would push to defer the decision until he fully understood the state of the city’s finances.

Under Mayor Jim Watson’s administration, annual tax increases have ranged between 1.9 per cent at the low mark in 2014 and three per cent at the high mark in the current term. Watson’s approach has been to secure council’s endorsement of an annual tax increase early and craft a budget matching the revenue projection.

Watson isn’t seeking re-election.

Mayoral candidates Catherine McKenney and Mark Sutcliffe were asked if they would be making campaign promises on taxes and if they think it’s possible to freeze taxes in any given year.

McKenney noted the financial strain families are feeling and promoted their approach of “smart” spending, but they didn’t talk about their approach to property taxes and whether a tax pledge will be part of their campaign.

“Ottawa families are feeling the impact of the rising costs of living,” McKenney said in a statement sent by their campaign.

“It’s more important than ever that we spend smart at city hall. Budgets are about priorities. Ottawa can become a city that works better for everyone, and stays fiscally responsible at the same time. I have a proven record of saving the city money while improving the services we count on. As mayor, I will deliver on my campaign commitments by spending smart.”

Similar to Chiarelli’s plan, Sutcliffe said he would lead a “zero-based budgeting” process that would include a line-by-line review of spending, challenging how every tax dollar is spent.

“Without asking tough questions high-priority areas may be underfunded and low-priority areas never get looked at,” Sutcliffe said in a statement sent by his campaign. “If we simply pile one budget on top of another taxpayers will not get value-for-money. We need a fresh set of eyes and a new approach to make this happen.”

Sutcliffe said there’s an “affordability crisis” in Ottawa and, like McKenney, he talked about “smart” use of tax dollars.

“This election is about who voters in Ottawa trust to help make their lives better and more affordable. Keeping taxes, fees and transit fares as low as possible is a major part of what residents expect their mayor to do,” Sutcliffe said.

The municipal election is Oct. 24.

[email protected]
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local...in-city-budget

Moving to the right of Sutcliffe on taxes. I think he might just win this thing. Which is crazy to be honest.

[acottawa]

I hope somebody else throws their hat in before the nomination deadline next week.

[J.OT13]

Freezing property taxes. Where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, when O'Brien beat the shit out Chiarelli in 2006. How did that work out?

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Freezing property taxes. Where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, when O'Brien beat the shit out Chiarelli in 2006. How did that work out?

It is not realistic. It means that city infrastructure deteriorates even faster and we never catch up to keeping our streets in good repair.

I just learned this week that a developer is building a cul de sac next to an intersection on Bank Street which is supposed to be connected. Why? Because a plan to widen Bank Street at Findlay Creek has been deferred yet again. We have agreed to build hundreds of homes in Findlay Creek yet we cannot extend 4 lane Bank Street by 1 km to reach the entrance streets into Findlay Creek. The end result is a dangerous situation because of excessive traffic merging resulting in crazy driver behaviour to race to get ahead a few car lengths at the merge point. The current road design dates to the 1950s and does not reflect current traffic reality. I am there on a regular basis and I see the bad driving, the horn blowing and multiple accidents. On top of that, as become Ottawa's recent planning, transit service in the area is gawd awful and cycling is unsafe because Bank Street was originally designed as a provincial highway. So, we give few alternatives to driving.