Council to cap property tax increase to 2.5%

Good morning!

It’s a snow day! School buses for several school boards in the region outside the city were cancelled in advance of the storm last night, and it’s quite possible more have been cancelled between when this hits your inbox and when you’re reading it. Be sure to check here for up-to-date info from CTV.

There’s a winter parking ban in effect tonight as city crews clean up. Check the city’s website for info on exemptions and alternate locations to park your car during the ban.

Plus, Ryan Reynolds is ready to work himself up into being the biggest Sens fan there is…

Good luck out there. Let’s get to the rest of the newsletter.

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor

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Weather Report

SNOWFALL WARNING

Friday: 0 🌡️ -1 | ❄️

Saturday: +1 🌡️ -2 | ❄️

Sunday: 0 🌡️ -4 | ❄️

Monday: 0 🌡️ -8 | 🌤️/❄️

CITY HALL

Council votes for a 2.5% maximum tax hike

What happened: Council approved directions for city staff to cap property tax increases to 2.5 percent for the 2023 budget, CBC reported. The increase was a key promise of Mayor Mark Sutcliffe’s campaign.

• The 16-9 vote was split essentially on geographic lines. The councillors who voted against the budget cap represent wards inside the Greenbelt.

The drawback: While a budget cap will keep the cost of the yearly tax bill down, other problems will be created. The increase is substantially below inflation — currently sitting at 6.9 percent — which means the city will be paying more for everything while bringing in less money, in real terms.

Several councillors were concerned that Ottawa will not be able to keep up with the level of service it is offering citizens, never mind catching up on road repair and other serious infrastructure problems.

• “My experience of trying to maintain city services over the course of the last eight years with arbitrarily low tax caps has been that city services continue to deteriorate,” Coun. Jeff Leiper said, according to the Ottawa Citizen.

Transit freeze: The 2023 transit budget will have a one-year freeze on fares, the Ottawa Citizen reported. This makes good on another Sutcliffe campaign promise. Staff said this will cost the transit budget about $5 million — staff had recommended at 2.5 percent increase.

Yes, but: Ridership is well below expectations, and fares are not able to cover their assigned portion of the budget — about 55 percent. Council also directed the portion of the transit budget coming from taxes not to increase more than 2.5 percent. Right now, OC Transpo is on a hiring blitz.

What it means: The question hanging over all of these budgets is where the trade offs will come. Sutcliffe promised there would be no cuts to service during the mayoral campaign. The city will have to search every nook and cranny to find efficiencies to make the budget work. If they can’t make good on that, the problems you see all across the city can only get worse.

A draft of the budget is expected to be in front of council Feb. 1, and voted on some time in March.

OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS

💰 $1,943: The average monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the city for November, up 17 percent from the month before. It’s slightly below the national average of $2,047. [CTV]

☃️ 2-4 cm: The amount of snow expected per hour today as a “mammoth” snowstorm blows through town. [CTV]

PUBLIC SERVICE

Back to-office-order made official

What happened: The federal government made it official yesterday, public servants will have to return to work two to three days a week, CBC reported. The back-to-office order will start being implemented in mid-January, and completed by the end of March.

When asked, Treasury Board President Mona Fortier, an Ottawa MP, wouldn’t say whether the government had seen a change in productivity from the public service, according to the OBJ. Nor could she say what data or science the decision was based on, Postmedia reported.

• The federal government said in a statement it had “rediscovered many of the in-person experiences essential to cohesive, collaborative, and high-performing organizations,” and the “need for consistency in how hybrid work is applied.”

Previously, Fortier had been one of several government officials who said there would be no one-size-fits-all approach, according to Postmedia.

The union response: Public service unions reacted harshly to the announcement. Several major unions said the government had told them as recently as Wednesday there was no blanket order coming.

• “It's very sweet that the federal government has ‘rediscovered the value of shared in-person experiences.’ We'd love them to rediscover good faith bargaining too,” the Public Service Alliance of Canada tweeted. “Our position on remote work for federal public service workers remains the same: it's an issue for the bargaining table.”

The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada said the government has “chosen to bulldoze through a bad plan that sets themselves up for an unnecessary fight.”

The Association of Canadian Financial Officers said there is no right to remote work in any existing agreement, but it would put its focus on getting the option for full-time telework as its top priority for its members.

The downtown response: Downtown businesses were much more positive about the announcement. Several told the OBJ their biggest problem has been unpredictability of when workers might return to the core, and how frequently.

• “We know downtown is not going to be the same as it was in [2019], but there’s a bit of responsibility as the biggest landlord and biggest employer in the core to make some decisions one way or the other,” the Sparks Street BIA said.

The future: The downtown probably won’t be the same it once was. The workforce will only be in the core 40 to 60 percent of the time. The government is also considering smaller suburban hubs, shared workspaces where civil servants could access internal government systems without going to a downtown head office, CBC reported.

THE AGENDA

🚧 Parents at Devonshire Community Elementary School have measured sound levels between 90 and 120 decibels, equivalent to a rock concert, from construction next to the school. [Ottawa Citizen]

🚨 Deep River homicide victim Sommer Boudreau was the sister of Ashley Boudreau, who was killed by her boyfriend in Ottawa nearly 13 years ago. [CBC]

🥅 If he’s part of the successful bidding group for the Ottawa Senators, Ryan Ranolds said he would “be a frothy, rabies-infused fan the likes of which the NHL has never seen.” [CBC]

⛔️ A federal committee recommended Wellington Street should remain closed to vehicle traffic, and Parliament should take over security for it and Sparks Street. [CTV]

💉 Kids five and up are now eligible for bivalent COVID boosters in the province, a week after Health Canada approved the shots for children. [CTV]

🔎 Police are still investigating the theft of a Winston Churchill portrait from the Chateau Laurier, but it could take years or decades to solve — if it ever is. [CTV]

🍼 Ottawa families are still struggling to find baby formula, as off and on shortages continue. [CTV]

EVENTS

Your weekend guide

Arts

Sounds from the Great Dismal Swamp, Saturday 6 pm: A multi-sensory experience of food and space inspired by the swampland between Virgina and North Carolina where escaped slaves found safe haven. At Gallery 101, 280 Catherine St. Admission is free.

Music

T.K. Blue in Concert, Friday 7:30 pm: Saxophonist and flutist T.K. Blue is hosting a concert at Festival Japan Restaurant, 149 Kent St. Tickets start at $30.

A Core/Metal Christmas, Saturday 7 pm: A lineup of five metal bands join to celebrate the holidays at Brass Monkey, 250 Greenbank Rd. Five bucks from each pre-sale ticket goes to Harmony House. Tickets $22.23.

Kids/Family

Stanley’s Holiday Stroll, Friday and Saturday 6 pm: A walk through the forest through decorated trials lit up with Christmas displays. Plenty of fires to warm up along the trails at Stanley’s Olde Maple Lane Farm, 2452 Yorks Corners Rd. Tickets start at $6.

Market

Adàwàning: Indigenous Women’s Art Market, Friday and Saturday: Dozens of local Indigenous artists and artisans are selling a diverse array of goods at the National Arts Centre. Admission is free.

Ho Ho Holiday Craft Market, Saturday 10:30 am: More than 40 artists and makers are selling their wares at this holiday market at the Glebe Community Centre. Plus there are workshops! Admission is free.

Metcalfe Farmers’ Christmas Market, Saturday 9 am-2 pm: Local produce, flowers, candles, woodworking, craft beer, and more from 45 local vendors. At the Greely Community Centre, 1448 Meadow Dr. Admission is free.

Film

Digi60 Filmmakers’ Festival, Until Sunday: Screenings and workshops by and for local filmmakers. See the work of locals, and learn more about creating. At Ottawa Art Gallery and the Arts Court. Tickets start at $17.

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CHRISTMAS

Inflation comes to the North Pole

What happened: Inflation comes for us all, even the mall Santa. This year around town, prices for a visit with Jolly Old St. Nick will cost you, the Ottawa Citizen reported.

The cheapest: Believe it or not, some of the cheapest bookings in town are at the Rideau Centre, where a pre-booked visit for five photos will cost only $10, the paper said. (You can book a slot here.)

The not-so-cheapest: At malls like Bayshore, Place d’Orléans, and St. Laurent, the cheapest booking is $40. Thos locations are run by an american company Cherry Hill Programs, based out of New Jersey, that hires more than 1,300 Santas across its operations. A local company runs the operation at Carlingwood, where the minimum price will cost $30.

The full Santa experience? Nine minutes with Santa at Billings Bridge or Hazeldean, will cost $80, and get you at least 30 digital photos. “You’re not really paying for pictures. You’re paying for experiences,” the company’s owner told the Citizen.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Here’s how the city will work on keeping main roads clear of snow. If things go well, residential streets will start being plowed Saturday. [CTV]

• (Members only) Looking for some great bubbly over the holidays for an even better price? Our food and drink editor has a suggestion.

• If you’re in the market for a gift from an Indigenous-owned store, try these local businesses for some great options. [Ottawa Citizen]

• Making thousands of travelling Habs fans sad, the Senators won 3-2 at home this week. [The Canadian Press]

• OC Transpo’s winter service schedule will go into effect Dec. 25.

• Did you see a black backpack left at Tunney’s Pasture late Wednesday night? Its owner is looking for it. [Reddit]

• A Ukrainian refugee in Carleton Place is collecting Christmas cards to send to soldiers on the front line. [CTV]

• Want to have your announcement featured? Contact our partnership team for more info.

OTTAWA WORDLE

Congrats to Adam, Irenka, Devin, Gord, and Catherine, the first five of many of you who knew this week’s OttawaGuesser was of Elgin Street looking north toward the 417.

Today we’ve got the Ottawa Wordle. Play now!

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