How much will Ottawa property taxes rise? Four mayoral candidates offer competing plans

A municipality like the City of Ottawa can be expensive to run. It’s geographically big in size. There are differing priorities in the suburbs, downtown, and rural areas. Infrastructure is aging, and transit needs major investments to improve. 

For four years, these taxes have been steadily climbing. Sutcliffe was elected in 2022, promising increases of between two and 2.5 per cent during the first two years of his mandate. Council subsequently approved increases of 2.5 per cent in 2023 and 2024, followed by higher increases in 2025 and 2026.

But how does Ottawa compare to other major Canadian cities? 

In 2026, Ottawa homeowners saw an overall property tax increase of 3.75 per cent, higher than the 2.2 per cent approved in Toronto, which includes a dedicated levy for transit and housing. 

Calgary kept its municipal residential tax increase to about 1.8 per cent, while Vancouver approved a complete freeze on municipal property taxes. Montreal, meanwhile, limited the increase in tax charges under its control to 3.4 per cent. Other cities went considerably further, including Edmonton, where property taxes rose by 6.9 per cent. 

Incumbent mayor Mark Sutcliffe said taxpayers aren’t interested in paying higher taxes — especially as the cost of living keeps rising. Taking a page out of his 2022 municipal election book, Sutcliffe has again committed to limiting property tax increases to between two and 2.5 per cent during the first two years of a second term.

“We have to respect the fact that our residents are experiencing an affordability crisis right now. And we cannot add to that burden with large tax increases," Sutcliffe said in an interview with the Ottawa Lookout.

Sutcliffe said he would instead focus on finding another $250 million in savings and efficiencies at city hall over the next four years, building on what he describes as an equivalent amount identified during his first term.

He also points to securing more than $5 billion in funding commitments from the provincial and federal governments as evidence that Ottawa can continue investing in infrastructure without relying primarily on property taxpayers.

"It's just too easy, and it's too easy to treat our residents' bank accounts as our first resort. To me, that's the easy way out. We have to do the hard work of finding savings and efficiencies at city hall," Sutcliffe said.

"We did that in this term by finding $250 million worth of savings and efficiencies. I'll do it again in the next term. I'll find another $250 million of savings and efficiencies, which will reduce the burden on residents and give us money that we can reinvest in our priorities."

Sutcliffe has criticized his opponent Jeff Leiper's willingness to consider higher tax increases, arguing that the current Kitchissippi Ward councillor has consistently opposed budgets he believes underfund municipal services.

One way Sutcliffe said the city will find savings is through the province's eventual upload of the light rail transit system to Metrolinx; however, the timelines on that remain unclear. 

Mayoral candidate Jeff Leiper believes Ottawa's focus on keeping property taxes low has contributed to deteriorating municipal services and a growing infrastructure deficit.

Rather than committing to a specific overall tax increase, Leiper said he would support predictable and affordable increases based on what the city needs to maintain and improve services.