Somerset Ward mailer volume 4: Budget season

I am writing this letter as I spend some time with my family on the long weekend, taking a moment to breathe after an intense couple of weeks at City Hall. Our deliberations on the 2023 budget continue, with city committees hearing from community delegates and passing each section of the budget that will rise to Council on March 1st.

Last week, I dissented on the section of the Planning and Housing budget related to affordable housing, because I believe that $15 million for new construction is not nearly enough. It's been three years since Ottawa declared a housing and homelessness emergency. Since then, the number of people sleeping outside has doubled. Over 12,000 people remain on the waiting list for subsidized housing.

Between 2019 and 2020, 8,619 people experienced homelessness in Ottawa, 46% of them for the first time. The yearly capital spend on affordable housing has not changed since 2019. In real terms, in the face of record inflation, this is a cut.

I am writing this letter as I spend some time with my family on the long weekend, taking a moment to breathe after an intense couple of weeks at City Hall. Our deliberations on the 2023 budget continue, with city committees hearing from community delegates and passing each section of the budget that will rise to Council on March 1st.

Last week, I dissented on the section of the Planning and Housing budget related to affordable housing, because I believe that $15 million for new construction is not nearly enough. It's been three years since Ottawa declared a housing and homelessness emergency. Since then, the number of people sleeping outside has doubled. Over 12,000 people remain on the waiting list for subsidized housing.

Between 2019 and 2020, 8,619 people experienced homelessness in Ottawa, 46% of them for the first time. The yearly capital spend on affordable housing has not changed since 2019. In real terms, in the face of record inflation, this is a cut.

Every single day, people call and email the Somerset Ward office to say they are losing their housing, that they are being illegally evicted, that they can’t afford to leave a partner, that their social housing is crumbling, that they’re being renovicted or demovicted.

If we want to solve homelessness, we need to build more non-profit housing. Even Scotiabank agrees that the situation is “urgent” and that our response must be “ambitious.” It is MUCH more affordable to invest in housing than it is to allow people to continue suffering the indignity of homelessness.

I hope that by the time the budget makes it to its final vote on March 1, we can find a way to increase our investment in affordable, non-profit housing. There’s no time to waste.

Warmly,

Ariel

---

Somerset Ward Budget Consultations Recap

On Wednesday February 15, we held a community conversation about this year’s budget with Councillors Leiper and Menard. City staff, Vivic Research and The Coalition for a People’s Budget gave presentations to help us understand and digest the city budget and we had an amazing Q&A session with community members.

We had discussed some of the key needs in our community, with affordable housing and social services being some of the highest needs. We also got to talk about how we could implement new revenue streams for the city, the real dollar impact of the Vacant Unit Tax and how we can improve budget consultations for 2024.

A recorded version of this event is available here.

Downtown Revitalization Taskforce

The Downtown Ottawa Revitalization Task Force wants to hear from residents, local stakeholders, and experts on how to reimagine Ottawa’s downtown core. They have launched a public engagement tool to hear ideas and feedback from all of us.

The Task Force was created in 2022 by MP Yasir Naqvi to explore ideas and create recommendations that will assist policymakers in reimagining the future of downtown Ottawa. To assist us in this effort, the Task Force is opening up the conversation to hear from a variety of different voices and groups across our community.

Share your feedback today.

Black History Month

February is Black History Month. Throughout the month, there are activities and events highlighting the contributions and achievements of Black Canadians. While it is important to learn about the history of Black people in Canada and celebrate their achievements, we should also use the opportunity to address systemic racism that erased Black people from the history of Canada in the first place.

Below are some recommendations for self-guided learning:

The Ottawa Public Library also invites residents to explore and reflect on how Black communities have resisted oppression in the past and continue to do so today through a variety of activities.

Resources to help our neighbours

Whether you’re reaching out for yourself or for a neighbour, we know it can be difficult to access resources in the community. On our website, we have links to community health centres, food banks, victims’ services, harm reduction and much more.

If you need assistance accessing services in the community, reach out to our office and we’d be glad to help.

Have your say: current EngageOttawa surveys

2023 City of Ottawa Budget

It’s your city and your budget, so we want to hear from you! Your feedback helps inform the City’s budget priorities and contributes to decisions about investments in services that you want and need. Using this online tool, you can ask questions, or share ideas about the budget.

Right-of-Way Patio By-law and Guideline Review

As part of the 2022 Patio Innovation Program, city staff were directed to review and report on potential permanent amendments to relevant by-laws in advance of the 2023 patio season. The proposed amendments to relevant by-laws aim to ensure the continued success of Ottawa’s patio program and help streamline the permit system.

 

 

 

Latest posts

Construction season begins, zoning bylaw updates, new tree program, culture plan review, and more!

You know what they say, there are two seasons in Canada: winter and construction. And just as all the snow is finally drying up, you can expect to see cranes, diggers and other heavy equipment all over Centretown. Living through construction can be enormously frustrating, but the benefits of major infrastructure investments in the downtown core will improve our quality of life for generations.

Concerns in Chinatown, Centretown Drain Heroes, school boundary changes, and more!

I have been hearing a lot from people in Chinatown, who are very concerned about a dramatic increase in public drug use over the last two weeks. Two issues have really created a perfect storm – one where the cause and the solution are entirely in the hands of the provincial government. 

Open Letter to the OCDSB Board of Trustees in re: Elementary Program Review

To the OCDSB Board of Trustees:

 

As you can imagine, I have heard from many parents and members of Centretown school communities on the impact that the proposed new elementary boundaries would have on their families. This is not a matter of municipal jurisdiction, and I respect that both OCDSB staff and trustees must make difficult and often unpopular decisions.

I am also aware that this is all happening in a climate of austerity, where decades of underfunding have left our school communities in increasingly precarious positions, limiting the ability to substantially respond to many of the challenges we see in our schools.

I would be curious to know why the board has chosen to only hold in-person consultations outside of the urban core, given the profound impacts that the school boundary proposal has on urban families, as well as the board’s expansive portfolio of available spaces within downtown Ottawa.

While I have heard from community members on a range of issues, and profoundly empathize with the challenges that this review poses for their families, I’ll confine my comments to issues that intersect with my position as a city councillor representing Somerset Ward.

The key theme I’ve heard about from families is about the walk to school. One of the things that brought me to Centretown years ago was the idea that my child would be able to get to school on foot or on a bicycle. In my time as a councillor, I’ve worked with families at Devonshire who loved that their kids could walk an easy 400m to school, but wanted to make sure all students were safe as possible crossing Preston and Somerset. We were able to secure a crossing guard for this intersection, but it took a long time.

The reality is that the Ottawa Safety Council simply will not have the resources to meet the need for crossing guards at the many major intersections that children in my neighbourhood are being directed to cross. I’m especially concerned about the traffic safety concerns that children who are being redistricted to Mutchmor from Devonshire will see, having to cross Preston, Carling, and Bronson.

I’m hearing from parents that the new route is something they would not feel comfortable sending their school-age children to walk or bike since it crosses three major streets. While Carling and Bronson will eventually be re-constructed by the city, we’re still years away from these projects being designed, funded, and built. Moving them up the list would still leave us years away from the kind of structural safety improvements that would make the kind of changes that would make parents feel safer sending their kids to school on foot.

Our Official Plan and our Transportation Master Plan support the expansion of active modes of transportation, including walking and biking. I have heard from many parents who love that Devonshire provides them with the opportunity to foster their child’s independence by sending them to bike or walk to school, either on their own or as part of a bike bus.

I’m very concerned that the impacts of this review in Ward 14 would put more kids on school buses or in cars, not fewer. This would seem to run counter to the boundary review’s stated goals—to mitigate socioeconomic disparity across schools, to keep kids in their communities and to bring high quality French and English education to every neighbourhood.

Regardless of the choices that trustees take, I want to be sure that the concerns in my community are fairly accounted for in the review and we that can reach a consensus. It seems that MPP Catherine McKenney’s request that the boundary for Devonshire be moved from the LRT to Preston Street may help mitigate many of the transportation safety-related concerns that we have both been hearing about.

I would be pleased to discuss any of the feedback I’ve received and wish you luck as you continue to tackle this incredibly challenging issue.

Sincerely,

Ariel Troster

Councillor, Somerset Ward

Share this post

Take action

Sign up for our Newsletter
Contact our Office
Upcoming Events
Contact 311