Questions for provincial candidates, Bloomberg Cities partnership, new Downtown BIA, and more!

You might have noticed that we are in the middle of a provincial election – an election that could have a pivotal impact on the quality of life in our city.

Cities are often referred to as, “creatures of the province.” This is just a fancy way of saying that the provincial government has a tremendous impact on the ways that cities are governed and funded. Ever since the Mike Harris era in the 1990s, more and more responsibilities have been downloaded onto cities, without the corresponding funding to tackle these challenges. Whether it’s operating public transit, tackling homelessness or providing services for people with addictions, our city always comes up short.

Here are some questions you can ask candidates when they come to your door this month:

Will you implement changes to the Residential Tenancies act to stop unjust renovictions? As I mentioned in the last Ward 14 newsletter, my push for the city to adopt an anti-renoviction bylaw is motivated by the fact that the province has failed to deal with the problem. The province can act now to implement the changes to the Residential Tenancy Act that were passed in 2023. This would institute harsher penalties for landlords who evict tenants without cause.
Will you restore rent control to buildings constructed after 2018? Little known fact: any building constructed after 2018 is not subject to rent control. With the average price of a one-bedroom apartment now costing more than $2,000 a month, we need the provincial government to take action and place reasonable limits on rents in newly constructed buildings.
Will you repeal the Ford government’s anti-bike lane bill? A few months ago, the Ford government rammed through a ridiculous new bill that will rip up bike lanes in Toronto and concentrate all of the power to approve new cycling lanes in the official of the provincial Transportation Minister. Micro-managing cities’ transportation planning and making it harder for us to make our streets safer will do nothing to decrease congestion.
Will you ensure that the City of Ottawa gets its fair share for public transit? If you’re a typical Ottawa taxpayer, about $5,250 of your Ottawa taxes has gone toward Toronto transit projects. Meanwhile, only $285 of your provincial taxes have paid for Ottawa projects. So, for every dollar of your provincial taxes that’s invested in transit in Ottawa, more than 18 dollars goes to transit in Toronto. That’s not fair and I fully support the Mayor’s Fairness for Ottawa campaign.
Will you fund supportive housing to the level that Ottawa needs to eliminate chronic homelessness? Right now, there are between 700 and 1,000 people who have been living in our city’s shelter system or on the street for more than six months. The cost to house these people with proper supports is far cheaper (and much more humane) than incarceration or repeated hospital visits. With enough funding, the city could scale-up the solutions that are already working and end chronic homelessness in Ottawa.

Remember: every vote counts, but democracy doesn’t end at the ballot box. Best of luck to all of the candidates putting their name forward in this election.

Warmly,

Ariel

Ariel with former Somerset Ward Councillor Catherine McKenney, celebrating Lunar New Year in Chinatown.

Partnership with Bloomberg Foundation gives downtown revitalization a boost

Last week, I had the opportunity of a lifetime to meet with the team from Bloomberg Cities, including visionary Janette Sadik-Kahn. They were in town consulting with city staff and the Somerset Ward team on how to make downtown Ottawa safer, easier to navigate and more dynamic. This is part of a partnership between the City of Ottawa and the Bloomberg Foundation.

Janette and her co-worker Seth Solomonow are known for their bestselling book, Streetfight: Handbook for an Urban Revolution. Both led initiatives in New York City to pedestrianize Times Square, create urban plazas in dozens of neighbourhoods, and establish CitiBike, NYC’s wildly successful bike sharing program.

Over three days, we walked through Centretown and Chinatown together, discussing improvements we can make to the downtown public realm and to pedestrian and cycling infrastructure. We are working on an action plan to make downtown Ottawa cleaner, greener, more safe and more fun. This work is being done in collaboration with local Business Improvement Associations and community groups. My office will reach out to the community when we have a draft action plan ready to discuss. I can’t wait.

Councillor Troster with Janette Sadik-Kahn

Resources for the trans community

The political climate has been absolutely brutal for the trans community lately, with more and more terrible news coming from the U.S. The City of Ottawa remains committed to equity, diversity and inclusion. To the trans people in Ottawa: we are here for you and committed to your safety and full participation in the life of our city.

If you are struggling with the news or looking for an affirming community, please reach out to any of these organizations:

Counselling Connect offers free individual counselling and support groups and is affirming of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
The Ottawa Trans Library is a free lending library that also offers social and games groups, as well as community resources.
Kind Space is a 2SLGBTQIA+ community centre, offering drop-in groups, counselling and activities.
The Ten Oaks Project runs summer camps, leadership programs and trans-friendly swim nights.
Around the Rainbow (a program of Family Services Ottawa) provides education, counselling and support services to 2SLGBTQI+ families and individuals.

Councillor Troster with Councillor Leiper

Parkdale Food Centre: 200 for 200
$200 could provide food to 5 people for a week! If 200 people gifted their provincial rebate, the Parkdale Food Centre would raise $40,000! Enough to share nutritious and delicious food with 3200 neighbours for two months!

Learn more about the Parkdale Food Centre and donate online here.

Doing the groundwork: preparing your home's landscape for severe weather

When: Thursday March 6, 2025 | 7:00 to 9:00 pm | Via Zoom
Cost: $25.00

Is your older home's landscape ready to face extreme weather events? Do you have mature trees and established gardens you want to safeguard?

Extreme weather events are a climate change reality that we will all be facing with increasing regularity. Find out what you can do yourself to mitigate damage, and when professional advice is needed to understand and prepare your property.

This 2-hour online workshop will cover a range of topics related to how weather impacts the outside of your home, including:

Design and management of rainwater flow
What rain gardens and permeable pavements are all about
Prudent care of trees and shrubs using prep & support systems

A useful list of online resources will also be provided.

For more information and to register: https://heritageottawa.org/events/heritage-ottawa-workshops

Downtown BIA

The Sparks Street BIA now operates under the new brand Downtown BIA, following a successful boundary expansion as of January 1, 2025.

The four main pillars of the BIA support objectives to grow the commercial, community and cultural outlook of the downtown core as part of broader revitalization initiatives.

Learn more about the new Downtown BIA here!

Centretown Cold Plunge

The Centretown Cold Plunge is Ottawa’s boldest winter challenge, hosted by the Centretown BIA at Uncommon in Snider Plaza. From February 14–16, 2025, participants will enjoy saunas and take an icy dive into freezing waters to raise funds for two vital community organizations: Centre 507 and the Centretown Community Health Centre.

Learn more and sign up online here.

Cold weather resources from Ottawa Public Health: Who to call for help and information

Call 2-1-1 for information about drop in centres, community and health resource centres, food banks and community food programs, winter clothing, financial assistance with utilities and a list of Out of the Cold locations with free meals, snacks and drop-ins. The 211 service is provided by Community Navigation of Eastern Ontario.
Call 3-1-1 to get referred to the best available shelter, or to get assistance for someone who needs transportation to get out of the cold. The City's 3-1-1 Line is available to respond to calls 24 hours a day. Calls are answered by the City of Ottawa Call Centre on a priority basis and referred to appropriate service providers.
Call 8-1-1 Health Connect Ontario for non-emergency medical advice.
Call 9-1-1 for medical emergency assistance such as hypothermia.

Dealing with a mental health or substance use crisis? Call 211 for compassionate crisis support.

The Alternate Neighbourhood Crisis Response (ANCHOR) program is a mobile crisis service, intended to approach mental health and substance use crises from a trauma-informed and culturally relevant care perspective.

The dedicated Crisis Response Team (CRT) will support individuals experiencing a variety of complex health needs, where emergency responder interventions may not be appropriate or beneficial.

The ANCHOR team will respond to non-emergency situations in the area between the Ottawa River (north), Rideau Canal (east), Trans-Canada Highway 417 (south) and Preston Street (west).