Pellerin: City of Ottawa faces crises it didn’t create

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How’s your 2025 so far? Me, I look at the political tea leaves at the provincial, federal and international levels and worry about what this will mean for our city’s ability to deal with its increasingly difficult challenges. It feels like Ottawa is a cork floating on very angry seas, with little control over where we go. We’ll have to tap into our strategic reserves of kindness to get through this.

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You don’t have to go far to see what problems we have to deal with at the local level, including some that shouldn’t just be the responsibility of municipalities such as Ottawa. In his year-end interviews, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe has outlined what we’re up against.

Starting with a transit crisis, and that $120-million hole in the $825-million OC Transpo budget for 2025. We’ve pencilled in a $36-million contribution from upper levels of government that’s not guaranteed and while Sutcliffe says he’s heard encouraging noises from federal representatives, there is still no cash.

By law, Ontario municipalities must have balanced budgets. And because of their constitutional status as creatures of the provinces, cities are limited in how they can raise money. Property taxes and user fees are pretty much it. Plus fines, I guess. But no city income tax or sales tax. Only the province and the feds can raise those.

Which is where I stick my neck out and say that since we live in a world where the president-elect of the United States can openly talk about taking over various other countries, maybe my idea of getting rid of provinces in Canada isn’t so crazy? Imagine what we could do at the municipal level if we could tax residents properly and fairly and taxpayers had one fewer level of government to fund. What if it were just the feds and municipalities?

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… maybe my idea of getting rid of provinces in Canada isn’t so crazy?

In the meantime, the mayor is stuck asking the other two governments for money, especially hard in an election year. Nothing unites people from outside the national capital region like assuming that Ottawa the city is rich because the federal government, situated here, has money.

If we don’t fill that $120-million hole in the OC Transpo budget, the mayor said, we’ll have to make some tough decisions. Given how poorly the system performs now, I shudder to think how wretched it is about to become. On the plus side, that may just be the winning argument in favour of permanent remote work.

Maybe it’s time to revive spontaneous carpooling like we had during the last transit strike? Is there enough kindness in our strategic reserves to cover that? Especially considering our many other challenges, including affordable housing, homelessness and the drug crisis, responsible for so many lives lost.

In addition to unhoused people, the city is also struggling to deal with about 600 newcomers living (if that’s the word) in temporary shelters, including community centres that are off-limits to everyone else. That’s why we need those “Sprung” tent structures and a proper welcoming centre for migrants who have nowhere else to go.

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As Sutcliffe rightly pointed out, the city does not decide immigration levels or where newcomers to the country end up. But it has to provide basic services to them anyway because nobody else does.

Meanwhile in Gatineau, a new community, Village Transitiôn near Centre Robert-Guertin, just opened. It’s made of shipping containers capable of welcoming up to 100 people who are currently without a home. Developer Devcor spearheaded this project, which sets the rent for those units at 25 to 35 per cent of residents’ income.

A wonderful initiative, yes. But one we should not need. And therein lies our challenge. We can continue patching up problems, or we can start thinking seriously about structural solutions such as demanding that the administration closest to us be allowed the financial means to deal with our local challenges.

In the meantime, let’s remember that how we treat those around us who need kindness and empathy says more about who we are than any government does.

Happy new year, Ottawa. Let’s make it the best we can.

Brigitte Pellerin (they/them) is an Ottawa writer.

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