Despite passing the amended budget directions for 2026, many councillors remain divided about proposed transit fare increases and caps on full-time employment at Ottawa City Hall. Read MoreThe budget directions, first unveiled in August, pitched a property tax hike of around 3.75 per cent and an increase in transit fares of between 2.5 per cent and 7.5 per cent.
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The budget directions, first unveiled in August, pitched a property tax hike of around 3.75 per cent and an increase in transit fares of between 2.5 per cent and 7.5 per cent.
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Despite passing the amended budget directions for 2026, many councillors remain divided about proposed transit fare increases and caps on full-time employment at Ottawa City Hall.
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The budget directions, first unveiled in August, pitch a property tax hike of around 3.75 per cent. This includes an increase of 2.9 per cent for most city operations and programs and commits to “significant” investments in public transit and public safety. It also includes the largest increase to the Ottawa Police Service budget in 15 years.
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Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said on Wednesday that Ottawa residents didn’t want to see “Toronto-style” tax increases. Earlier this year, that city’s council passed an $18.8-billion budget with a 6.9-per-cent property tax hike.
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The Evening Citizen
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Sutcliffe said Ottawa’s budget directions would find savings and efficiencies while also investing more money in city services and other priorities, such as transit and public safety. Any additional revenue generated through growth and savings would be reinvested in the community.
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“I hear from residents in the community about their experiences with their own personal budgets, and … how they have to tighten their belts and trim their family budgets and how they make decisions as families, as couples. I think we have to do the same, and I think the work we’ve done at the city is consistent to that objective and what families are going through in our communities,” the mayor told reporters at a news conference after Wednesday’s meeting.
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Some councillors slammed the budget direction report, saying it was an austerity budget that would have long-term consequences for low-income and vulnerable Ottawans.
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“We’re being told that, despite having to serve more people and more complexity, we can manage in the same way we’ve managed for 20 years. This is not a new problem,” College ward Coun. Laine Johnson said. “People are getting more cynical and more snappy about the City of Ottawa and our employees than I expected in years passed. And I think it’s because our residents are realizing they are not getting the value for what they’re paying for.”
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Transit fare cap amendment rejected
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The report also called for an increase in transit fares of between 2.5 per cent and 7.5 per cent, something many councillors criticized at Wednesday’s meeting.
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Gloucester-Southgate ward Coun. Jessica Bradley moved an amendment that would have capped transit-fare increases at 2.9 per cent, if passed. Transit users already faced fare increases over the past year of five per cent for adult fares and 18 per cent for senior fares, a recent decision to eliminate youth fares and higher student pass costs.
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The proposed transit fare increase cap would still align with city-wide tax increases while keeping transit service affordable, Johnson added.
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That amendment was defeated 13-11.
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“I understand that budgets are difficult. We all want our city to thrive and we want to deliver for our communities, but we also have to be mindful of affordability,” Bradley said.
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“Transit fares and keeping them reasonable is all about affordability. That’s what my motion is about: keeping the city affordable.
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“The cost of a transit pass is a real line item in households from Kanata to Orléans … For me and for my residents and many residents across the city, 2.9 per cent is the upper limit of what I would consider supporting.”
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Many councillors agreed. River ward Coun. Riley Brockington said he would not support a transit fare increase of 7.5 per cent. “Our passengers cannot absorb another increase that is above the rate of inflation,” he said.
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Others, like Stittsville ward Coun. Glen Gower, were hesitant to the idea of a cap. He said there were still too many unknowns to consider, like the federal government’s return-to-office mandate and government funding for public transit.
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“I think having a range of potential fare increases, potential tax levy increases for transit makes sense. It gives staff the opportunity to come back with a range of options,” Gower said.
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“Our transit is still growing and it will need to grow as our city grows … Let’s have staff come back to us and explain what the trade-offs are with a 2.5-per-cent increase or a 2.9-per-cent increase or a five-per-cent fare increase.”
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Cap on full-time employment
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Rideau-Jock ward Coun. David Brown moved an amendment to cap the number of full-time equivalent positions (FTEs) in the city’s 2026 budget to 17,105.
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The amendment would also direct the city manager’s office to conduct a review of management positions (general manager, director, manager, program manager, etc.) to “identify potential operational efficiencies by increasing the span of control of these positions.”
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The Ottawa Paramedic Service, Ottawa Fire Services, bylaw and regulatory services, the Ottawa Police Service, Ottawa Public Health, Ottawa Public Library, transit and other mandated statutory positions would be exempt from the cap.
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Brown’s amendment passed 14-10.
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“I think it’s important that we take stock of the economic realities of the city and our residents. What we are proposing here is moderate, it is reasonable,” Brown said. “I want to make sure, as we go forward, residents have a clear understanding that, although we are asking for more, we are going to look internally to find some of these savings.
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“I understand that we need to spend, and I understand that there are investments across this city that residents want to see funded … We have to look at doing more with what we have. We have to make sure that we are putting a face on, that they know we understand that they’re going through a tough time and that we’re doing everything we can to reduce those burdens.”
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Beacon Hill-Cyrville ward Coun. Tim Tierney said nobody wanted to see positions slashed, but he was willing to have a discussion after the city manager’s office reported back on what that would look like.
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“I think there’s an expectation from the public specifically, based on the climate, that we really get into the weeds … We cut all those people before, and that wasn’t a fun time, but the numbers have gone back up again,” he said.
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Kitchissippi ward Coun. Jeff Leiper said Brown’s amendment was “alarming.”
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“In multiple spheres of city activity, it is becoming clear to me that staff are simply spread too thin,” he said. “I don’t want to think about what caps we need to put in place until we’ve thought about how many staff we need to do the work that needs to get done.”
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Bay ward Coun. Theresa Kavanagh also raised concerns about Brown’s amendment, saying social services and planning departments were essential.
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“This is the work that we need, desperately … The money we spend on social services — we have award-winning people working with our youth — is a priority, and I’m worried about losing that funding,” she said.
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The budget for 2026 is expected to be before council in mid-November.
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With files from Aedan Helmer
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