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Ottawa’s Draft Budget 2026, which was tabled today at City Council, invests in the services residents rely on every day, and the key priorities that make Ottawa a safe, reliable and affordable city. Draft Budget 2026 proposes a $5.2 billion operating budget and a capital budget of $1.9 billion. Some key priority investments include:

  • Enhancing emergency services response times
  • Providing reliable water and sewer infrastructure systems
  • Safer and reliable mobility – enhancing roadways, sidewalks, cycling lanes and transit
  • Building more affordable homes and supporting vulnerable residents

The City continues its commitment to fiscal responsibility by presenting a budget that focuses on affordability with an overall net tax increase at 3.75 per cent. The average urban and suburban homeowner would pay an additional $166 per year, while the average rural homeowner would pay an additional $93 per year.

Enhancing safety and emergency services 

Draft Budget 2026 is investing in our emergency services to enhance Fire Services, Paramedic Service and By-law and Regulatory Services response times and provide the tools they need to help our residents. This includes $3.3 million for 23 new paramedics and additional by-law and regulatory services personnel, and $3.6 million to replace breathing devices for firefighters. Draft Budget 2026 is also seeing one of the largest increases in funding for the Ottawa Police Service in the City’s history, which will enable the service to hire 25 new officers.

This budget also invests $1.6 million in the ByWard Market streetscaping renewal which supports revitalization of a key special district and improving economic activity, safety, and tourism as identified in the City’s Strategic Plan and Economic Development Strategy and Action Plan. Draft Budget 2026 also includes $700,000 to accelerate the expansion of Alternate Neighbourhood Crisis Response (ANCHOR) in 2026.

Reliable water infrastructure 

We are continuing to ensure high standards for water, wastewater and stormwater systems to support public health, environmental protection and quality of life for residents. This includes $87.2 million invested in wastewater treatment renewal at the Robert O. Pickard Environmental Centre, $12.7 million for the Storm and Surface Water Rehabilitation program and $3.6 million for the Rural Ditching program.

Reliable and safer mobility 

Draft Budget 2026 is making investments to enhance roadway, cycling and pedestrian infrastructure to promote greater safety and mobility. Draft Budget 2026 invests $135 million in roadway resurfacing and preservation. This brings road resurfacing investments made in this Term of Council to $533 million, which is $178 million more, or an increase of 50 per cent over the last term. The budget also invests $25.4 million to rehabilitate sidewalks. That brings total sidewalk investments during this Term of Council to $65 million, which is a 77 per cent increase over the previous term.

This Term of Council also approved a new Transportation Master Plan to support safe, connected and accessible travel across our growing city. The Draft Budget 2026 will begin to bring this plan to life with investments in priority corridors, including Carp Road ($20.4 million), Greenbank Road re-alignment ($56.1 million), Brian Coburn widening ($3.1 million) and Stittsville Main Street extension ($1 million).

In addition, we are investing $938.7 million into our transit budget to operate the extension of O-Train Line 1 to Trim Station, introducing on-demand transit services, maintaining and improving service reliability, supporting safety and security, and introducing new buses including zero-emission battery-electric buses.

Building affordable housing and supporting vulnerable residents 

We continue to build a more affordable city, supporting some of Ottawa’s most vulnerable residents. Draft Budget 2026 invests $23.25 million to help build more affordable housing, including projects like phase two of Rochester Heights and the Multifaith Housing initiatives at LeBreton Flats. This funding will enable the construction of approximately 350 affordable units in 2026. This brings capital investments in affordable housing in this Term of Council to $105 million, which is 133 per cent more than the $45.2 million invested in the previous term.

The budget also increases the annual investment in social housing by $2.8 million and will provide $2.18 million for essential health and social supports for vulnerable residents, particularly low-income seniors.

Want to learn more?  

The full Draft Budget 2026 report is available online on the City’s Draft Budget 2026 webpage. For those who prefer to view budget information in a more data-focused way, keep an eye out for the Budget Explorer, which will be released in the coming days. To learn more about how the budget is created and more of our key investments, check out the Budget Magazine.

What’s next

Draft Budget 2026 was shaped by your priorities and there are more opportunities to continue to have your say. The budget will be reviewed by all Standing Committees in the coming weeks, then considered by Council on Wednesday, December 10. Residents are encouraged to share their views throughout this process:

  • Registering as a public delegate to present at a budget review meeting of any standing committee, board or commission. Visit the Draft Budget 2026 webpage for meeting dates.

Three ways that you can share your feedback:

1) Take our budget survey
This is a quick 5-question survey for Stittsville residents to help us understand what’s important to you. Click here…

2) Attend one of our pop-up events
We’re holding “pop-up” events around Stittsville on November 8, 22, and 29 where you can drop in and share your feedback and questions about the budget, or any other local issue that’s on your mind.

Saturday, November 8 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Browns’ Your Independent Grocer Stittsville (1251 Stittsville Main St)

Saturday, November 22 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
No Frills (30 Iber Road)

Saturday, November 29 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Farm Boy (6315 Hazeldean Road at Carp Road)

3) Contact us
You can always share your feedback by email or phone. Here’s how to contact Councillor Glen…

 

Vous pouvez exprimer votre point de vue de trois façons :

1) Répondez à notre sondage sur le budget
Il s’agit d’un bref sondage formé de cinq questions qui sera effectué auprès des résidents de Stittsville; cela nous permettra de mieux comprendre ce qui compte pour vous. Cliquez ici.

2) Assistez à l’une de nos séances d’information ponctuelles
Nous tiendrons des séances d’information « ponctuelles » dans Stittsville les 8, 22 et 29 novembre. Vous pourrez vous y présenter pour exprimer vos commentaires et poser vos questions sur le budget, ou sur tout autre enjeu local qui vous préoccupe.

Samedi 8 novembre, de 10 h à midi au magasin Browns’ Your Independent Grocer Stittsville (1251, rue Stittsville Main)
Samedi 22 novembre, de 10 h à midi au magasin No Frills (30, chemin Iber)
Samedi 29 novembre, de 10 h à midi au magasin Farm Boy (6315 chemin Hazeldean)

 

3) Communiquez avec nous
Vous pouvez toujours donner votre rétroaction par courriel ou par téléphone. Voici comment communiquer avec le conseiller Glen Gower.