(This post was originally published on my Substack newsletter.)

Over the past few weeks, the City of Ottawa has released several reports and datasets on housing and homelessness in our city. Here’s a quick round-up:

1) 2024 Housing Needs Assessment – This report describes the current and projected housing needs of Ottawa in the coming years. All municipalities with more than 30,000 people are required to complete an HNA to be eligible for federal funding related to housing and infrastructure. Some top level findings:

• Ottawa is experiencing a substantial shift toward rental housing, driven largely by declining access to homeownership.
• Housing affordability in Ottawa is declining, driven by rental costs rising substantially faster than household incomes.
• Ottawa’s restricted rental market and rising eviction rates push more households into increasingly unstable housing situations.
• Older adults, single-parent families, and low-income households in Ottawa face growing vulnerability within the housing market.
• Indigenous people are over-representation in homelessness, and racialized groups over-represented in housing instability.

2) 2024 Housing and Homelessness Plan Progress Update – an annual report showing progress so far in the 10-year plan, which spans 2020-2030. Staff are now updating the plan and are inviting public feedback through the Engage Ottawa site.

3) Housing approvals dashboard – Staff launched new and more detailed dashboard in late July. It shows a running tally of housing approvals, building permits issued, and CMHC housing starts. It’s broken down by quarter and there’s data available ward-by-ward as well. There’s also tracking of approval timelines for zoning and site plan applications.

4) Finally, I’ve updated my quarterly housing affordability dashboard. I’ve taken out the data around housing starts because it’s now easily accessible in the housing approvals dashboard. My City Council colleague Jeff Leiper also keeps track with some handy charts at kitchissippiward.ca.

Links to sources

• CMHC Housing Market Information Portal
• Zonda Urban Q2-2025 report summary
• Rentals.ca National Rent Report
• Statistics Canada Canadian Income Survey (via CMHC)
• City of Ottawa Housing Needs Assessment Dashboard

Please contact me with any questions about data or sources. Does anyone know of a more up-to-date source of household income data?

The post NOTEBOOK: Data and dashboards about housing affordability in Ottawa appeared first on Glen Gower | Councillor / Conseiller | Stittsville.

The chart above is based on data reported by Stittsville residents in the 2021 Census. We’ve also extrapolated the 2022 and 2023 housing numbers based on a mid-year household estimate from City of Ottawa planners.

There are at least 18,800 households in Stittsville today (population 52,820) including homes and apartments. In recent years we’ve added roughly 1,000 homes and apartments each year to the community. Stittsville has been one of the fastest growing areas in Ottawa over the past 10-15 years.

Nearly half – or 44% – of all homes have been built since 2016, so it’s a safe bet that about half of Stittsville’s population did not live here a decade ago.  And by my estimate, nearly a third of Stittsville residents have lived in Stittsville for five years or less.

We’ve taken screen shots of aerial photography from GeoOttawa to illustrate where and when growth has happened in Stittsville since the 1980s.

Before the 1980s, Stittsville was built up mostly along Stittsville Main Street, south of what’s now Abbott Street. There were a few streets starting to sprout off of Beverly, and the Fringewood North and South neighbourhoods were well underway. A handful of other homes were built near Hazeldean and Carp Road. Significant community buildings like Johnny Leroux Arena and the Pretty Street Community Centre were built before 1980. Goulbourn Township gave the green light to bring water and sewer service to Stittsville in the 1970s which opened the door to significant growth in the coming decades.

By 1991 construction was well underway in the Crossing Bridge neighbourhood, Wyldewood and Amberwood were well-established, and streets like Victor, Savage, Hartin and Joseph Circle were built up. Most of what we now call “Old Stittsville” was complete. The business park on Iber Road was starting to fill up with buildings and warehouses. The Queensway (Highway 417) was extended past Eagleson in the 1980s which made the Village of Stittsville more accessible from urban Ottawa. The last VIA Rail train travelled through Stittsville in January 1990.

Between 1991-2002, new Stittsville neighbourhoods included Bryanston Gate, Forest Creek, and the start of Amberlakes and Granite Ridge. There were homes along several streets on the north part of West Ridge.  Crossing Bridge was fully built-out, as were most of the streets around Brae Crescent (then known as Elm Crescent) and on the other side of Stittsville Main.  Canadian Tire Centre opened in 1996 (originally part of Kanata). The Goulbourn Recreation Centre (now CARDELREC–Goulbourn) opened in 2000 and so did the Sterling Howie Firehall (Station 81 on Stittsville Main) and the new library next door. By around 2000, the old train tracks through Stittsville were removed and replaced by the Trans Canada Trail.

From 2002-2011, we saw neighbourhoods like Timbermere, Echowoods, Jackson Trails, and Granite Ridge fully built out, and the start of subdivisions like Fairwinds in the north and Hartsmere to the south. More and more homes were being built along West Ridge, from top to bottom. The new police station on Huntmar opened in 2010. Hazeldean Road was urbanized and expanded to four lanes around 2009, bringing with it a number of big box stores north of Hazeldean Road.

2011-2021 saw growth in almost every direction, including Fairwinds-Poole Creek, Potter’s Key, the rest of the Hartsmere subdivision, and more homes along Parade in the south. All the streets along West Ridge were completed, including the new Porter Place neighbourhood. The decade also saw the start of construction in the Fernbank area, in neighbourhoods including Blackstone, Fernbank Crossing, Westwood, and Abbottsville Crossing.  Construction was just starting for new neighbourhoods like Kanata Connections, Mapleton, and Bradley Commons.  Fire Station 46 opened on Iber Road in 2011.

What to expect in the next few years

Over the next five years or so we’ll see more construction in the Fernbank area, including Shea Village and Idylea, more phases for Westwood, and the start of the Abbott’s Run neighbourhood.  Families have just started moving into the Bradley Commons neighbourhood along Hazeldean Road, and communities such as Mapleton and Kanata Connections will continue to grow.

We’ll also see more apartments being built primarily along Hazeldean Road, Stittsville Main Street, Huntmar, and Robert Grant Avenue.

Even further into the future, we’ll see development in urban expansion areas on the outskirts of Stittsville, including land west of Timbermere, and land south of Edenwylde all the way to Flewellyn Road. We’ll likely see more houses north of Potter’s Key / Jackson Trails, and development of new industrial lands south of the 417. (see map below)

At this rate of growth, in 20 years we could reach nearly 30,000 households and a population of over 75,000, along with more schools, retail, and employment areas.

Stittsville urban expansion areas from the new Official Plan

Carnet de notes : croissance de la population de Stittsville au cours des 50 dernières années

Le graphique ci-dessus est basé sur les données déclarées par les résidents de Stittsville lors du Recensement de 2021. Nous avons également extrapolé les chiffres du logement pour 2022 et 2023 sur la base d’une estimation des ménages en milieu d’année réalisée par les urbanistes de la Ville d’Ottawa.

Aujourd’hui, Stittsville (52 820 résidents) compte au moins 18 800 ménages, dont des maisons et des appartements. Ces dernières années, nous avons ajouté environ 1 000 maisons et appartements par an à la communauté. Stittsville est l’un des quartiers d’Ottawa qui a connu la croissance la plus rapide au cours des 10 à 15 dernières années.

Près de la moitié – ou 44 % plus exactement – de toutes les maisons ont été construites depuis 2016. Il y a donc fort à parier qu’environ la moitié de la population de Stittsville n’y vivait pas il y a dix ans. D’après mes estimations, près d’un tiers des habitants de Stittsville y vivent depuis cinq ans ou moins.

Nous avons pris des captures d’écran de la photographie aérienne de geoOttawa pour illustrer où et quand la croissance s’est produite à Stittsville depuis les années 1980.

Avant les années 1980, Stittsville était construit principalement le long de la rue principale de Stittsville, au sud de ce qui est aujourd’hui la rue Abbott. Quelques rues commençaient à sortir de Beverly, et les secteurs de Fringewood North et d’Ottawa-Sud étaient déjà bien avancés. Une poignée d’autres maisons ont été construites près du chemin Hazeldean et de chemin Carp. D’importants bâtiments communautaires comme l’Aréna communautaire de Stittsville Johnny-Leroux et le Centre communautaire de la rue Pretty ont été construits avant 1980. Dans les années 1970, le canton de Goulbourn a donné le feu vert à l’installation des services d’eau et d’égout à Stittsville, ce qui a ouvert la voie à une croissance importante au cours des décennies suivantes.

En 1991, la construction était bien avancée dans les secteurs de Crossing Bridge, Wyldewood et Amberwood étaient bien établis, et des rues comme Victor, Savage, Hartin et Joseph Circle étaient construites. La majeure partie de ce que nous appelons aujourd’hui « Vieux-Stittsville » était achevée. Le parc d’affaires du chemin Iber commençait à se remplir de bâtiments et d’entrepôts. Le Queensway (autoroute 417) a été prolongé au-delà d’Eagleson dans les années 1980, ce qui a rendu le village de Stittsville plus accessible depuis l’agglomération d’Ottawa. Le dernier train de VIA Rail est passé par Stittsville en janvier 1990.

Entre 1991-2002, les nouveaux secteurs de Stittsville comprenaient le parc Bryanston Gate, la promenade Forest Creek et le début de la promenade Amberlakes et de la promenade Granite Ridge. Il y avait des maisons le long de plusieurs rues dans la partie nord de West Ridge. Le lotissement de Crossing Bridge était entièrement construit, tout comme la plupart des rues autour du croissant Brae (alors connu sous le nom de croissant Elm) et de l’autre côté de la rue Stittsville Main. Le Centre Canadian Tire a ouvert ses portes en 1996 (il faisait à l’origine partie de Kanata). Le Complexe récréatif Goulbourn (aujourd’hui le Complexe récréatif CARDELREC-Goulbourn) a ouvert ses portes en 2000, tout comme la caserne de pompiers Sterling Howie (Station 81 sur la rue Stittsville Main) et la nouvelle bibliothèque située juste à côté. Vers l’an 2000, les anciennes voies ferrées qui traversaient Stittsville ont été enlevées et remplacées par le Sentier transcanadien.

Entre 2002 et 2011, nous avons vu des secteurs comme Timbermere, Echowoods, Jackson Trails et Granite Ridge entièrement construits, et le début de lotissements comme Fairwinds au nord et Hartsmere au sud. De plus en plus de maisons sont construites le long de West Ridge, de haut en bas. Le nouveau poste de police de Huntmar a ouvert ses portes en 2010. Le chemin Hazeldean a été urbanisé et élargi à quatre voies vers 2009, entraînant avec elle un certain nombre de grandes surfaces au nord du chemin Hazeldean.

La période de 2011 à 2021 a connu une croissance dans presque tous les sens, y compris les secteurs Fairwinds-Poole, Potter’s Key, le reste du lotissement Hartsmere, et plus de maisons le long de Parade au sud. Toutes les rues le long de West Ridge ont été achevées, y compris le nouveau secteur de Porter Place. La décennie a également vu le début de la construction dans la zone de Fernbank, dans des secteurs comme Blackstone, Fernbank Crossing, Westwood et Abbottsville Crossing. La construction de nouveaux secteurs comme Kanata Connections, Mapleton et Bradley Commons venait de commencer. La caserne de pompiers 46 a ouvert ses portes sur le chemin Iber en 2011.

À QUOI S’ATTENDRE DANS LES PROCHAINES ANNÉES

Au cours des cinq prochaines années environ, nous verrons davantage de constructions dans la zone de Fernbank, notamment les lotissements Shea Village et Idylea, d’autres phases pour le secteur Westwood et le début du secteur d’Abbott’s Run. Des familles viennent de commencer à s’installer dans le secteur de Bradley Commons, le long du chemin Hazeldean, et des communautés comme Mapleton et Kanata Connections continueront à se développer.

Nous verrons également davantage d’appartements construits principalement le long du chemin Hazeldean, de la rue Stittsville Main, de la promenade Huntmar et de l’avenue Robert Grant.

Dans un avenir encore plus lointain, nous verrons se développer les secteurs d’expansion urbaine à la périphérie de Stittsville, notamment les terrains situés à l’ouest du lotissement Timbermere et ceux situés au sud du lotissement Edenwylde, jusqu’au chemin Flewellyn. Nous verrons probablement plus de maisons au nord des secteurs Potter’s Key et Jackson Trails, et le développement de nouveaux terrains industriels au sud de la 417. (voir carte ci-dessous)

À ce rythme de croissance, nous pourrions atteindre dans 20 ans près de 30 000 ménages et une population de plus de 75 000 résidents, ainsi que plus d’écoles, de commerces et de secteurs d’emploi.

Secteur d’expansion urbaine de Stittsville selon le nouveau plan officiel.

The post NOTEBOOK: Population growth in Stittsville over the last 50 years appeared first on Glen Gower | Councillor / Conseiller | Stittsville.

OC Transpo has recently received feedback from customers and Councillors regarding issues with the real-time arrival times provided by the OC Transpo iPhone app and other independent apps. Customers have noticed that, at times, some apps were not showing GPS-adjusted arrival times for their routes.

First, some words on how our current system predicts arrivals based on the position of a bus. The system activates when the bus starts a trip. From that point on, the arrival time is predicted from the actual location of the bus plus the scheduled travel time from that point to the stop a customer is asking about. Predictions are possible after the bus has left the first stop. For that reason, if a customer is at one of the first few stops along a route, they will not see GPS-adjusted times until shortly before the bus arrives at their stop.

Our open data server receives more than four million data requests every weekday, or about 1.2 billion per year, and this continues to increase. We are pleased that so many customers are using apps that take advantage of the real-time data that we publish. The volume of data requests is highest during peak periods and especially when transit service is delayed by heavy traffic or snowfall. But the volume of data requests sometimes exceeds the capacity of the network infrastructure we have in place to respond to requests.

When the volume of requests exceeds the capacity to provide the real-time data, this can occasionally cause the OC Transpo app and the in-station transit information screens to show only scheduled times. Independent apps may show only scheduled times, may show error messages, or may require multiple requests to the server to retrieve real-time data, depending on how they were programmed by the independent developer.

Staff have been monitoring the volume of data requests as they continue to increase and have been taking steps to increase the capacity of the server to respond to all requests. We are working internally and with the developers of the independent apps to optimize requests to the server and to make the system more efficient and reliable for customers, regardless of which application they use to get transit information. We are also working over the next few weeks to upgrade our system hardware and software to better accommodate increased server loads. As well, after O-Train Line 1, the Confederation Line, has opened, staff will work on transitioning to a new real-time information system that has been in development for some time and will better manage the millions of daily requests to the server.

Please note that while there have been intermittent issues with providing real-time information to customers, our internal tracking of buses using GPS is not affected. The 560-1000 phone service is also not affected and continues to provide real-time schedule information to customers.

We remain committed to providing customers with the best available transit information possible and appreciate your patience as we work to improve the reliability of one of our most important and popular customer information tools.

The post UPDATE: Upgrades coming soon to improve OC Transpo GPS data appeared first on Glen Gower | Councillor / Conseiller | Stittsville.