2021 Municipal Budget

Aberdeen Pavilion Restoration 

Whereas the City of Ottawa is planning to undertake a renewal project of the Aberdeen Pavilion, including urgent repairs to the roof, structural components, and building envelope, in 2022;

Whereas, given the COVID-19 pandemic, there are no events booked in the Aberdeen Pavilion for the foreseeable future;

Whereas the repairs are expected to take approximately 1 year; and

Whereas the repairs will make the building more environmentally friendly,

Be it resolved that the GCA, as part of its 2021 municipal budget submissions and other advocacy efforts, requests that Ottawa City Council move forward with the planned renewal of the Aberdeen Pavilion (estimated at $11 million), including urgent repairs to the roof, structural components, and building envelope, in 2021, with provisions made for the farmers’ market while the building is under construction.

Tree Protection By-law

Whereas trees are a critical resource for cities and never more so than in this era of accelerating climate change;

Whereas Ottawa’s “green infrastructure” serves a central role in building climate resiliency;

Whereas the new Tree Protection By-law, approved by Council in January and to come into effect in two phases, contains provisions designed to protect and grow our urban forest;

Whereas, due to COVID-19, implementation of phase one was delayed from May 2020 to January 2021 and, in the meantime, trees which could have been protected under the new By-law are being felled to make way for infill and redevelopment

Whereas, as the staff report makes clear, the By-law needs additional staffing to succeed (three additional staff for Phase one, up to five additional staff for Phase two); and,

Whereas without adequate and appropriate resources, the education, monitoring, management and enforcement activities essential to delivering on the promise of the by-law – to retain, protect and grow the urban forest – will be impossible.

Be it resolved that the GCA, as part of its 2021 municipal budget submission and other advocacy efforts, urges Ottawa City Council to provide all necessary resources to implement both phases of the Tree Protection By-law, in particular all resources needed to extend protection to urban centre trees of 30cm diameter and up (formerly 50cm).

Energy Evolution

Whereas the reality of climate change becomes more evident to citizens daily and increasingly affects us all.

Be it resolved that the GCA,  as part of its 2021 municipal budget submission and other advocacy efforts, urges Ottawa City Council to bring a climate lens to bear on all its operations and all of the multi-year Master Plans now being developed – Transportation, Solid Waste and Greenspace, as well as the Official Plan – and halt all city spending on fossil fuel infrastructure where non-fossil fuel alternatives exist.

Be it also resolved that the GCA supports the Energy Evolution (EE) Strategy and Climate Change Master Plan, and, as part of its 2021 municipal budget submission and other advocacy efforts, urges:

1. that budget 2021 provide sufficient operational resources to begin the process of implementing the 20 EE projects with urgency, including an increase of FTEs staffing for the Climate Change and Resiliency Unit;

2. that budget 2021 allocate $5M for implementation of the EE Strategy, representing roughly a doubling of the climate budget in 2020, and move the source of this budget from the surplus Hydro dividends to the budget proper;

3. that staff be directed to leverage climate and green/clean infrastructure funds from all available sources, including senior governments and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), private and philanthropic, international and community sources to fund EE projects;

4. that the City develop a chapter in the City’s long-range financial plan for making the capital investments that EE calls for, and devise a financial vehicle for municipal climate project finance; and,

5. that the City divest the City Endowment Fund (valued at approximately $190M in Sept. 2020) from investment vehicles that include fossil fuel investments, with a preference to re-investing these funds locally, in renewable energy and capitalizing the municipalities’ climate capital corporation for climate investments that have a positive return over the life of the EE Strategy.

Glebe Parks

Be it resolved that the Glebe Community Association, as part of its 2021 municipal budget submission and other advocacy efforts, emphasize the important role that parks have played in enabling residents to get outside for fresh air and exercise during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Affordable Housing

Whereas Ottawa declared an affordable housing and homelessness emergency in January;

Whereas the GCA advocated for $15 million to go towards affordable housing in the 2019 budget, above and beyond federal and provincial grants.

Whereas the GCA advocated for an inclusionary zoning by-law that makes 10% of new development affordable, with deeply affordable housing within 1 km of rapid transit stations (Feb 2019); and,

Whereas despite significant investments from the City in 2019 and 2020 budgets, there are still 12,000 households on the Centralized Waiting List for affordable housing.

Be it resolved that the GCA, as part of its 2021 municipal budget submission and other advocacy efforts, urges the City of Ottawa to:

1. Commit at least $20 million in Budget 2021 of City funding, over and above federal and provincial grants, to build new affordable housing near rapid transit stations;

2. Pass a strong citywide inclusionary zoning by-law that ensures 25% of new development is dedicated to affordable housing and places a special emphasis on deeply affordable housing within 1 km of rapid transit stations; and,

3. Ensure that all available government-owned land within 1 km of current & future rapid transit stations is used for non-profit and co-op housing (and that the City provide land to the newly established Land Trust in Ottawa specifically for affordable housing near rapid transit).

Accessible Public Toilets

Whereas a network of safe, clean and accessible public toilets can be seen as part of essential public health infrastructure;

Whereas closures of restaurants and other public spaces due to COVID-19 has made it even more difficult for people to access toilets;

Be it resolved that the GCA, as part of its 2021 municipal budget submission and other advocacy efforts, urges the City of Ottawa to:

1. Put out signage to indicate the toilets that are open in parks or other public spaces;

2. Provide a small subsidy for businesses that are willing to open their toilets to the public. The subsidy would enable businesses to maintain and supply hygienic and clean toilets with proper signage; and,

3. Provide permanent public toilets at strategic locations where toilets are not publically located. This can include but not be limited to Park and Ride lots and high pedestrian traffic areas.