Capital Ward Bulletin: City Council and Committee Updates

2024 Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off Event Schedule

Every year, the City of Ottawa hosts drop-off events to ensure that household hazardous waste is safely collected, transported, and appropriately recycled or disposed of. This helps to protect the environment and decreases the risk of toxic materials ending up in our collection vehicles or landfills. The events are planned, managed and executed by trained and certified waste management professionals in accordance with applicable laws. Any collection, handling and transportation of hazardous waste must comply with applicable provincial and federal legislation.

The events complement existing diversion programs across the City of Ottawa, including the City’s Take it Back! Program. This option means residents can dispose of hazardous waste like light bulbs or household batteries at their own convenience. Residents can search for an item in the Waste Explorer to find retailers nearby that accept it. Paint, for example, is our most collected material at drop-off events. This item can be dropped off daily to many retailers across the city. Our Take it Back! Program is an efficient way for residents to dispose of items, while giving materials directly back to the producer.

In 2023, the City of Ottawa hosted nine one-day drop-off events. Nearly 15,600 residents attended these events, disposing of approximately 503 tonnes of household hazardous waste. This year, the city will be hosting nine single date drop-off events from April 21 through to November 2.

* Please follow the signage at Tunney’s Pasture for the specific location of the event

Please note that drop-off event dates are subject to change. For the most up-to-date schedule, and to see the list of acceptable items, please visit Ottawa.ca/HHW.

Lansdowne 2.0 Delivery Model and Updated Financial Plan

After council’s tentative approval of the Lansdowne 2.0 proposal last fall, staff returned to the Finance and Economic Development Committee with their plan for the design and construction of the new events centre and the north side stands. Their recommendations, which had no public consultation, included:

• Approval of a “Design-Bid-Build” (DBB) procurement and delivery model, with a sole-sourced architect, Brisbin Brook Beynon Architects (BBB);
• Approval of the approach for the selling of air rights to a developer;
• Approval of a $20 million line of credit, guaranteed by the city, to help support Lansdowne operations during the construction project; and
• Delegation of authority to the City Manager to enter into any necessary  contracts stemming from these recommendations.

We have a number of concerns with staff’s recommendations, and many of the underlying concerns with the Lansdowne 2.0 proposal have risen again.

The city engaged KPMG to review various types of project delivery models. In their analysis, they identified a model known as Progressive Design Build (PDB) as the most suitable for the project. It would best handle the risks associated with the project and ensure cost certainty.

Instead, city staff chose the DBB method, which they are most familiar with but which KPMG identified as either the fourth-best or sixth-best option (depending on other aspects of the project). 

The sole-sourcing of the design phase of the project to the BBB architectural firm is also quite troubling. Sole-source projects run the serious risk of not providing the best service for the best price to the city. There is no competition and no consideration of different options. BBB has been recommended because OSEG hired them to work on the Lansdowne 2.0 proposal previously, not because the city identified them as the best firm to do the work.

It is possible that BBB is the best firm and that they would win an open competition, but if we simply hand them the contract, we will never know that.

Finally, we have reservations about the city guaranteeing a $20 million line-of-credit for the ongoing operations at Lansdowne Park during construction. Lansdowne was never supposed to have city money propping up operations of the sports facilities and it is expected that much of this line of credit will be turned into long term debt to be repaid. This recommendation adds more risk for the city and continues a path that has become all too familiar with Lansdowne Park- the public propping up a poorly conceived private partnership with financial projections that have never come to pass.

While this report was not meant to re-visit council’s approval of Lansdowne 2.0, it does offer councillors another opportunity to consider the prudence and risks of this project.

I did not support the recommendations at committee. The report will now go to city council on April 17 for approval.

The Auditor General is expected to report on Lansdowne 2.0 near the end of June.

Multi-Residential Tax Fareness

As part of the 2024 Tax Policy review, the Finance and Economic Development Committee was looking at the property tax ratios of different taxpayer groups. During this discussion, it was noted that there is a significant inequality in the way older multi-home properties are taxed. Any multi-home building built before 1998 is taxed at a rate 40% higher than newer buildings and other residential homes. This discrepancy is more glaring when we consider it is cheaper for the city to provide services and infrastructure to multi-home buildings than to detached houses.

This discrepancy has been on the books for decades at the city. In 2002, multi-home buildings were taxed at a rate more than double that of single-detached homes. That year, city council directed staff to fix this, giving them two years to bring the tax ratio in line but that did not occur.

For that reason, I introduced a direction to staff to have the city achieve tax parity on residential properties with a phase in approach beginning in 2025. This was supported broadly by councillors. 

City staff reviewing fossil fuel advertising in public spaces

This week city council passed my motion to review a change to the Advertising Using City Assets and Programs Policy that would examine options around fuel advocacy advertising, considering the alignment of city policies, outcomes related to lowering GHG emissions, reputational risks, and legal implications. This motion stemmed from residents who had brought ads like the one pictured at Brewer to our attention, arguing that they were misleading and inappropriate considering the city’s goal of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 20250. According to the updated advertising policy, all advertising must not affect the quality and integrity of the City’s properties or programs.  These ads also do not comprise a significant source of revenue. In 2023 they brought in just $5,459 at arenas, which forms just 2% of advertising revenue, and 0.0078% of revenue overall for the Recreation, Cultural and Facility Services Department. 

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment have a national campaign on this issue centered on the health implication of air pollution and climate change. Ecology Ottawa also took the lead on a letter to the Mayor signed by 15 environmental organizations calling for a ban on fossil fuel advertising at city facilities. There were many compelling delegations at committee in favor of a review or a full ad ban for fossil fuels, which you can watch here. 

I offer my deepest thanks to residents who wrote in, staff who worked with us on the motion and my council colleagues who supported the motion. 

Your Capital Ward

Photo by Monica Manson

If you have a photo you’d like to share in an upcoming bulletin, please send it to [email protected], with the subject line Your Capital Ward. Please give us your name for attribution…or tell us if you’d rather not have your name shared.

Request for Input on Ottawa’s tree planting programs!

The Tree Planting Strategy has been launched and the city needs your input! The strategy is the feature project under the city’s Urban Forest Management Plan for this Term of Council. It will focus on how Ottawa can achieve its urban canopy cover target of 40% over time. It will shift the city’s tree planting approach from reactive to proactive and it will use the City’s canopy cover data for neighbourhoods to prioritize tree planting in areas of Ottawa that need it the most.

The first step is a review of the city’s existing tree planting programs. Through a series of surveys, staff are gathering information on existing tree planting programs and ideas for future programming. Your feedback is needed!

The city is requesting your input through a survey available on Engage Ottawa, which will be available until April 15, 2024.

Thank you in advance for your continued support and care for growing Ottawa’s urban forest!

OC Transpo Route Changes

Later this year, OC Transpo will launch a new bus network, focused on frequency, local service in your neighbourhood, and connections to O-Train Lines 1 and 2.  

Visit octranspo.com/NewWaysToBus to learn more, review route-by-route changes and explore the new system map. You can also ask questions or request additional materials, by sending OC Transpo an email at [email protected], calling 613-560-5000, or connecting via Facebook, X, or Instagram.