Unions call on Ottawa's mayor to invest in services as 2024 budget targets 2.5 per cent tax hike

Council directed staff to draft the 2024 city of Ottawa budget with a maximum 2.5 per cent property tax hike, as seven unions representing 20,000 municipal employees call on Mayor Mark Sutcliffe to invest in "the municipal services and workers that the city relies on."

Council has directed staff to draft the 2024 city of Ottawa budget with a maximum 2.5 per cent property tax hike, as seven unions representing 20,000 municipal employees call on Mayor Mark Sutcliffe to invest in "the municipal services and workers that the city relies on."

Council voted 17 to 8 in favour of a drafting the budget with a 2.5 per cent tax hike, which would add an additional $105 to the average property tax bill.  The budget will be drafted with a 2.5 per cent increase in the police and transit levy, along with a 2.5 per cent increase in transit fares.

Councillors Ariel Troster, Sean Devine, Jessica Bradley, Rawlson King, Jeff Leiper, Theresa Kavanagh, Shawn Menard and Laine Johnson voted against the 2.5 per cent property tax increase budget direction.

"I believe that building an affordable city requires investment. By placing an arbitrary cap on budget direction, the city hampers its ability to provide essential services and infrastructure improvements," King told council.

"We hear complaints from our residents day after day about the declining and degraded quality of our amenities, services and infrastructure. The only way to redress these concerns is to ensure that our city is investing in these services and infrastructure beyond the rate of inflation so that the city can positively enhance the quality of life of its residents."

Coun. Troster said with inflation at 3 per cent, a 2.5 per cent property tax increase is "functionally a service cut."

"I don't know where else we can cut. Right now, frontline services are not meeting the need in Somerset Ward, not even close," Troster said.