Police Stats

 

2021 - 2022

https://www.ottawapolice.ca/en/annual-report/resources/Crime_Stats/Ward_13-Rideau-Rockcliffe.pdf

A tale of two budgets

The City of Ottawa's 2025 Budget (adopted in late 2024/early 2025) and 2026 Budget (tabled in November 2025, with final adoption  December 2025) show increases in scale, reflecting growth, inflation, service demands, and priorities like public safety, transit, housing, and infrastructure. Note that 2026 figures are from the draft stage (as of late 2025) a solid basis for comparison.

Key Overall Figures

• 2025 Budget:
  • Focused on a restrained approach with efficiencies (e.g., $54.2 million in savings identified in draft stage).
  • Transit operating budget: ~$856 million (largest ever at the time, with 11.4% increase).
  • Capital investments emphasized road/water/sewer ($184.6 million), housing supply growth, and paramedic enhancements.
  • Property tax increase: 2.9% citywide (including Police), plus 8% for Transit levy.
  • Garbage fee: 7% increase per approved plans.
• 2026 Draft Budget:
  • Operating budget: $5.2 billion.
  • Capital budget: $1.9 billion (higher than 2025's implied ~$1.7 billion in some reports).
  • Larger overall scale, with heavy investments in police (one of the largest increases ever, including 25 new officers), paramedics (23 new), fire equipment, roads ($135 million resurfacing), housing ($23.25 million for affordable projects), and transit.
  • Property tax increase: 3.75% overall (2% citywide municipal levy + Ottawa Public Health/Library/AG, 5% for Police, 8% for Transit).
  • Transit: Net operating ~$906 million in draft approvals; fare increase of 2.5%, maintaining ~67% tax-funded / 33% fare-funded split.
  • Other fees: Increases to water, garbage, recreation, etc., to address pressures.

Comparison Summary (high-level):

• Scale/Growth: 2026 is notably larger, with operating at $5.2B and capital at $1.9B vs. more modest 2025 totals (e.g., transit alone jumped from $856M to ~$906M net). This reflects post-2025 priorities like new Transportation Master Plan rollout and emergency services expansion.

• Property Tax Impact: Higher in 2026 at 3.75% overall vs. 2025's 2.9% citywide (plus Transit). For an average urban homeowner, 2026 draft implies $237 increase; rural lower ($126). Ottawa remains among Ontario's lowest tax rates for large cities.
• Transit Focus: Both years have 8% transit levy hikes and major investments (no service cuts), but 2026 builds on 2025's efficiencies while preparing for expansions like O-Train East. 2025 relied on hoped-for provincial/federal aid; 2026 assumes commitments.
• Public Safety/Emergency: 2026 emphasizes bigger boosts (e.g., new paramedics/fire gear/police officers) vs. 2025's paramedic/equipment focus.
• Housing/Affordability: Both advance affordable housing, but 2026 allocates $23.25M specifically (e.g., Rochester Heights phase 2) amid broader pushes.
• Infrastructure: 2026 ramps up roads/cycling/pedestrian (e.g., priority corridors like Greenbank $56.1M), building on 2025's $184.6M integrated projects.
• Efficiencies/Pressures: Both use service reviews for savings, but external factors (inflation, construction costs, limited senior government funding) drive larger 2026 adjustments.

For deeper details, check official sources:

• 2025 Adopted Budget: https://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/budget-finance-and-corporate-planning/previous-budgets/budget-2025 (includes full book).
• 2026 Draft: https://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/budget-finance-and-corporate-planning/draft-budget-2026, plus interactive Budget Explorer (2025 version at open.ottawa.ca; 2026 at ottawa.ca or Engage Ottawa) for charts, breakdowns by department, and downloadable data.
• Engage Ottawa pages: engage.ottawa.ca/city-budget-2025 and engage.ottawa.ca/budget2026 for consultations, magazines, and feedback.

The 2026 budget continues the trend of balancing affordability with investments in core services amid growth and costs

Look over here...not over there!

 

How can you argue with mom and her apple pie?

Here councillor King outlines the proposed spending on parks and speed bumps. Sounds good right?

Just look here...not over there.

The problem?? The city budget is $5.5 billion. The east end bridge would cost $4 billion. Lansdowne will cost $.5 billion. These are not mentioned.

Urban / Rural Split

 

The large difference in voting patterns between Ottawa's urban and rural (plus often suburban) councillors stems primarily from structural, demographic, economic, and historical factors tied to the city's 2001 amalgamation.

1. Amalgamation's Legacy (2001 Forced Merger)

In 2001, under Ontario's Mike Harris government, 11 separate municipalities (including the old urban City of Ottawa plus suburban and rural townships like West Carleton, Osgoode, Rideau, and Cumberland) were forcibly merged into one "super city." This created a single municipality that's geographically enormous—about 80% rural land—but with a population heavily concentrated in the urban core and inner suburbs (inside the Greenbelt).Urban wards (mostly inside the Greenbelt, e.g., Somerset, Kitchissippi, Capital) represent dense, walkable neighborhoods with priorities like transit, cycling infrastructure, densification, affordable housing, climate action, and progressive social policies.

Rural wards (outer areas, e.g., Rideau-Jock, Osgoode, West Carleton-March) cover vast farmland, small villages, and exurban communities focused on agriculture, lower taxes, minimal regulation on land use, road maintenance over transit, and resisting urban-style development or costs for services they don't use (e.g., no city water/sewer in many spots).

• The merger diluted urban influence: Urban voters outnumber rural ones significantly, but rural/suburban wards (often lower density) get equal representation per councillor. This leads to complaints that urban taxpayers subsidize rural services while rural councillors block urban priorities.

2. Demographic and Voter Base Differences

• Urban wards → Diverse, younger, higher-density populations; voters often prioritize equity, environment, anti-sprawl, and public transit. Councillors from these areas (e.g., central/inner wards) tend to form a progressive bloc pushing for things like stronger climate policies, community alternatives to policing, or opposing large P3 developments with debt risks.
• Rural/suburban wards → More conservative-leaning, car-dependent, agriculture-focused, or exurban homeowners; voters emphasize fiscal restraint, property rights, lower taxes, and opposing "urban" burdens (e.g., carbon pricing impacts, garbage fees, or transit levies they don't benefit from). Rural councillors often align with centrist/conservative majorities on council.

This mirrors broader Canadian urban-rural divides (urban more progressive/Liberal-leaning; rural more conservative), but amplified locally by amalgamation.3. Council Composition and Committee StructureOttawa has 24 wards + mayor:

• Roughly 12 urban (inside Greenbelt),
• 9 suburban,
• 3 rural (post-2022 adjustments).

Rural/suburban councillors often form a reliable bloc for centrist or fiscally conservative positions, especially under past mayors like Jim Watson (whose supporters were dubbed the "Watson club" and drew from suburban/rural areas). The Agricultural and Rural Affairs Committee is dominated by rural councillors, giving them outsized say on rural issues with limited urban input—while no equivalent "urban priorities" committee exists to protect core interests.On full council votes:

• Divisive issues (e.g., budget austerity, garbage bag limits/tagging, Lansdowne redevelopment, urban boundary expansion, transit funding) frequently split along these lines.
• Urban councillors push progressive changes but get outvoted when rural/suburban blocs hold the majority (often 13-15 votes needed to pass).
• Examples include rural opposition to stormwater fee hikes (even small increases), garbage policies (seen as punishing rural users), or development that encroaches on farmland.