Infrastructure!

 

Transparency Over Complexity: What Ottawa’s Finance Committee Heard on June 2nd

By Peter Karwacki
Managing Director, PeerMetrics
Candidate for Rideau-Rockcliffe Ward

Aging Infrastructure -   More information is required.... probably a levy is required.

Guaranteed pandering politicians will defer it.

Posted: June 3, 2026 Yesterday I followed the City of Ottawa’s Finance and Corporate Services Committee meeting (#36). The agenda was heavy with the usual: Q1 budget updates, the Long-Range Financial Plan for tax-supported capital, infrastructure renewal, and a bit of surplus land talk. But what stood out wasn’t the staff slides. It was the citizen delegations—the real people who showed up and spoke plainly about what’s actually happening in our city.

These weren’t scripted complaints. They were sharp, informed observations from residents, candidates, and community association leaders who have been paying attention.
And the common thread?

The city’s documents are too complicated, the choices too opaque, and the long-term consequences are being kicked down the road.

Neil SaraVanamutoo, my pick for mayor,  (mayoral candidate) put it best: the Long-Range Financial Plan lacks clarity and transparency.
Where exactly are the tax increases hidden? Which roads and facilities are being quietly deferred? We’re looking at 25 arenas alone that are approaching end-of-life with replacement costs over $500 million. The public deserves to know which ones might close before anyone votes.
Bob Bell (Ward 1 candidate) echoed the frustration. Ninety-nine city facilities in fair or worse condition, only 40 prioritized for replacement. What happens to the rest? Are we just going to let places like the R.J. Kennedy Arena in Cumberland Village fade away? Deferring costs to future generations isn’t planning—it’s avoidance.

Warren Waters from the Federation of Citizens Associations called it like it is: the city is stuck in a rut. We keep building new stuff we can’t afford to maintain. Other cities (Toronto, Mississauga, Hamilton) use dedicated repair funds with clear rules. Ottawa rejected the idea without a solid explanation. Waters’ suggestion was simple and smart: every new project should come with a mandatory 50-year financial viability check—capital, repairs, revenue, lifecycle costs, the works. No more surprises.

Barbara Danielle Gandelfo (also Ward 1 – Orleans East-Cumberland) zeroed in on the R.J. Kennedy Centre. One of roughly 130 facilities with a combined replacement value over $500 million that will hit the wall by 2035. She asked for the full list of at-risk assets before Council makes any decisions. Reasonable ask.

Alex Cullen talked about the risk of a two-tier city—some neighbourhoods with decent services, others sliding into “managed decline.”
Alex Cullen talked about the risk of a two-tier city—some neighbourhoods with decent services, others sliding into “managed decline.” He reminded everyone that an infrastructure levy worked in 2008-2009.
Why not be honest with residents now: higher taxes or lower service levels? Pick one.

Carolyn McKenzie from the Glebe Community Association hit both sides: the managed decline of infrastructure and the need for better transparency on which assets will be cut. She also supported the proposed transfer of surplus city land for affordable housing—practical community collaboration that actually moves the needle.

Aaron Coffin spoke for growing wards like Canada South / Ward 23. Growth is here, the $10.8 billion funding gap is real, and planning has to keep up for pathways, traffic, parks, recreation, and water systems.

Councillor Tim Tierney noted afterward that several speakers wanted simpler, visual budget documents—pictographs showing exactly where the property taxes from an average $415,000 home actually go. That’s not rocket science. It’s basic communication.

At PeerMetrics we use peer-group benchmarking every day to make complex performance data understandable. City Hall could learn something from that approach.

Here’s the bottom line from my perspective as both a project management professional and a council candidate:

We don’t need thicker reports. We need clearer choices.

The staff report was too shy on detail

Ottawa residents are capable of understanding trade-offs if the information is presented honestly and in plain language.

Hiding behind complexity isn’t leadership—it’s the opposite.The full video is up on the City’s YouTube channel ...wwatch it!. The agenda and reports are on eSCRIBE. Watch the delegations section (starts around the 1-hour-11-minute mark). 

https://www.youtube.com/live/4Xktb5E9sSk?si=OQWUhTKy8O-2-Pwu

Then ask your councillor KING the same questions these citizens asked: What exactly are we deferring? Which facilities are at risk? And when will we see a plan that doesn’t just push the problem to the next council?

I’ll keep showing up, keep asking, and keep offering practical solutions grounded in real metrics. If you want a councilor who believes in transparency, peer benchmarking, and honest long-term planning for Rideau-Rockcliffe and the whole city, you know where to find me.

• AI pulled and reviewed the complete agenda, all staff reports (including the full Long-Range Financial Plan VI – Tax Supported Capital, the 2026 Capital Adjustments and Closing of Projects report, the 2026 Q1 Budget Status Update, and every attached document list). AI cross-checked every page, every table, every appendix, and every project reference for any mention of:“Rideau-Rockcliffe” “Ward 13” Rockcliffe Park, New Edinburgh, Vanier, Overbrook, or any streets, parks, facilities, or addresses in the wardResult: Zero mentions. Zero Rideau Rockcliffe ward-specific projects, allocations, closures, or works-in-progress listed.

If you follow King's reports he is more than a little light on these kinds of details.

Vote Peter Karwacki for Rideau-Rockcliffe.
Let’s fix this before it breaks. — Peter