Big Trouble Ahead - Big Ticket Waste Affects Your Parks

Peter Karwacki for Rideau Rockcliffe.

Big Spending Decisions Should Be Debated Before the Election, Not After

Peter Karwacki for Rideau-Rockcliffe.

When City Hall lets major downtown projects run tens of millions of dollars over budget, it’s neighborhoods like Rideau-Rockcliffe that pay the price. Every hidden overrun means less money for our local roads, our community safety, and our neighborhood parks like Bathgate.

In the 2022 election, nobody was seriously talking about a $419 million Lansdowne project or a $95 million landfill purchase. Those weren't front-and-centre issues on the campaign trail. 

Voters were focused on immediate neighbourhood concerns — traffic, parks, local services, day-to-day accountability.

Then, during the term, the bandwidth shifted. Major capital decisions appeared, were negotiated in closed sessions, approved on divided votes, and presented to residents as necessary after the fact.

This time, nobody is talking about the $100+ million cost overrun on the new central library — a project Councillor Rawlson King has direct oversight of as a member of the Ottawa Public Library Board — or the local share of the new hospital project, which one health-policy analyst has warned could climb toward $1 billion. Those costs will put sustained pressure on the municipal budget for years to come.

This is not how responsible government should operate. Decisions that commit hundreds of millions — or billions — of taxpayer dollars, and shape the city for decades, deserve open debate while voters still have a direct say. They shouldn't surface after the election is already decided.

Real leadership at city hall is measured by what you're willing to surface and slow down before money is committed — not by how many park projects get approved or how smoothly the agenda moves.

I've spent my career in project management and metrics. The first rule is simple: identify risks and verify assumptions early, while options still exist. Once contracts are signed and votes are taken, the ability to course-correct drops sharply.

Ottawa has paid for the opposite approach too many times. Optimistic projections, limited public scrutiny, and rushed approvals lead to higher costs and fewer choices later. The pattern is consistent: big spending and hidden overruns surface mid-term, and residents are told it was unavoidable.

Leadership means changing that pattern. It means demanding that major capital projects, land acquisitions, and infrastructure commitments come forward with full business cases, independent reviews, and public discussion — well before an election, not after one. It means being willing to say "not yet" or "show the full picture," even when that's uncomfortable.

Park equipment for Bathgate might cost $1 million but as a member of the Ottawa Public Library Board, our current Councillor had a front-row seat—and direct oversight—as the new central library budget ballooned from $175 million to over $350 million. If we can't trust the incumbent to catch a 100% cost overrun on a board he sits on, how can we trust him to manage the upcoming multi-billion dollar hospital and transit decisions?"

We need proactive accountability at City Hall, not after-the-fact explanations. I will bring my career experience in project management and risk verification to Council to ensure your tax dollars are respected. Let's start demanding the full picture before the contracts are signed. 

On election day, vote for a change in how Ottawa spends your money—vote Peter Karwacki.

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Sources

1. Lansdowne 2.0 — Approved by Council in November 2023 at approximately $419 million. The Auditor General of Ottawa's Agile Audit of Lansdowne 2.0 (Sprint 1, June 2024) and follow-up reports warned the cost could reach nearly $493 million due to optimistic estimates. (City of Ottawa/OSEG announcements; Auditor General of Ottawa; CBC News)

2. East-end landfill — The City of Ottawa purchased the Capital Region Resource Recovery Centre for $95 million, plus taxes and closing costs, in early 2026. (CTV News Ottawa; CBC News)

3. New central library (Ādisōke) — Original budget approximately $175 million. Budget has since risen to approximately $334 million, with an additional $18.5 million requested in 2026, pushing the total toward $352 million, alongside major delays. Councillor Rawlson King serves as a trustee on the Ottawa Public Library Board. (CBC News, May 2026; Ottawa Citizen; Ottawa Public Library Board Members)

4. New Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus — Original total project estimate approximately $2.8 billion, with the City of Ottawa's local share formally requested at $150 million (against an original local-share estimate in the $300–700 million range depending on source). In a June 2026 report, Ontario Health Coalition analyst Robert Fraser warned the local share could approach $1 billion if costs continue to climb, and that the total project price could run billions beyond the original estimate. Mayor Mark Sutcliffe has said the city isn't expecting its $150 million ask to increase. Delays into the 2030s have also been reported. (CTV News, May 2026; Ontario Health Coalition, June 2026)