Council today approved eight asset management plans, representing about 20 per cent of City-owned assets.
The plans are organized by the services they support and include assets related to community and social services, emergency and protective services, government services and information technology, greenspace and forest services, library services, recreation and cultural services, solid waste services and transit. While the plans approved today indicate that City assets are in good to fair condition, they highlight the challenges that Ottawa and other Canadian municipalities face related to aging infrastructure, climate change and rising renewal and replacement costs.
Council approved a new schedule of development charges and a new development charges by-law, to help ensure essential infrastructure and services keep pace with growth in Ottawa. Development charges are one-time fees levied by municipalities on new residential and non-residential developments. They are used to fund infrastructure that is essential for the growth of a city, such as water supply systems, wastewater systems, stormwater management, public transit, roads, parks, recreation facilities, libraries and paramedic services. The new by-law enacted by Council today ensures that those benefitting from new growth within Ottawa are the ones paying for the initial capital costs needed to service it.
Council gave the greenlight to a City-managed administrative penalty system. This system allows municipalities to manage the process of resolving disputes for certain infractions, like parking and automated enforcement tickets, without involving provincial courts.
The new approach aims to make resolving ticket disputes quicker and simpler. No new or tax funding is required to run the program as all costs will be funded by revenues from parking, red-light camera, and automated speed enforcement tickets. The new system will begin processing parking infractions in Q2 of 2025. Processing of automated speed enforcement and red-light camera infractions will start later in 2025.
Council received the report for the first draft of a new Zoning By-law for Ottawa. The Zoning By-law is a land-use regulation tool that shapes the way a city grows. It sets rules about what can be built without having to seek specific permission from the City. Ottawa’s new Zoning By-law will be essential to implementing the policy directions of the new Official Plan, which came into effect in November 2022. It will support City efforts to address housing affordability in Ottawa by facilitating growth that aligns with the intensification goals outlined in the Official Plan.
Public information sessions about the draft by-law will begin with the release of the proposed text and zoning map on Friday, May 31 and continue through October. More information about how to provide feedback will be available at engage.ottawa.ca/zoning. Following public consultations on the first draft, staff will present a second draft in March 2025. After further consultation, a final draft would be brought forward for City Council approval in December 2025.
Council also received the annual update on the City's Municipal Accessibility Plan. Under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, the City must establish and maintain a multi-year accessibility plan. The update received today shows the City continues to reduce accessibility barriers across services, programs, communications and public spaces. The City is also working to address the significant, continued impacts of emergency situations on people with disabilities.
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