Information on the publication of memoranda
Memoranda issued by the City of Ottawa’s Senior Leadership Team to all Members of Council and the media will be published here when available. The memoranda are published on an ongoing basis as they become available and will remain online for a period of one year from the date of issuance. Residents wishing to obtain copies of memoranda that are no longer available online should contact the relevant department through one of the City’s general inquiry processes.
In accordance with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA), some attachments have not been proactively disclosed. If you are seeking an attachment that is not available online, please visit ottawa.ca/mfippa for information on filing an access to information request.
Nightlife Commissioner Announcement (June 11, 2024)
To: Mayor and Members of Council
From: Sheilagh Doherty, Interim Director, Economic Development Services
Object: Nightlife Commissioner Announcement
Date: June 11, 2024
Purpose
The purpose of this memo is to notify Council that the City of Ottawa’s first Nightlife Commissioner was announced by Mayor Sutcliffe at a media event this morning.
Background
In May 2023, Council approved the Nightlife Economy Action Plan. The Plan addresses the economic opportunities and challenges of Ottawa’s nightlife through a series of ten recommended actions that support the development and delivery of nightlife infrastructure, amenities, and experiences. The Plan is based on an analysis of Ottawa’s current nightlife economy, best practice research, and input from internal and external stakeholders. It also builds on the Ottawa Music Strategy (2018-2020), a cross-departmental collaboration aimed at supporting the growth of the local music industry and establishing Ottawa as a global music city.
Recommendation 1 of the Nightlife Economy Action Plan is to establish the framework for a Nightlife Commissioner Office for implementation in 2024. The creation of a Nightlife Commissioner role is a best practice in nightlife development around the world
Working with key nightlife sectors and stakeholders, the Nightlife Commissioner will lead the implementation of the Nightlife Economy Action Plan and deliver the City’s vision of a more vibrant, diverse, inclusive, viable, safe, and well managed nightlife.
New Nightlife Commissioner
After an extensive recruitment process, the City has selected Mathieu Grondin for the position of Nightlife Commissioner effective June 10, 2024. Born and raised in Montreal, Mathieu is widely recognized as a global leader in nightlife advocacy with more than 10 years of experience focusing on issues and opportunities related to nighttime governance and the nightlife economy. Since 2017, he has worked as the founder and director general of MTL 24/24, a non-profit organization that advocates for improved nightlife in Montreal. Mathieu is fluently bilingual and has recently relocated from Montreal to the National Capital Region. A brief biography of Mathieu is available at the end of this memo.
Next steps
Mathieu’s first few weeks will be spent completing his City of Ottawa employee onboarding and meeting key partners and stakeholders within the community. He will work closely with the Economic Development Services team responsible for delivering the Nightlife Economy Action Plan to prioritize the Plan’s recommendations and develop a detailed work plan to advance implementation.
The Nightlife Commissioner will report to Council by the end of 2024 and advise on the status of the City of Ottawa’s Nightlife Economy Action Plan implementation and 2025 priority activities.
Any questions related to the announcement of the Nightlife Commissioner can be directed to Cindy VanBuskirk, Program Manager, Economic Development Services at Cindy.VanBuskirk@ottawa.ca.
Sincerely,
Sheilagh Doherty
Interim Director, Economic Development Services, Strategic Initiatives Department
cc. Senior leadership team
Ryan Perrault, Interim General Manager, Strategic Initiatives Department
Strategic Initiatives departmental leadership team
Andrea Lanthier-Seymour, Chief Communications Officer, Public Information and Media Relations
Mathieu Grondin, Nightlife Commissioner
Biography
Born and raised in Montreal, Mathieu Grondin has enjoyed a varied career in creative industries and economic development. At the age of five, Mathieu began a 20-year acting career in television, film and theatre with roles including programs such as ZAP! (1993), Une Grenade avec ça? (2002) and October 1970 (2006).
Mathieu completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Concordia University in 2004, specializing in film production. He worked for 15 years as a director and editor of music videos for artists including Céline Dion, Mes Aïeux, and Radio Radio and for commercial clients including Ford, McDonald’s, and Bell. He also directed a short film which won the critics' prize at the Rendez-vous du Cinéma québécois in 2006.
In 2017, Mathieu founded MTL 24/24, an organization that supports nightlife development in Montreal. The organization's main objectives are to destigmatize nightlife activities, enable a dialogue between nightlife stakeholders, the community, municipal authorities and elected officials, and enhance economic prosperity by promoting nightlife culture, experiences and attractions.
In 2020, MTL 24/24 established the Night Council, a consultation table for Montreal night owls. Mathieu led the publication of two significant studies that informed the ongoing development of the City of Montreal’s nightlife policy: Montreal, 24-hour City (2021), an economic impact study, and Creative Footprint Montreal (2022), an international analysis of the cultural impact of local venues. In 2021, Mathieu launched MTL au Sommet de la nuit, a global forum dedicated to nighttime governance. Between 2021 and 2023, the annual event attracted more than 600 people, including speakers from more than 30 cities worldwide. The objective of the summit is to identify best practices for managing urban nighttime activities and propose solutions to challenging issues.
Mathieu has been a featured presenter at several international conferences for prestigious organizations such as UN-Habitat (World Urban Forum Katowice, 2022), the German Center for Research and Innovation (SXSW, 2023), and the Government of New South Wales (Sydney OPEN Forum, 2023). He is widely recognized as a global leader in nightlife advocacy.
Music has always been a passion for Mathieu. Like his late father, Denis Grondin (1950-2017), pioneer and host of Montreal FM radio, Mathieu is also a deejay. He began deejaying electronic music at sixteen and still performs today in his free time under the name Grondini. He is also the brother of well-known Quebec actor Marc-André Grondin.
Release of the Downtown Action Plan by the Ottawa Board of Trade (May 22, 2024)
To: Mayor and Members of Council
From: Sheilagh Doherty, Interim Director, Economic Development Services
Subject: Release of the Downtown Action Plan by the Ottawa Board of Trade
Date: May 22, 2024
The purpose of this memo is to advise of the release of the Ottawa Board of Trade’s Downtown Action Plan titled “A Living Capital: Investing in Downtown Ottawa for a Dynamic Future - An Agenda for Aligned Action” (the “Plan”). Please view the full document and a shorter summary.
Background
In September 2023, the Ottawa Board of Trade engaged the Canadian Urban Institute to deliver a Downtown Action Plan. The Plan was developed to address post-pandemic challenges creating barriers to economic growth, prosperity, and livability in downtown Ottawa.
The City, through Economic Development Services, supported the project as a funding partner and member of the project Advisory Group to ensure the City had a lead role in the development of the Plan, particularly as it relates to proposed actions requiring City leadership or collaboration. Other partners included the National Capital Commission, Ottawa Tourism, Invest Ottawa, and the Building Owners and Managers Association Ottawa.
As an input to the Plan, approximately 30 internal stakeholders across various City departments who were either already working on programs and initiatives in the downtown area, or who may be implicated by one or more of the actions contained in the Plan, participated in a meeting with the Canadian Urban Institute in January 2024. The Institute provided an overview of the Plan development process, reviewed some preliminary actions, and received feedback from staff on potential implementation barriers. City staff provided context and updates on initiatives and projects already underway downtown to ensure the final Plan accurately reflected the City’s ongoing investments in the area and desire to capitalize on new opportunities and best practices to reimagine and reinvigorate Ottawa’s downtown.
Overview
The Downtown Action Plan delivers a series of actions and steps to implementation to bring renewed vibrancy and economic activity to the downtown area. The Plan includes a strategic vision statement, desired outcomes and a strategic framework that includes 16 actions, 60 steps to implementation, 10 best practices to inspire new approaches and a five-year timeframe to initiate actions. The Plan reflects the Canadian Urban Institute’s considerable subject-matter expertise, best practice research and local consultation, and an in-depth review of existing City and partner strategic plans and reports to ensure alignment and acknowledge work already underway.
The Plan is built around four themes:
- Affordable, walkable, amenity rich communities
- Public and private investment in infrastructure, public realm and place making
- Employment growth and economic diversification
- Safety and security for workers, residents, visitors, and vulnerable people
Recommended actions contained in the Plan with implications for the City, whether those actions are proposed to be led by the City, or actions where the City is a partner or collaborator, will be subject to review by staff and the senior leadership team, and – where warranted - brought to Council for consideration, direction or approval. Any funding needs identified following staff and senior leadership team review will be accommodated within existing resources or brought forward for review through the annual budget process with the required supporting rationale.
Economic Development Strategy and Action Plan alignment
A new Economic Development Strategy and Action Plan was approved by Council on April 3, 2024 (ACS2024-PRE-EDP-0027). It includes seven key priorities with associated actions. One priority is the revitalization of downtown and the ByWard Market and an associated action includes the development of a Downtown Action Plan in collaboration with the Ottawa Board of Trade and other partners.
A second associated action contemplates the establishment of an internal Downtown Tactical Team, facilitated by Economic Development Services, to coordinate City-led initiatives in the core and evaluate and advance, where feasible, the recommendations contained in the Downtown Action Plan that require leadership, examination and potential implementation by the City. Initial steps include developing a working group framework, identifying work already underway and prioritizing quick wins.
Next steps
Now that the Plan has been released, and recognizing the need to maintain momentum, create accountabilities and celebrate successes, the Ottawa Board of Trade and the project Advisory Group, including the City, will finalize the structure and establishment of a steering committee and secretariat (stewardship model) to coordinate broader Plan implementation amongst the partners.
Other considerations for the City following today’s release of the Plan, include identifying areas of intersection with the Ontario-Ottawa Agreement and its associated funding for downtown revitalization and the ByWard Market.
Any questions related to the Downtown Action Plan and the City’s engagement with the Ottawa Board of Trade on this project, can be directed to Cindy VanBuskirk, program manager, Economic Development Services at Cindy.VanBuskirk@ottawa.ca.
Sincerely,
Sheilagh Doherty
Interim Director, Economic Development Services, Strategic Initiatives Department
cc. Senior leadership team
Ryan Perrault, Interim General Manager, Strategic Initiatives Department
Strategic Initiatives departmental leadership team
Andrea Lanthier-Seymour, chief communications officer, Public Information and Media Relations
Independent Electricity Systems Operator long-term 1 request for proposal (May 21, 2024)
To: Mayor and Members of Council
From: Ryan Perrault, Interim General Manager, Strategic Initiatives Department
Object: Independent Electricity Systems Operator long-term 1 request for proposal - results and next steps
Date: May 21, 2024
On December 6, 2023, City Council directed staff to provide a Memorandum to Council with an update on the long-term 1 request for proposal procurement results as soon as they become available (ACS2023-PRE-EDP-0051). This memo serves as the update that was requested.
On May 9, 2024, the Independent Electricity Systems Operator announced that the evaluation of proposals under the “long-term 1 request for proposals” had yielded 10 battery energy storage system projects, two of which are proposed to be located in the rural area of Ottawa.
The long-term 1 request for proposal has been labeled the largest battery storage procurement in Canada’s history. In response to the increasing demand for electricity associated with economic growth, a battery energy storage system is an emerging technology that is seen as important to fulfill the reliability needs of the electricity system. Battery energy storage systems are charged during off-peak hours and used to inject electricity back into the system at times of peak demand, helping to build grid resiliency and lower costs to the end user.
Brookfield Renewable Power Inc., branded under the name Evolugen, was the successful proponent for both projects. The projects are described as follows:
1.“Fitzroy Battery Energy Storage System” is to be located at the intersection of Homesteaders Road and Galetta Side Road (West-Carleton-March – Ward 5); and
2.“Trail Battery Energy Storage System” is to be located at 4186 William McEwen Drive (Rideau-Jock – Ward 21).
On December 6, 2023, City Council granted a Municipal Support Resolution to the Trail Battery Energy Storage System facility. The request for an Municipal Support Resolution for the Fitzroy Battery Energy Storage System project was refused in response to concerns raised by the community during the public engagement.
The Municipal Support Resolution is a mandatory requirement set out by the Independent Electricity Systems Operator which was used to grant rated criteria points as part of the long-term 1 process in order to evaluate proposals. The Municipal Support Resolution is general in nature and does not preclude projects from having to meet municipal regulatory requirements or obtain any municipal development approvals or permits before they can be built.
Next steps:
As per the Independent Electricity Systems Operator’s long-term 1 contract documents, the Fitzroy Battery Energy Storage System has up to 18 months to obtain a Municipal Support Resolution otherwise the project will be considered in default of its contract. As per Council direction, all future requests for Municipal Support Resolutions will continue to rise through Committee and Council, and staff will lead and report back on public engagement and consultation. Staff intend to bring recommendations for managing the Municipal Support Resolution process as part of an upcoming report later this year.
In addition to the Municipal Support Resolution requirement, both battery energy storage system projects will be required to meet all municipal planning approvals and by-laws (zoning, noise, fire, building code, etc.) that are currently in place and which may be approved as part of the report, which intends to outline specific requirements for battery energy storage systems in the development approvals process.
Strategic Initiatives staff will continue to engage with Councillor Kelly and Councillor Brown’s office on any updates related to these long-term 1 request for proposals projects.
If you have any questions, please contact Melissa Jort-Conway, Planner III, at melissa.jort-conway@ottawa.ca.
Ryan Perrault
Interim General Manager
Strategic Initiatives Department
ryan.perrault@ottawa.ca
CC: Senior leadership team
Andrea Lanthier-Seymour, Public Information and Media Relations
Supporting documentation