The City of Ottawa’s finance staff presented the 2022 draft budget to city council last Wednesday, which among other things contains a three per cent tax increase and a 4.2 per cent increase in the water and sewer rate.

The tax hike equates to an additional $119 for the average home with a market value assessment of $415,000, while the water and sewer hike will cost the average homeowner an additional $35.90.

The $4.14 billion budget also includes a 2.5 per cent transit fare increase to come into effect on Jan. 1.

EquiPass, EquiFare and Community Pass prices will remain frozen at 2018 levels. An adult monthly pass will increase by $3 to $125.50. Fares will go up 10 cents to $3.70 when paying by Presto card and $3.75 when paying by cash. The senior’s pass is going up $1 to $47.75. The cost of a UPass will go up $5.45 to $223.48 per semester starting Sept. 1.

The Para Transpo fare with access pass is going up five cents to $2.50 and the rural fare is going up a quarter to $10.

There will also be additional increases in user fees, however, rental rates at city facilities will be cut in half until the end of 2022.

In order to help pay for the items contained in the 2022 capital budget, the city plans to take $23.3 million from its reserves. It is also counting on additional support from the upper levels of government to help mitigate the continued loss of revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic, estimated to be about $161 million.

If no funding is made available from the other levels of government, the city will need to dip into its reserves even further in order to balance the budget.

The budget contains improvements to Milton Road, Frank Kenny Road, Old Montreal Road, Beckett’s Creek and Canaan Road, all in Cumberland Ward as well as a roundabout at Frank Kenny and Innes Road.

There are also investments for a new park-ette at the Montfort Health Hub, repaving the walkways in Aquaview Park, resurfacing the tennis courts in Harkness Park, an extension of Sweetvalley Park, a picnic shelter at Millennium Park and over $2 million for a new district park in Cardinal Creek Village.

In Orléans Ward, $275,000 will be spent to design pathways in North Vineyard Park west of Jeanne d’Arc Blvd. North, and in Saint-Louis Woods between Hiawatha Park Road and Bilberry Drive.

A further $190,000 will be spent to replace asphalt walkways at Father Richard Ward Park, $160,000 will be used to resurface the basketball courts at Luc Major Park, $280,000 has been earmarked to improve ventilation at the Ray Friel Recreation Complex and $318,000 will be used to build Roger Montpetit Park on Champlain Street just south of Jeanne d’Arc. Blvd.

Other initiatives include:
• $750,000 to develop an east end district skate park at the Bob MacQuarrie Recreation Complex;
• $3,000 to install two new baseball foul posts at Pierre Rocque Park;
• $350,000 for upgrades to a picnic shelter at Queenswood Ridge Park; and
• $22,000 for bulletin boards at four community associations.

Road resurfacing initiatives include Jeanne d’Arc Boulevard, west of Bilberry Drive, the Highway 174 eastbound off ramp to Jeanne d’Arc Blvd. and St. Georges Street between Galloway Drive and Amiens Street.

City-wide, the budget contains plans to hire 14 new paramedics and purchase 12 new ambulances in 2022. The city is also spending $2.1 million to install air conditioning units in its four city-run long-term care homes and $14.1 million on cycling infrastructure.

The draft budget will be reviewed by the individual standing committees over the next three weeks, before it is debated and voted on by the full council on Dec. 8..