Council tables Draft Budget 2026

Council today tabled the City of Ottawa’s Draft Budget 2026, which invests in services residents rely on every day, and the key priorities that make Ottawa a safe, reliable and affordable city.

For more on Draft Budget 2026, visit Engage Ottawa.

The City wants to hear from residents on Draft Budget 2026: 

• Submit ideas to your Councillor
• Register as a public delegate to present at a budget review meeting of any standing committee, board, or commission
• Connect with us on Facebook and Bluesky using #OttBudget
• Call 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-2401)

Visit ottawa.ca/budget for more information.

Council approves strategy to address top climate risks 

Council approved Climate Ready Ottawa, a new strategy to help the city prepare for the growing impacts of climate change. Projections show climate change will intensify, bringing more extreme heat, heavier rainfall and severe weather in the years ahead. The long-term strategy includes a five-year action plan (2026-2030) focused on protecting people, infrastructure and essential services from the biggest climate risks, such as flooding, extreme heat, changing seasons and severe weather.  

Seven priority programs will guide investments in flood and infrastructure resilience, extreme weather preparedness and environmental protection. The strategy also focuses on helping residents who face the greatest risks and barriers to climate change by working with local groups to create real, visible improvements. It identifies $25 million in funding needs over five years to support high-impact projects like cooling initiatives, risk assessments, and plans for critical infrastructure. An additional $149.5 million in confirmed, rate-supported investments will upgrade water infrastructure to safeguard critical services and build flood resilience. 

Council approves merging transitional housing initiatives with ongoing housing and homelessness work

Council approved closing out the City’s Integrated Transition to Housing Strategy (ITHS) and merging ongoing initiatives into the refreshed 10-Year Housing and Homelessness Plan, coming to Council in Q1 2026.   

Since the ITHS was developed in 2023, City efforts have addressed the exceptional demand of single adults seeking shelter and transitional housing. The City has since closed all Physical Distancing-Emergency Overflow Centres (PD-EOCs). This was made possible by: 

• Increasing permanent system capacity by more than 700 beds between June 2023 and July 2025  

• Housing 738 PD-EOC clients between June 2023 and August 2025, including 157 clients housed through the Enhanced Housing Allowance Benefit pilot  

• Opening 180 new supportive housing units between April 2023 and June 2025, with another 94 anticipated to open this winter  

• Initiating the development of a newcomer reception system for asylum claimant clients to ensure they successfully integrate into the community   

• Planning a supportive housing community hub at 1245 Kilborn Place  

The City has shifted from an emergency response model to focus on adding new transitional housing facilities and providing a broader spectrum of options to meet the needs of clients.

Council approves property tax relief for 16 affordable housing properties

Council also designated 16 properties as municipal capital housing facilities, making eligible affordable housing units exempt from municipal property taxes. In July 2024, Council updated the definition of “affordable housing” for Municipal Capital Facilities Agreements. Following outreach and an eligibility review, staff identified an initial list of 16 properties with eight non-profit and co-operative housing providers that meet the new criteria. The total annual property tax relief provided to the 16 properties is $533,715, retroactive to January 1, 2025. Of this amount, $469,859 is the cost of the municipal portion, while the remaining $63,856 is education taxes and has no financial impact on the City.

Related topics

• Agenda