Council approves Ottawa’s 2026 Budget

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

The budget proposes a $5.2-billion operating budget, a capital budget of $1.9 billion and an overall net tax increase of 3.75 per cent. The average urban and suburban homeowner would pay an additional $166 per year, while the average rural homeowner would pay an additional $93 per year.

The budget is focused on enhancing emergency services, providing reliable infrastructure systems and waste management that safeguards our environment. It will enhance roadways, sidewalks, cycling lanes and transit, and it will deliver more affordable homes and support for Ottawa’s most vulnerable residents.

The City is investing in emergency services to enhance Fire Services, Paramedic Service and By-law and Regulatory Services response times. Budget 2026 is also seeing one of the largest increases in funding for the Ottawa Police Service in the city’s history, which will enable the service to hire 25 new officers. The budget directs funding to provide the tools required to support residents:

• Ottawa Paramedic Service: $2.6 million to hire and equip 23 new paramedics, $2.2 million for lifecycle renewal of medical equipment and $580,000 for hybrid emergency response vehicles 

• Ottawa Fire Services: $3.6 million to replace firefighter breathing devices, $3.6 million to repair and renew fire stations and $1.4 million for other fire equipment 

• By-law and Regulatory Services: Six new full-time equivalent positions to improve response times and enforce property standards, $100,000 for hybrid/electric vehicles and equipment, and $100,000 to modernize field technology 

• Public Safety Service: $764,000 for lifecycle renewal of public safety equipment and systems, supporting reliable technology for security operations and emergency coordination 

Ottawa’s 2026 Budget invests $1.6 million in the ByWard Market streetscaping renewal, which supports revitalization of a special district and improves economic activity, safety and tourism, as identified in the City’s Strategic Plan and Economic Development Strategy and Action Plan. Budget 2026 also includes $700,000 to accelerate the expansion of Alternate Neighbourhood Crisis Response (ANCHOR) in 2026. The budget invests $1.9 million to support the 200th anniversary celebrations for Bytown (2026) and the ByWard Market (2027).

The City is working on maintaining and protecting water service infrastructure, and providing waste management solutions with investments that include:

• $24.5 million for water pipe rehabilitation to prevent major breaks and extend system life 

• $11.3 million for upgrades to drinking water treatment plants 

• $87.2 million for rehabilitation work at Robert O. Pickard Environmental Centre (ROPEC), Ottawa’s main wastewater treatment plant, including power supply upgrades 
• $36.5 million to replace and upgrade drainage culverts, reducing flooding and improving long-term reliability
• $25 million for maintenance and development at the Trail Waste Facility landfill, such as expanding the gas collection system and repairing part of the landfill cap
• $2 million for waste reduction, enhanced education and strategies to extend landfill life

The City is also committed to climate action to support a green and resilient Ottawa. The budget invests $9 million in the Climate Change Master Plan to strengthen resiliency, cut emissions and support the green energy transition, including: 

• $5 million for Climate Ready Ottawa projects, such as conducting risk assessments for 230 critical facilities, improving emergency power reliability, providing community preparedness grants and installing cooling features in parks 

• $4 million for priority mitigation projects, such as accelerating building retrofits, electric charging infrastructure for the City fleet, implementing renewable energy initiatives and developing a district energy strategy 
• $17.5 million for tree and forest maintenance and $2.3 million for tree planting programs

The budget also renews and grows transportation infrastructure, including roads, bridges, sidewalks, pathways, culverts and enhanced traffic measures. It will help build a more connected city, with reliable, safe and accessible mobility options through investments that include:

• $24.7 million to cover the ongoing costs of running the extended O-Train Line 1 to Trim Station
• $29.9 million for Stage 2 O-Train transition/readiness, detours and wayfinding
• $239.6 million for integrated road, water and sewer projects, including $70 million for road resurfacing 

• $56.1 million toward the widening and realignment of Greenbank Road, between Chapman Mills Drive and Cambrian Road 

• $41.3 million to renew or rehabilitate transportation bridges and structures 

• $38.1 million to replace vehicles, including the continuing transition of Ottawa’s fleet to electric, hybrid and low-emission vehicles 
• $32.1 million for pedestrian and cycling facilities to address missing links, improve connectivity and enhance safety 
• Up to $24.3 million for the advancement of recreation infrastructure projects from Cash-in lieu of parklands 
• $20.4 million toward the widening of Carp Road between Highway 417 and Hazeldean Road
• $20 million in capital funding towards core tax supported infrastructure such as roads, sidewalks, parks and recreational facilities

• $13.5 million to renew and repair sidewalks and pathways 
• $5.9 million to improve mobility on main streets in design priority areas to support intensification and economic development 

• $5.8 million towards intersections that meet warrants for new traffic control measures, such as signals and roundabouts

• Nearly $2.6 million for pedestrian crossovers 

• $500,000 for new streetlights 

The City continues to build a more affordable place to live, supporting some of Ottawa’s residents with the greatest needs. The 2026 Budget invests:

• $23.3 million to help build more affordable housing, including projects like phase two of Rochester Heights and the Multifaith Housing initiatives at LeBreton Flats, bringing capital investments in affordable housing in this Term of Council to $105.5 million
• $4 million increase in funding for social and community housing
• $2.18 million for essential health and social supports for vulnerable residents, particularly low-income seniors 
• $476,000 increase for food security initiatives, for a total investment of $5.5 million in food security

Council also approved several transit-related motions for review and implementation in 2026, including investments in expanded free fare options for youth 18 years and under and for Para Transpo customers aged 65 and older, extended transfer times during afternoon peak periods, and exploring service and transit priority improvements in specific areas the city. The weekday frequency of O-Train Line 1 will also increase, moving from the current 10-minute frequency between 9 am and 3 pm to every six minutes, and from 10-minute frequency between 6 pm and 7:30 pm to every 7.5 minutes. 

 Capital investments in rural Ottawa include:

• $6.6 million to renew rural infrastructure, such as roads and guiderails
• $3.6 million to maintain rural roadside ditches

For more information on the City’s budget and process, visit the Budget 2026 webpage.

Council approved submitting a nomination for the ByWard Market as a National Historic Site for its 200th anniversary, which happens in 2027. The designation, through the National Program of Historical Commemoration supported by Parks Canada, recognizes a place, person, or event that has national historical significance. The ByWard Market meets all criteria for designation.

The ByWard Market is Ottawa’s oldest commercial area and the site of one of the city’s first public markets. It led to the first permanent European settlement of Bytown, which would become Canada’s capital. It remains a key gathering spot. Its buildings are 40 years of age and older, boasting a range of design, materials, workmanship and settings that have been maintained for almost 200 years. Many buildings have evolved over time to respond to new uses, tenants and changing demands, which reflect the evolution of economic, social and cultural activity in the area. It also features the Mile of History, a collection of restored buildings and storefronts from the nineteenth century along Sussex Drive.

The Market grew as a bilingual neighbourhood, with a hub of francophone cultural institutions, reflecting the two colonial nations that settled in Canada. It was also associated with the development of Ottawa as Canada’s national capital through its role as an entry point, gathering place, home and workplace for many different populations, communities and newcomers to Canada. Its location, adjacent to Lowertown, east of Parliament Hill, near the Ottawa and Rideau Rivers and connected to Sussex Drive, links the area to key events and themes in Ottawa’s history, including connections to Indigenous Peoples, the fur and timber trade, the mix of French and English cultures, agricultural history and immigrant stories.

• Agenda