Postal disruption may impact City paper billing, invoicing and notifications

The Canada Post strike action could impact the delivery of City paper billing, invoices and other notifications – including water utility bills, property tax bills, invoices and traffic-related infractions. Contingency options are available for residents and businesses.   Property Tax and Water Utility Bills In the event of a postal service disruption, water utility bills and property tax bills will continue to be issued and the payment due date will remain unchanged. For those who receive their bills by mail, it is recommended to sign up for paperless billing. The convenience of paperless billing extends beyond any postal disruption. The benefits include:

• Instant access: receive notifications as soon as bills are issued, directly in your inbox.

• Convenience: easily manage and track your billing history online.
• Environmentally friendly: help reduce paper waste and support a more sustainable future.

To enroll in paperless billing, create or log in to your My ServiceOttawa account, navigate to view your Water Utility Bill or Property Tax account and select paperless as your preferred billing method. If this is your first time using this service, you will need a copy of your last bill to complete the registration process.   Once registered, you will get an email notification whena bill is ready for viewing, along with the amount, due date and a link to My ServiceOttawa. Alternatively, contact Revenue Services and one of our agents will be happy to assist with this process:

• Call 613-580-2444 (TTY: 613-580-2401) and select option 1
• Business hours: Monday to Friday from 8 am to 4:30 pm

Other bill payment options include:

• Financial institution (online, telebanking or in-person)
• Online by credit card
• Pre-authorized debit (PAD)
• In-person at a City of Ottawa Client Service Centre

General Accounts Receivable Invoices Accounts receivable invoices will be emailed where possible.. If you are expecting an invoice for City services, please contact Accounts Receivable.  Social Assistance Overpayments Social Assistance Overpayments can be paid online, through your financial institution, by visiting a Canada Post location, or at 100 Constellation Drive. Parking tickets and provincial offence fines For speeding tickets, by-law infractions or other offences, these can be paid online or in person or by drop box at a Provincial Offences Court office. Parking tickets, along with by-law and traffic-camera infractions, can also be paid in-person at any Client Service Centre and drop boxes, by phone at 613-738-7719, or online through Ottawa.ca/poa.     Collections Defaulted Provincial Offences Collection Notices will be emailed where possible. All newly defaulted fines will receive a phone call where possible and regular collection activities will continue. Residents can pay:

• Online on ottawa.ca
• In-person at a Provincial Offences Court office
• Over the phone at 613-580-2424 extension 21900, (TTY: 613-580-2401)
• Through pre-authorized debit (PAD)

OC Transpo Mail delivery of Presto Cards will be unable during the postal service disruption. Presto cards can be purchased at ticket machines, the Rideau Centre Customer Service Centre and participating Shoppers Drug Mart, Loblaws and Real Canadian Superstore locations. The Rideau Customer Service Centre will be able to provide the following services during their business hours:

• Customer pickup for Gold and Regular Park & Ride Passes
• Pick up of EquiPass approval letter and passes (Must be coordinated with Customer Service staff in advance)
• Taxi coupons – which must be purchased in advance by phone.

If you require more information, contact OC Transpo Customer Service at 613-560-5000 (TTY: 613-741-5280). Employment and Social Services Employment and Social Services’ clients can access the most up to date information on ottawa.ca.  Development applications Public notices announcing new development applications will be published every Saturday in The Ottawa Citizen and Le Droit beginning Saturday, November 23. This will continue for the duration of the work stoppage. You can always review development applications on ottawa.ca. Development applications will also be announced weekly through a dedicated PSA. Check ottawa.ca for any further contingencies for the postal service disruptions.  For more information on City programs and services, visit ottawa.ca, call 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-2401) or 613-580-2400 to contact the City using Canada Video Relay Service. You can also connect with us through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.