Discover Draft Budget 2026 with the Budget Explorer

Get the information you need about Draft Budget 2026 with this interactive online tool.

Last week, Council tabled the 2026 Draft Budget. At over 900 pages long, we know that a lot of people might not have the time to read it all. That’s why we created the Budget Explorer – a simple, interactive tool designed to help you get the information you need about our budget.

The Budget Explorer presents key information from the 2026 Draft Budget in a clear and engaging way using easy to understand explanations and interactive features, like graphs and charts. It is designed to provide a simple overview of the budget and answer basic questions, such as how much money the city has and how the money will be spent with this budget.

There are endless ways to engage with the Budget Explorer to help you get information that matters to you. For example, you can view the operating budget of a specific department, and learn more about key priorities  

For those who enjoy diving into data, the Budget Explorer also lets you access and download all of the data sets that power the visualizations as part of our commitment to making the budget process more transparent and accessible.

This tool is designed to help you become more familiar with the City’s budget and better understand how it impacts you. By doing so, it can empower you to provide feedback to the City on the issues that are important to you.

Want to have your say in the budget process? There are many ways you can provide your feedback:

• Write to your ward Councillor. If you’re not sure who your councillor is, you can visit the Mayor and City Councillor page on the City’s website.
• Share your ideas on Facebook or Bluesky using the hashtag #OttBudget
• Submit questions or feedback directly through the Budget 2026 Engage Ottawa page
• More ways to stay engaged in the budget process year-round can be found on Engage Ottawa.

 

New: Want a lighter way to stay informed? Sign up for the City News weekly round-up newsletter for brief summaries and links to all the updates you may have missed.