Audit Committee discusses City’s management of cash-in-lieu of parkland funds

The City of Ottawa’s Audit Committee met today to receive an audit examining the management of cash-in-lieu of parkland funds. 

City by-laws require that developers provide new parkland, cash-in-lieu of parkland, or a combination of the two, as a condition for the approval of new housing developments. This approach ensures that new homes are accompanied by an increase in local park and recreation space, supporting the healthy and responsible growth of communities. 

In most cases where the City collects cash-in-lieu of parkland funds, 60 per cent of the funds paid are allocated for use in the ward of the development, with the remaining 40 per cent allocated for city-wide purposes. 

The City has taken recent action to improve the planning of these projects, including introducing a new pilot intake process, making plans to assign additional resources, and improving collaboration. 

The audit released by the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) focused on how the City determines cash-in-lieu of parkland funds during the development application process and how the City selects and manages parkland projects supported by cash-in-lieu funds. 

The audit includes five recommendations to improve these practices. Management confirmed during the meeting their agreement with each recommendation and outlined plans to implement the changes. 

The full audit, with additional information about the recommendations, is available on the OAG’s website. 

Management committed to specific timelines to implement each recommendation, some of which will be reflected in an update to the Cash-in-Lieu of Parkland Policy by Q3 of 2027.