City Council Meeting: Fire Services, Housing, Infrastructure, and Transit

Council dealt with fire services, construction impacts, housing, infrastructure, transit, and rural concerns. Members approved a motion asking the province to act on lithium battery safety, directed staff to review stronger protections for residents affected by stalled or poorly managed construction sites, advanced several housing and land items, and approved transit and paramedic service measures. The meeting also included debate over Ottawa's infrastructure funding gap, tenant protections, and a motion calling for more transparency and consultation on the proposed Alto high-speed rail project.

Topics Discussed

• FIRE SERVICES AND LITHIUM BATTERIES: During discussion of the 2025 Fire Services Annual Report, Councillor Riley Brockington said rescue interventions were up 12% from the previous year, including ice and water rescues, trench rescues, and structure collapse calls. He said, "This type of incidents exposes firefighters, ambulance paramedics, police personnel and emergency resources to increased operational risk." Council also passed Motion 11.1 asking the province to address lithium battery safety. Brockington's direction to staff called for continued public education on ice safety, water safety, and proper 911 use, and for a 2027 review of possible cost recovery or administrative fees for some avoidable or non-emergency rescue responses.

• CONSTRUCTION IMPACTS ON RESIDENTS: Council approved directions for staff to examine stronger protections for residents affected by construction activity, including prolonged inactivity and unfinished sites. Councillor Stéphanie Plante said, "The current system is rather reactive and everyone seems to be going in circles," adding, "Residents feel absolutely powerless. They cannot intervene." Councillor Laura Dudas said residents had reported "property damage, insecurity, stress, temporary evacuation from their homes and a feeling of being abandoned in a system where no one seemed clearly responsible." Staff were directed to review stronger maintenance, inspection, and fencing requirements and compare Ottawa's tools with those used in other municipalities, including Toronto.

• HOUSING, COMMUNITY HOUSING, AND TENANT PROTECTION: Council adopted the municipal land strategy for surplus properties, the affordable housing community improvement plan, and the sale of 1601 Promenade Prince de Galles to Carrington Cooperative Housing Corporation for affordable housing. In discussion of community housing, Stéphane Giger said, "Community housing is much more than just housing. It is essential public infrastructure that supports health, dignity, safety, stability and inclusion." He also said the housing provider is short about $5 million per year for repairs and needs help from other levels of government. Council also approved a motion directing staff to bring forward draft amendments on rental renovation rules to the Planning and Housing Committee by July 8, 2027.

• INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING AND FACILITY RENEWAL: Council discussed what Councillor Glen Gower described as a $229 million annual infrastructure gap, saying, "It's real and it has a real impact today and will have more impacts in the future." Councillor Clarke Kelly argued infrastructure needs were being overshadowed in affordability discussions, saying a 1% property tax increase over four years would have generated enough annual revenue to cover the city's shortfall. Council also reviewed a facilities assessment that found 40 facilities should be replaced. Councillor Sean Devine asked staff to provide the criteria and weighting used to prioritize those sites, along with the full inventory and assessment results.

• TRANSIT AND PARAMEDIC SERVICE CHANGES: Council approved a two-stage procurement process for paramedic deployment in Ottawa's western growth area. Members also discussed transit reliability, including Line 1 winter disruptions and a $2 million thermal tracing system for the catenary network. Councillor Jeff Leiper said he understood the mitigation measures were more extensive than he had thought, but added that he believed RTG should pay the $2 million cost. Approved transit items also included free weekend transit tied to the Line 1 east extension and a Paratranspo pilot with extended hours including Saturday evenings.

• ALTO RAIL AND RURAL LAND CONCERNS: Council passed a resolution expressing concern about uncertainty surrounding the proposed Alto high-speed rail project. Councillor Catherine Kitts said residents, landowners, and farm operators had raised concerns about route selection, possible expropriation, and impacts on homes, businesses, and agricultural land. The motion asked Alto and the federal government to improve transparency, communication, and public participation throughout the route selection process.

Motions

Passed: - Motion 11.1 — Request to the province regarding safe use of lithium batteries - Staff direction on construction-site resident protection and enforcement review - Item 12.1 — Capital budget adjustment - Item 12.2 — Q1 2026 operational budget report - Item 12.4 — Paramedic deployment procurement for Ottawa's western growth area - Municipal land strategy for surplus properties and authority to transfer municipal lands for housing - Affordable Housing Community Improvement Plan report - Sale of 1601 Promenade Prince de Galles to Carrington Cooperative Housing Corporation - Items 13.1 and 13.2 — Zoning modifications for 500-508 Avenue Edgeworth - Recommendation 3, Item 13.1 — Zoning regulation modification for 500 and 508 Avenue Edgeworth (17-5) - Item 13.3 — Rental renovation regulation review and draft amendments by July 8, 2027 - Heritage designation for 575 Island Park Crescent / 575 Allen Park Crescent - Motion requiring transparent discussions before demolition permit decision for 575 Allen Park Crescent (17-4) - Stop Gap Foundation partnership pilot project - Development fee waiver for primary care facilities - Noise detection / loud exhaust and vehicle-theft proof-of-concept pilot - Property sale motions related to Watson Mills and $2,050 grant to WMMI - Bid to host the Federation of Canadian Municipalities conference and trade show in 2031-2032 - Street naming commemorations, including Tyson Leef memorial and Colinda Joseph - Resolution on Alto high-speed rail transparency, consultation, route evaluation, and protection of agricultural land and rural communities - Renaming of Reeves Park to Tesden Park

Attendees

Councillors explicitly referenced in the meeting notes as present or speaking:

• Stéphanie Plante
• Riley Brockington
• Clarke Kelly
• Theresa Kavanagh
• Sean Devine
• Glen Gower
• Catherine Kitts
• Mark Sutcliffe
• Marty Carr
• Steve Desroches
• David Hill
• David Brown
• Laura Dudas
• Rawlson King
• Jeff Leiper
• Matthew Luloff
• Cathy Curry
• Tim Tierney
• Laine Johnson
• Ariel Troster