Joanne Chianello

Ottawa’s city council has passed the first budget of its term, one that hikes property taxes 2.5 per cent, freezes transit fares — while making transit free for kids under 12 — and increases funding to social service agencies and the climate change plan.

Temporary scaffolding that protects public transit riders from foul weather as they dash between the LRT and connecting buses at Hurdman and Tunney’s Pasture stations is on the budget chopping block at Ottawa city hall this week.

Some say John Tory needed to quit as mayor, after it was reported he was having an affair with a woman in his office. But he actually didn’t have to. Because there are actually no rules in Toronto — or any Ontario municipality — about politicians developing intimate relationships with their staff members.

Everyone involved in the Confederation Line agrees there’s a problem and they’re throwing everything they can at it. But there are still few details on what a long-term fix to the system might entail.

It didn’t take long for a City of Ottawa committee to vote in favour of designating a century-old apartment complex in Sandy Hill as a heritage building, but there is now a mad dash to protect thousands of other heritage buildings by the end of next year due to Ontario’s Bill 23.

The problems that caused an August 2021 derailment and a component failure in July 2022 on Ottawa’s light rail system “continue to pose a risk to safety until the issues are resolved,” the Transportation Safety Board says.

The first budget tabled by Mayor Mark Sutcliffe delivers on some of his key election promises, including keeping Ottawa’s property tax increase to 2.5 per cent, freezing transit fares and increasing funding to social service agencies by more than $4 million.

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe may have run on a promise not to increase property taxes more than 2.5 per cent, but one-third of the newly elected council has not signed onto that pledge, worried that it won’t provide the city with the money it needs to serve residents.

The City of Ottawa has ongoing serious concerns about the Confederation Line's performance and wonders whether it has been designed, constructed and maintained properly, according to court documents filed earlier this month.

The PC government stunned many in Ottawa and Toronto with legislation that will allow the mayors of those cities to pass local laws with only one-third of council support. If Bill 39 goes ahead, it could stir up talk of a constitutional challenge.

The surprise move by the provincial government to allow the mayor of Ottawa to pass certain bylaws with just over one-third of council’s support is being called undemocratic by some members of city council.

Cities are scrambling to figure out what Bill 23, known as the “More Homes Built Faster Act”, means for them. They are sure of one thing, though: the Progressive Conservative government’s new legislation overrides some of the powers municipalities have to oversee the planning of their own cities.

New provincial legislation aimed at rapidly increasing the supply of housing in Ontario will allow triplexes to built on virtually all residential properties across Ottawa — something that could change the character of some older neighbourhoods.

Ottawa’s mayor-elect Mark Sutcliffe won with a slim majority of the votes as a centrist candidate for a centrist city. It was a hard-fought battle, but the challenges he faces now are greater than any he faced during the campaign.

What has shaped up to be the closest Ottawa mayoral race in 16 years has drawn an intriguing cast of behind-the-scenes players, from the candidates’ closest confidantes to big-name federal and provincial players, from well-known figures in city politics to newcomers.

When it comes to Ottawa’s municipal election campaigns, climate change has never received as much attention as it has in this one.

Whether you get around on foot, bike or public transit, the folks running for mayor promise to make it easier for you to get around town, but they each have different priorities.

The high-profile candidate Mark Sutcliffe wants to provide incentives to build more affordable housing units through a combination of waiving a variety of fees and, in some circumstances, height restrictions. And he wants to streamline the development process to make it easier to build more homes, f…

The proposed legislation passed second reading last week, and it’s set to give mayors in Toronto and Ottawa powers over city matters that go well beyond increasing the supply of homes.

A sitting councillor, a former mayor and a local broadcaster are among the 14 people vying for mayor in this fall’s municipal election, which will usher in wide-ranging change on Ottawa’s city council.