Last week, Mayor Sutcliffe set forth in unequivocal terms the lack of fairness with which our provincial and federal governments have been treating Ottawa. His focus was on two issues: the preferential treatment the federal government gives itself in determining how much it wants to pay us in taxes, and the inequitable treatment between the GTA and Ottawa with respect to transit funding. The consequences for Ottawa residents of this treatment are profound. We are facing a budget hole in the tens of millions of dollars as transit patterns have shifted and it is of the utmost importance that these two issues be addressed urgently. But it’s also key to know that whatever the City’s current finances, these issues need to be addressed in any case: fair is fair.
The Mayor has launched his own petition and my urging to residents is to either sign it or to otherwise communicate to their MP and MPP their support for fair treatment for Ottawa.
For 10 years, I’ve advocated for a different approach to the city budget than that which we’ve pursued. There’s a lot I could say about our current situation. I’m not, however, going to. The Mayor knows that he has my full support in seeking redress on payment-in-lieu-of-taxes and transit funding. These need to be solved as foundational issues to our city’s sustainability no matter how we’ve approached budgets in past or how we’ll address budgets in future.
The Mayor’s speech is available here. His petition is here. Watch the speech, and whether you use the Mayor’s petition or simply email your MP or MPP, I hope you’ll support his and Council’s efforts in favour of fairness for Ottawa.