Finance and Corporate Services Committee

Minutes

Meeting #:

23

Date:

Tuesday, April 01, 2025

Time:

9:30 A.m. - 3:00 P.m.

Location:

Andrew S. Haydon Hall, 110 Laurier Avenue West, and by electronic participation

Present:

• Chair: Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, 
• Vice-Chair: Councillor Catherine Kitts, 
• Councillor Matt Luloff, 
• Councillor Laura Dudas, 
• Councillor Cathy Curry, 
• Councillor Glen Gower, 
• Councillor Tim Tierney, 
• Councillor Rawlson King, 
• Councillor Jeff Leiper, 
• Councillor Riley Brockington, 
• Councillor Shawn Menard, 
• and Councillor David Brown 

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1.

Notices and meeting information for meeting participants and the public

Notices and meeting information are attached to the agenda and minutes, including: availability of simultaneous interpretation and accessibility accommodations; in camera meeting procedures; information items not subject to discussion; personal information disclaimer for correspondents and public speakers; notices regarding minutes; and remote participation details.

Accessible formats and communication supports are available, upon request.

Except where otherwise indicated, reports requiring Council consideration will be presented to Council on 16 April 2025 in Finance and Corporate Services Committee Report 23.

The deadline to register by phone to speak, or submit written comments or visual presentations is 4 pm on Monday, 31 March 2025, and the deadline to register to speak by email is 8:30 am on Tuesday, 1 April 2025.

These “Summary Minutes” indicate the disposition of items and actions taken at the meeting. This document does not include all of the text that will be included in the full Minutes, such as the record of written and oral submissions. Recorded votes and dissents contained in the Summary Minutes are draft until the full Minutes of the meeting are confirmed by the Committee. The draft of the full Minutes (for confirmation) will be published with the agenda for the next regular Committee meeting and, once confirmed, will replace this document.

2.

Declarations of Interest

No Declarations of Interest were filed.

3.

Confirmation of Minutes

3.1

FCSC Minutes 22 – 4 March 2025

4.

Finance and Corporate Services Department

4.1

2025 Tax Policy and Other Revenue Matters

File No ACS2025-FCS-REV-0001 - Citywide

• Report recommendation(s)

  That the Finance and Corporate Services Committee recommend that Council:

  1. Discontinue the optional Parking Lot and Vacant Land property class and eliminate Vacant Land subclass discounts.

  2. Approve a four-year plan to reduce the Multi-Residential tax ratio to 1.0000, subject to review after a province wide reassessment.

  3. Adopt the following optional property tax classes in 2025:

  • Shopping Centre property class
  • Office Building property class
  • Large Industrial property class
  • Professional Sports Facility property class
  • Small Business property subclass
  • Small-scale business on farm subclass I & II

  4. Adopt the following tax ratios for 2025:

  Property Class                         Ratio*
  Residential                              1.00000
  Multi-Residential                    1.30000
  New Multi-Residential            1.00000
  Farm                                         0.20000
  Managed Forest                      0.25000
  Pipeline                                    1.71980
  Commercial Broad Class       1.97077
  Commercial                             1.92343
  Office Building                        2.38681
  Shopping Centre                    1.54793
  Professional Sports Facility  1.92343
  Industrial Broad Class           2.26631
  Industrial                                 2.35889
  Large Industrial                      2.02568
  Landfill                                    2.76212
  Aggregate Extraction            2.09599
  
  *Subject to final minor revisions upon Ontario Property Tax Analysis close-off.

  5. Adopt the following tax reductions for the 2025 tax year:

  • Small business subclass: 15 per cent
  • Farm land awaiting development subclass I: 25 per cent
  • Farm land awaiting development subclass II: No discount
  • Small-scale business on farm subclass I: 75 per cent
  • Small-scale business on farm subclass II: 75 per cent
  • Commercial (including office and shopping classes) and Industrial excess and vacant land: No discount

  6. Approve that the municipal tax rates for 2025 be established based on the ratios adopted herein.
  7. Approve that the 2025 capping and clawback provisions be as follows:

  • That capping parameters be approved at the higher of 10 per cent of the previous year's annualized tax or 10 per cent of the 2025 Current Value Assessment (CVA) taxes.
  • That capped or clawed-back properties whose recalculated annualized taxes fall within $500 of their CVA taxation be moved to their CVA tax for the year and be excluded from any future capping adjustments.
  • That properties that have reached their CVA during the current year be excluded from any future capping adjustments.
  • Continue the accelerated exit of the capping program, phased out over four years, where the final year of the capping program will be 2026.

  8. Approve the property tax and water mitigation programs previously approved by Council, including the changes and additions for 2025 as follows:

  • Charitable Rebate Program
  • Farm Grant Program
  • Low-Income Seniors and Persons with Disabilities Tax and/or Water Deferral Programs and set the income threshold for 2025 applicants to$56,556.
  • Approve the proposed By-law to establish tax relief parameters under section 357 of the Municipal Act, 2001 and approve those applications for tax relief under section 357 1(d)(ii) and 1(g) be determined using the following parameters and as described in this report and in the general form set out in Document 2:
    1. Section 357 1(d)(ii), for buildings damaged by fire, demolition or otherwise rendering them substantially unusable, a 35 per cent property tax adjustment for the space affected.
    2. Section 357 1(g), for properties undergoing repairs and renovation which prevented normal use of the land for a period of at least three months, a 25 per cent property tax adjustment for the space affected.

  9. Approve the introduction of a new service fee for Pre-Authorized Debit plans.
  10. Adopt the notional tax rate adjustment for the City of Ottawa as prescribed in the property tax-related regulations made under the Municipal Act, 2001.
  11. Approve that $4.3 million in additional tax revenue from the application of the notional tax rate adjustment be allocated as follows:

  • $1.7 million be contributed to the assessment growth for 2025 and
  • $2.6 million be allocated to Councillor budgets as aligned by the third-party review and Motion No. 2025–50-14.

  12. Approve that the 2026 property tax and due date provisions be as follows:

  • That the interim 2026 property tax billing be set at 50 per cent of the 2025 adjusted/annualized taxes as permitted by legislation.
  • That the following tax due dates be approved for 2026:
    1. Interim: March 19, 2026
    2. Final: June 18, 2026.
  • That the penalty and interest percentage charged on overdue and unpaid tax arrears remain at 1.25 per cent per month (15 per cent per year) for 2026, unchanged from 2025.
  • That Council enact a by-law to establish the 2026 interim taxes, tax due dates, penalty and interest charges.

  13. Adopt an annual levy on eligible institutions pursuant to Section 323 of theMunicipal Act, 2001, and Ontario Regulation 384/98 as follows:

  • $75 per full-time student in attendance at universities and colleges, pursuant to Section 323 (1)
  • $75 per resident placed in correctional institutions, pursuant to Section 323 (2)
  • $75 per rated bed in public hospitals, pursuant to Section 323 (3)
  • $75 per place in provincial educational institutions, pursuant to Section 323 (5).

  14. Approve the changes to the service fees for the Payment Card ProcessingBy-law, as outlined in this report.

  Carried

4.2

Disposition of 2024 Tax and Rate Supported Operating Surplus/Deficit

File No ACS2025-FCS-FSP-0003 - Citywide

• Report Recommendation(s)

  That the Finance and Corporate Services Committee recommend that Council:

  1. Approve the $51.969 million 2024 operating surplus in City-Wide be transferred to the Tax Stabilization Reserve;
  2. Approve the $1.250 million 2024 operating surplus in By-law and Regulatory Services be transferred to the City-Wide Reserve, effecting the advance repayment in relation to the Industrial Building Retrofit capital project, thereby fulfilling its financial obligation three years in advance;
  3. Approve the Ottawa Police Services 2024 operating surplus of $2.438 million be transferred to the Tax Stabilization Reserve;
  4. Approve the $21.660 million 2024 operating deficit in Transit Services be funded from the Tax Stabilization Reserve;
  5. Approve the $1.857 million 2024 operating surplus in Ottawa Public Library (OPL) be transferred as follows:
     
     1. $357 thousand transferred to the Library Reserve;
     2. $1.5 million transferred to a new capital account for the purchase of a new Bookmobile as approved by the Ottawa Public Library Board;
  6. Approve the $4.699 million 2024 operating surplus in Water Services be transferred to the Water Reserve;
  7. Approve the $1.455 million 2024 operating surplus in Wastewater Services be transferred to the Wastewater Reserve;
  8. Approve the $3.0 thousand 2024 operating surplus in Stormwater Services be transferred to the Stormwater Reserve;
  9. Approve $5.561thousand of unallocated 2024 Rural Community Building Grant Program funding be carried forward to 2025 to provide additional funding towards the 2025 Rural Community Building Grant Program.
  10. Approve the addition of 18 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions to the Ottawa Paramedic Service Central Ambulance Communication Centre (CACC), as funded by the Ministry of Health's increased base funding.
  11. Approve updates to the Reserve Management Policy relating to setting of minimum and maximum reserve balances for the Tax Stabilization and the City-Wide Capital reserves to consider trends in key operating budget risk factors and to align with the Long Range Financial plan;
  12. Approve updates to the Reserve Management Policy in Document 5 relating to reporting requirements where the City Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer will report annually the updated reserve target balances as part of the Year-end Disposition report and to consider reserve balances below or above targets as part of the Budget Directions Report.; and,
  13. Receive Documents 1 to 4 for information.
  Carried

4.3

2025 Budgets and Special Levies for Business Improvement Areas(BIA) and Sparks Street Mall Authority

File No ACS2025-FCS-FIN-0002 - Citywide

• Report Recommendation(s)

  1. That the Finance and Corporate Services Committee recommend that Council approve the 2025 budgets and special levies, as presented in Document 1, for the following:
     • Barrhaven BIA
     • Bells Corners BIA
     • Carp BIA
     • Carp Road Corridor BIA
     • Centretown BIA
     • Downtown BIA
     • Downtown Rideau BIA
     • Glebe BIA
     • Heart of Orleans BIA
     • Kanata Central BIA
     • Kanata North BIA
     • Manotick BIA
     • Preston BIA
     • Somerset Chinatown BIA
     • Somerset Village BIA
     • Sparks Street Mall Authority
     • Vanier BIA
     • Wellington West BIA
     • Westboro Village BIA
  2. That Council enact the BIA levy by-laws and the Sparks Street Mall Authority by-law for the BIAs and Mall Authority listed in Recommendation 1 once the 2025 tax ratios are approved by Council. 
  Carried

4.4

Conservation Authorities 2025 Levies

File No ACS2025-FCS-FSP-0004 - Citywide

• Report Recommendation(s)

  That the Finance and Corporate Services Committee recommend that Council approve the 2025 levies for the Rideau Valley, South Nation and Mississippi Valley Conservation Authorities as presented in Document 1, and as outlined in 
  this report.

  Carried

5.

Office of the City Clerk

5.1

Office of the City Clerk 2024 Annual Report

File No ACS2025-OCC-GEN-0003 - Citywide

• Report Recommendation(s)

  That the Finance and Corporate Services Committee recommend that City Council:

  1. Receive this report; and
  2. Approve the amendments to Schedule “A” of the Records Retention and Disposition By-law as outlined in this report and set out in Documents 4 and 5.
  Received

5.2

2024 Report on French Language Services

File No ACS2025-OCC-GEN-0002 - Citywide

• Report recommendation(s)

  That the Finance and Corporate Services Committee recommend that City Council:

  1. Receive this report for information.
  2. Approve the 2025 Departmental French Language Services Operational Plans as described in this report and set out in Document 1.
  Received

5.3

Status Update – Finance and Corporate Services Committee Inquiries and Motions for the period ending 21 March 2025

File No: ACS2024-OCC-CCS-0048 - City-wide

• Report recommendation(s)

  That the Finance and Corporate Services Committee receive this report for information. 

  Received

6.

Strategic Initiatives Department

6.1

Economic Development Strategy and Action Plan Implementation Update

File No ACS2025-SI-ED-0001 - Citywide

• Report recommendations

  That the Finance and Corporate Services Committee recommend Council:

  Receive for information the Economic Development Strategy and Action Plan Implementation Update.

  Received

6.2

Municipal Land Strategy – Surplus Land Declaration and Authority to Transfer City-Owned Lands for Affordable Housing

File No ACS2025-SI-HSI-0010 - Orléans West-Innes (2), Stittsville (6), Knoxdale-Merivale (9), Gloucester-Southgate (10), Somerset (14), Kitchissippi (15), Capital (17)

DIRECTION TO STAFF (Councillor S. Menard)

It is important that the redevelopment of 185 Hawthorne Avenue be undertaken by a non-profit housing provider, to ensure long-term affordability in the community, given the high cost of home prices in the area. Staff have confirmed that this site and others listed in the report will be offered to non-profit housing providers, for nominal value, through a Request for Proposal. To support this effort, staff will undertake site due diligence, including environmental assessment work and concept plan development. Staff are also exploring pre-development funding to support planning, engineering, and building permit drawings. It is also useful to note that a motion was passed when the rezoning application for 185 Hawthorne Avenue was presented to committee, to ensure that part of the property is maintained for publicly accessible open space, given the importance of the site to the community.

As a result of these objectives, staff shall be directed to follow up with the Councillor of Ward 17 prior to finalizing the disposal of the site, to confirm that a non-profit housing provider has been selected and to provide an update on the concept plan for the redevelopment including the future open space.

• Report recommendations

  That the Finance and Corporate Services Committee:

  1. Declare as surplus to City needs, the following properties,

  1. 1. 40 Beechcliffe Street, shown on Document 1;
     2. Portions of 1770 Heatherington Road, shown on Document 2;
     3. 687 Somerset Street West, shown on Document 3;
     4. 2548 Cléroux Crescent, shown on Document 4;
     5. 185 Hawthorne Avenue, shown on Document 5; and
     6. Land abutting 287 Loretta Avenue South, shown on Document 6.

  That the Finance and Corporate Services Committee recommend that Council:

  2. Authorize the transfer of 2 Pretty Street, previously declared surplus and transferred to Build Ottawa, and shown on Document 7, subject to existing easements and any easements that may be required, from Build Ottawa back to the City of Ottawa.

  3. Waive Section 1.2 of the City’s Disposal of Real Property Policy pertaining to the disposal of real property at current market value, Section 2.3 pertaining to the public marketing of viable properties and part of Section 4.1 pertaining to the requirement for two appraisals for the following properties:

  1. 1. 40 Beechcliffe Street;
     2. Portions of 1770 Heatherington Road;
     3. 687 Somerset Street West;
     4. 2548 Cléroux Crescent;
     5. 185 Hawthorne Avenue;
     6. 2 Pretty Street; and
     7. 261A Hinchey Avenue, previously declared surplus and shown on Document 8.  

  4. For the land abutting 287 Loretta Avenue South, waive Section 1.2 of the City’s Disposal of Real Property Policy pertaining to the disposal of real property at current market value, Section 2.4 pertaining to providing notice of disposal of non-viable property to abutting landowners, and part of Section 3.2 pertaining to disposal at market value.

  5. Delegate authority to the Director, Housing Solutions and Investment Services, to enter into, conclude, execute, amend, and implement on behalf of the City, the required agreements for the sale of the properties 
  referenced in Recommendations 1 to 4 to a not-for-profit affordable housing provider or a not-for-profit housing provider in partnership with a private developer, selected in accordance with the process set out in this report, for the purpose of affordable housing development and for nominal consideration. 

  1. 1. Should a not-for-profit affordable housing provider or not-for-profit housing provider in partnership with a private developer not be secured for these properties, approve the disposal of the surplus lands in accordance with the Disposal of Real Property Policy or transfer to Build Ottawa for disposal in accordance with the Build Ottawa Disposal of Real Property Policy. 

  6. Approve that $4 million of the total $16 million received through the Building Faster Fund for 1770 Heatherington Road be allocated by the Director, Housing Solutions and Investment Services, to Ottawa Community Housing Corporation (OCHC) for the purpose of constructing a 
  public road, as shown on Document 9, as further detailed in this report. 

  Carried as amended
• Motion No. FCSC 2025 - 23-xx
  Moved by G. Gower

  WHEREAS Report ACS2025-SI-HIS-0010 (the “Report”) recommends the surplus declaration, waiver of certain sections in the City’s Disposal of Real Property Policy, and delegation of authority to transfer City-owned lands to proponents to build affordable and attainable housing;

  AND WHEREAS the description of the property in Document 1 ought to have included a small parcel (shown as Area B in Document 1 attached), abutting the larger parcel known municipally as 40 Beechcliffe Street (shown as Area A in Document 1 attached), since this smaller parcel is not required for City purposes, it will otherwise become non-viable and it will contribute to the feasibility of the overall property at that address;

  THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Finance and Corporate Services Committee recommend amending the Report to replace Document 1 in the Report with Document 1 appended to this motion, in order to include the aforementioned City-owned parcel with the transfer of 40 Beechcliffe Street.

  Carried

6.3

Delegation of Authority – Acquisition and Sale of Land and Property – 1 July 2024 to 31 December 2024

File No ACS2025-SI-HSI-0008 - Citywide

• Report recommendations

  That the Finance and Corporate Services Committee receive this report for information.

  Received

6.4

Application for Approval to Expropriate Lands Report No. 2 –Baseline Transit Priority Phase

File No ACS2025-SI-HSI-0009 - College (8)

• Report recommendations

  That the Finance and Corporate Services Committee recommend that City Council enact the By-law attached as Document 1 hereto authorizing the City to proceed 
  with the expropriation of the lands described in Schedule A to the By-law (the “Lands”) including:

  1. Registering a plan of expropriation with respect to the Lands;
  2. Serving notice of expropriation and possession on the owners of the Lands;
  3. Serving offers of compensation as contemplated in Section 25 of the Expropriations Act; and,
  4. Taking possession of the Lands.

  All in accordance with the Expropriations Act

  Carried

7.

In Camera Items

There were no in camera items.

8.

Information Previously Distributed

8.1

Economic Development Update – Q4 2024 

File No. ACS2025-SI-ED-0007 

9.

Motions of Which Notice has been Previously Given

9.1

Motion – Councillor G. Gower - Waive the Disposal of Real Property Policy

File No ACS2025-OCC-CCS-0039 - Stittsville (6)

• Motion

  WHEREAS Plan of Subdivision OC2073225, Plan 4M-1616, known as Trail View (Metric) subdivision located within Ward 6 between Rouncey Road to the west and Terry Fox Drive to the east, and north of the Trans Canada Trail, was registered on January 24, 2019 and included all phases of the subdivision;

  WHEREAS a 6.0-metre-wide servicing block with an area of 214.6 square metres (Block 129, Plan 4M-1616) was conveyed to the City as part of the registration in order to provide an infrastructure connection from the subdivision to the stormwater management pond to the north;

  WHEREAS the Owner has proposed revisions to the dwelling type and proposed lot layout within this last phase of the Trail View (Metric) subdivision which has resulted in the need to shift the servicing block to the west by 4.52 metres;

  WHEREAS since the current 6.0-metre-wide servicing block is owned by the City, our disposal policies apply and require that the 4.52 metre-wide-portion of the existing servicing block be sold back to the Owner at fair market value;

  WHEREAS a new 4.52-metre-wide block will be required to be conveyed by the Owner to the City in a new Subdivision Agreement for this last phase of the subdivision, which, along with the retained 1.48-metre-wide portion of Block 129, 
  Plan 4M-1616), will result in a 6.0-metre-wide servicing block with an area of 199.6 square metres;

  WHEREAS the land to be conveyed back to the Owner, which will be 15 square metres smaller than the current servicing block owned by the City, has been deemed to not be viable to the City as it is not part of the City’s parkland or active transportation network, and also due to its size and location;

  THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Finance and Corporate Services Committee recommend Council waive the Disposal of Real Property Policy to enable the City to transfer a 4.52-metre-wide portion of Block 129, Plan 4M-1616 back to the Owner for a nominal charge.

  Carried

10.

Notices of Motions (For Consideration at Subsequent Meeting)

There were no Notices of Motion.

11.

Inquiries

11.1

Ottawa Road 174 Status

Submitted by: Councillor L. Dudas

It has been one year since the “Ottawa-Ontario Agreement” was signed, and with it, an agreement for the Province of Ontario to undertake a three-stage plan to take back ownership and responsibility for Ottawa Road 174. The agreement included that the Province of Ontario would fund both capital and limited operating costs during the transition period.

Could staff provide:

1. An overview of completed OR174 capital or operating work for which the City has either secured, or intends to secure, reimbursement from the Province of Ontario.
2. An overview of anticipated future OR174 capital or operating work for which the City intends to seek reimbursement from the Province of Ontario.
3. A summary on the assessment/due diligence completed to date.
4. A summary of any potential milestones Council should expect as part of the due diligence process.

12.

Other Business

12.1

Federation of Canadian Municipalities – Election to the Board of Directors

• Motion No. FCSC 2025 - 23-xx
  Moved by G. Gower

  That the following motion be added to the Agenda pursuant to Subsection 89(3) of the Procedure By-law so that Councillor Tierney’s candidacy for the FCM Board may be submitted to FCM for publication as soon as possible.

  WHEREAS the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) represents the interests of member municipalities on policy and program matters that fall within federal jurisdiction;

  WHEREAS FCM’s Board of Directors is comprised of elected municipal officials from all regions and sizes of communities to form a broad base of support and provide FCM with the united voice required to carry the municipal message to the federal government; and

  WHEREAS FCM’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held in conjunction with the Annual Conference and Trade Show, May 29 to June 1, 2025, followed by the election of FCM’s Board of Directors; and

  WHEREAS Ottawa City council supports Councillor Tim Tierney on his bid to run for the First Vice-President Table Officers position on FCM; and

  BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Ottawa endorses Councillor Tim Tierney to stand for election on FCM’s Board of Directors for the period starting in June 2025 and ending June 2026, and

  BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Council assumes all costs associated with Councillor Tim Tierney attending FCM’s Board of Directors meetings.

  Carried

13.

Adjournment

Next Meeting

Tuesday, May 6, 2025.

The meeting adjourned at 1:20 pm.