Recent Advocacy
7 July 2025
Centretown Community Association Releases City of Ottawa Budget 2026 Recommendations
The Centretown Community Association (CCA) appreciates the opportunity to participate in the 2026 City of Ottawa Budget process. CCA Committees submitted budget recommendations, the CCA considered the recommendations and what follows are the recommendations we’re asking Somerset Councillor Ariel Troster, Mayor Sutcliffe and Ottawa City Council to consider in their deliberations.
Our Transportation Committee recommends:
● The city funds adequate snow removal and to have streets cleared faster following large snowfalls.
● funding for sustainable transportation improvements, like priority bus lanes and active transportation projects and
● along with SEPAW (CCA Safety Committee), asks for traffic safety, including e-scooter and e-bike safety and education.
● most importantly asks that OC Transpo be adequately and properly funded, with no budget gaps or shortages of funding.
The Heritage Committee would like to see the continuation of funding for the Golden Triangle Heritage District and for grants to refurbish the heritage elements of heritage buildings.
From the CCA SEPAW (Safety Committee):
● We call for an increase in the budgets of our Councillors’ Offices. We see the need for residents of Somerset Ward, and all wards to see increased capacity in the assistance they receive. Increased population across the city without increased capacity in a Councillor’s office does not serve the residents well.
● Centretown desperately and specifically needs more Community/Neighbourhood Police to help residents in the ward feel safe. The crime rates for the ward have increased, there has been a significant increase of people in the ward with mental health challenges, including those with drug addictions: there are not enough resources to meet this need.
● SEPAW also calls for the education of residents in programs like Bystander Intervention Training, Neighbourhood Watch, CPTED reviews for multi-unit buildings, greater promotion of CAMSafe, and much better lighting.
● We recommend special meetings to hear what residents in the community want, need and what they can learn how to assist in making their community safe(r).
The CCA Planning Committee recommends:
● the city fund and facilitate a community-based branch of the Ottawa Public Library, to replace the relocation of the main branch out of our community.
The Planning Committee and SEPAW noted that on January 9, 2020, the city council declared that Ottawa has a housing crisis and emergency. The motion on that day called for “more aggressive targets” to preserve and bolster Ottawa’s affordable housing supply and eliminate chronic homelessness completely by 2024, which the city set as its goal in its 10-year housing and homelessness plan. Since this date, the numbers have significantly increased, and both situations are much worse.
● We ask the city, in the budget, to prioritize people before buildings and to establish more supportive and transitional homes. We call on Ottawa to follow the lead of other cities to build tiny homes and smaller trailer homes.
● Ottawa should follow the lead of other cities and have specific guidelines for landlords when seeking to renovate their multi-unit buildings.
The Trees & Greenspace & Sustainbility Committee, one of the CCA’s most active committees advocates for:
● greater support for our greenspaces with funding for acquisition of greenspace, recreational facilities to match the increased population density in Centretown,
● funding for maintenance of gardens in city parks and quicker replacement of lost trees.
● A recommendation was made to fund a need for McNabb Park to have electricity.
The CCA expressed a need for continued funding for insurance costs for qualified not-for-profit organizations.
The CCA noted Somerset Ward and specifically, Centretown generates a very large pot of revenue through taxes and asks that this is taken into consideration when debating the budget recommendations from the CCA.
We submit these recommendations as a part of the Council's community consultation for the 2026 City of Ottawa Budget.
Robert Dekker, President Centretown Community Association president@centretowncitizens.ca
Community Groups Sponsor Mayfair Marquee to Promote Better Transit
The Centretown Community Association will be providing administrative support to Strong Towns Ottawa, which has sponsored the marquee at the Mayfair to display a message in support of bus lanes on Bank Street. Read the full press release below.
Letter concerning the development of 267 O’Connor
On March 18, 2025, the Centretown Community Association sent a letter to Ann O’Connor, development review planner for the City of Ottawa, expressing concern regarding the height of a proposed development at 267 O’Connor St. That letter can be read here.
CCA hosts Centretown Community Conversation on Homelessness
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Tuesday January 14, 2025
OTTAWA, ON — On January 6th, a person who is not housed, identified as Roger, froze to death in Centretown. This makes the event we have organized very timely. On January 15, members of the Centretown community are invited to join neighbourhood organizations and housing providers for a Conversation on Homelessness in Ottawa Centre. The event will take place both in-person and virtually, providing a platform for open dialogue, sharing ideas and creating solutions to address the ongoing homelessness crisis.
Centretown organizations and members of the public will be joined in this discussion by:
MP Yasir Naqvi
MPP Joel Harden
Somerset Councillor Ariel Troster
Leading housing and homelessness experts panel
John Heckbert, Operation Come Home
Peter Tilley, Ottawa Mission
Mark MacAulay, Salus
Angela Davis, Options Housing
The following speakers will be sharing the stories of their lived experiences
Ric Allen-Watson, Chef Ric’s and Ottawa Mission
Mayor Al, 12 Neighbours, Fredericton, NB (Virtual) on panel 2
Ashley Clark, member of the Mohawk Nation and lived experience with homelessness
CCA expresses concern regarding 2025 transit budget
The Centretown Community Association has sent a letter with concerns regarding the 2025 draft transit budget. The letter cites 3 specific concerns:
Fare increases and cancellation of free transit days for seniors.
Cuts to youth fare programs, including ending free transit for 11 and 12 year olds.
The $36 million funding gap in the transit budget.
The draft budget will result in more people choosing to drive, worsening traffic congestion, while many—especially seniors, children, and those with lower incomes—will be forced to stay home. The resulting decline in transit usage will only deepen the financial challenges of our system.
Ottawa’s transit system is at a crossroads. If we do not act now to reverse these cuts and increase funding, we risk undermining a system that so many depend on.
We urge the City of Ottawa to prioritize the long-term sustainability of our transit system and ensure that it remains a reliable, affordable, and efficient option for everyone in our community.
For further inquiries please contact: Transportation@centretowncitizens.ca
CCA expresses concerns about loss of trees on James Street
The Centretown Community Association has sent a letter expressing concerns regarding the loss of mature canopy trees, on James Street, as part of the current infrastructure renewal project proposed for the street
Comments on the proposed redevelopment of 265 Catherine
On July 20, 2023, the Centretown Community Association provided comments to the City of Ottawa on a proposed redevelopment plan for 265 Catherine, the site of the former bus depot. The CCA urged City Council to reject the application for redevelopment. That letter can be read here.
Letter concerning loud horns on construction sites
On May 15, 2023, the CCA sent a letter to Councillor Ariel Troster requesting that the city of Ottawa take steps to implement a recommendation from the Ottawa People’s Commission that would eliminate the use of loud horns on construction sites in Centretown. That letter can be found here.
Comments on a proposed development at 84 & 100 Gloucester
It all begins with an idea.
On May 15, 2023, the Centretown Community Association provided comments to the City of Ottawa on a proposed development at 84 & 100 Gloucester. The CCA took issue with many aspects of the proposal, but focused in particular on a lack of necessary consultation. That letter can be read here.
CCA Letter demanding a Public Inquiry on the Freedom Convoy’s Occupation of Ottawa
On March 15, 2022, the CCA wrote a letter to Mayor Watson, Interim Police Chief Bell, Premier Ford and Prime Minister Trudeau demanding that all 3 levels of government begin an immediate and thorough public inquiry into the handling of the convoy occupation of downtown Ottawa and develop a joint plan to prevent similar events from happening again. That letter can be found here.
Letter concerning the Freedom Convoy's Occupation of Ottawa
On February 6, 2022, the CCA wrote to Mayor Watson and Police Chief Sloly to take immediate and specific actions to assist Centretown residents struggling with the occupation of their community. That letter can be found here.