FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 11, 2026
Despite small transit wins, police still come out ahead, says Horizon Ottawa
Despite small transit wins, police still come out ahead, says Horizon Ottawa
OTTAWA - Horizon Ottawa is expressing deep frustration following Ottawa City Council’s decision today to approve an 8.7% increase to the Ottawa Police budget, while voting down a motion that would have expanded and properly funded the City’s non-police mental health crisis response program, ANCHOR.
Despite broad discussion at Council about mental health needs, racial bias in police use of force, and the urgent demand for alternatives to police-led crisis response, Council once again failed to invest meaningfully in the community-based services that residents rely on.
“At a time when councillors are openly acknowledging the scale of the mental health crisis and the well-documented racial bias in police use of force, it is unacceptable that Council refused even modest, common-sense investments in ANCHOR,” said Tom Ledgley, Coordinator of Horizon Ottawa. “Residents deserve real solutions, not another year of ballooning police budgets while community services scrape by.”
Several councillors noted that the OPS continues to respond to 5,000-6,000 mental-health-related calls annually, many of which would be more appropriately handled by non-police teams. Instead of increasing support for ANCHOR which frontline workers, community members, and many councillors have called for, the Council again maintained a heavily police-centric approach to crisis response.
“City staff and community service providers have been clear that need exists, and people want alternatives,” said Ledgley. “The only thing missing is political will.”
Horizon Ottawa also highlighted two important victories advanced in this budget cycle, both of which the organization and community advocates have long pushed for:
- Introduction of new provisions for a low-income youth transit pass, helping young people access school, work, recreation, and community support.
- Partial reversal of the earlier decision to increase LRT Line 1 headways, ensuring trains run more frequently and restoring service levels cut earlier this year.
“These improvements are the direct result of sustained public pressure,” said Ledgley. “For months, community groups including ourselves, riders, and councillors have fought for a youth pass and against service cuts that would have pushed riders away. Council got this one right and it shows what’s possible when they actually listen.”
While acknowledging the positive movement on youth transit access and service reliability, the organization condemns the decision by council to raise transit fares for yet another year. Raising fares, especially when service remains inconsistent, pushes riders away, and undermines the very goal of rebuilding transit ridership. Horizon Ottawa urges Council to reject fare hikes and instead invest in making transit more affordable and dependable for all riders overall.
“Transit riders should not be asked to pay more for a system that still isn’t delivering the reliability and service they deserve,” said Tom Ledgley, Coordinator of Horizon Ottawa. “Instead of raising fares year after year, Council should be investing in making transit affordable, accessible, and dependable for everyone. Ottawa residents shouldn’t be punished to make up for political choices that chronically underfund public transit.”
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For media inquiries:
Tom Ledgley
613-663-7018
[email protected]
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