FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS RELEASE: Community forces Council to back down on discount fare increases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS RELEASE: 2025 City Budget only exacerabtes transit, other crises faced by city says Budget Coalition
OTTAWA - A coalition representing over a dozen community organizations, The Ottawa Coalition for a People's Budget is saying that the 2025 budget today presented by Mayor Sutcliffe doesn't only do little to address the mutliple crises faced by the city, it exacerbates them.
In a bid to stop the bleeding over the city's transit crisis, Sutcliffe has implemented massive fare increases including a 120% increase for monthly fares for seniors. He is also ending free fares for 11 and 12 year olds and otherwise raising transit fares 5% across the board, making Ottawa transit fares the most expensive in the entire country and fourth most expensive monthly pass.
The budget also includes a $12.4 million cut in operating funding despite the Mayor saying he "isn't cutting service." It isn't clear where this cut or "efficiency" is coming from but it seems like it could be a cut to service.
A 5% fare increase would mean about $78 more a year for transit riders who already struggle with OC Transpo's very high fares.
An 8% transit levy increase, a far cry from the 37% maximum approved in the budget directions this fall. This would shake out to about $40 a year for the average homeowner.
"It doesn't make any sense that transit riders, many of whom are lower income are going to be paying more in fares while the transit levy is raised only moderately. We should be encouraging people to take transit not paying billions for a new LRT system just to drive people away," said Nick Grover from Free Transit Ottawa. "This budget is a disaster for transit riders and even after all this pain there is still a $36 million hole in the budget. How are we confident that Sutcliffe will get this money from other orders of government since he hasn't been able to do so in the past?"
The rest of the budget isn't too strong either from a community services and housing standpoint.
Last year, council was pushed to raise the municipal portion it spends on affordable housing to $30 million from $16 million, now, with the added money from the vacant unit tax, that number stands at just around $22.9 million.
The funding put for non-profits that engage in important work in the community services center is also facing a similar, barely seeing an increase. The city is forcing about 100 non-profit organizations to hare a pot of $30 million while police, for example receive an increase of more than half that amount.
"A challenge was set to our municipal administration to meet the difficult moment we are facing, they failed and now those who rely on vital services will pay the price just so property owners can save a couple of dollars on their property tax bill." said Sam Hersh, coordinator for Horizon Ottawa. "On first look, this budget is not only more of the same but a step in a dangerous direction that will lead us towards constant cuts and austerity and even deeper gap between the wealthiest and worse off in our city."
The coalition released its own alternative budget in a press conference earlier this morning which can be seen here.
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For Media Inquiries:
Sam Hersh
613-668-7018
[email protected]
