Community Services Committee Budget Overview

I voted in favour of the Community Services Budget that passed at Council on Dec 10^th. Here are some highlights:

• The Community Funding Framework invests $34 million in 140 social services agencies, which includes $2.1 million invested in the Community Safety Well-Being Plan Fund, $5 million in addressing food insecurity, and $1.5 million for at-risk youth.
•  Invest $2.7 million for mental well-being, financial security, poverty reduction, and gender-based violence.
• Manage provincial and federal partnerships
  • $7.6 million over three years for the Downtown Safety Outreach Partnership – Ottawa–Ontario New Deal (which will be directly invested in the ByWard Market)
  • $9 million over three years for the Alternate Neighbourhood Crisis Response (ANCHOR) – Ottawa–Ontario New Deal
  • $6.7 million from a Public Safety Canada partnership, Building Safer Communities, that supports youth well-being in priority neighbourhoods
• Investments in our seniors through the City’s Older Adult Plan 2025-2030, in our youth through the Youth Futures Program and partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa.

There was a lengthy and healthy discussion about ANCHOR both at Committee and Council. I want to be clear: I whole heartedly support ANCHOR. But I do not see ANCHOR as a substitute for legitimate police enforcement. ANCHOR is a valued resource and tool to our most vulnerable. I supported the King-Johnson motion of giving ANCHOR the same one-time payment that the police received from the tax reserve. Sadly, this motion was defeated. 

Unfortunately, the most vulnerable are also preyed upon by drug dealers, sex traffickers and other criminal elements lurking to take advantage. ANCHOR can only be successful if the criminal elements that surround vulnerable people are equally addressed.

While the budget investments and direction of the city is not the systems change that I advocated for, Canada needs a game plan for next phase of opioid crisis – iPolitics, I support this budget as the city is moving in the right direction.

There will be more opportunities to weigh in on some key pieces in 2026 that will have an impact on Ward 12, like the Housing and Homelessness Plan Report Refresh and the Economic Development Downtown Revitalization Report, two opportunities to get more systems change in addressing social disorder in Ward 12.