Hi neighbour,
Hope you’re keeping warm! I can’t believe it’s already the end of January. It was another busy week in Bay Ward and at City Hall. Here’s a look at what I’ve been working on this week:
New Zoning By-Law Unanimously Approved by Council
On Wednesday, January 28, Council approved the new zoning by-law, which represents significant changes to zoning across the city. This is one of the final steps in a 3-year long process to update the City’s existing zoning by-law to better meet the needs of our rapidly growing city, to support intensification in the urban boundary, and to meet the objectives of the Official Plan, adopted by Council in 2022. I want to thank every resident who reached out to the new zoning by-law team and my office with feedback, concerns, and questions about the final draft.
Although it’s received approval at Council, the new zoning by-law doesn’t take effect right away. It’s now scheduled for enactment in March 2026, and then the appeals process begins. City staff anticipate that the unappealed sections of the by-law will come into effect in September. Here’s a brief look at some of the major changes in this new zoning by-law:
- Four housing units are now permitted on every residential lot, across the city
- Height limits have been raised to at least 3 storeys, across the city
- My colleague Councillor Leiper has asked city staff to monitor the number of single unit, 3-storey buildings that are developed in the coming years, to see if this change is resulting in more housing, not just bigger housing.
- Making it easier to open home-based businesses (ie: bakeries, coffee shops), and more permissions for shops and restaurants to open in neighbourhoods.
- No parking minimums (the onus is on developers to understand the market/desire for parking).
With 7 new LRT stations opening in Bay Ward in 2027, neighbourhoods across the Ward are going to see a lot of changes, including increased in-fill and densification. Ottawa is a rapidly growing city, with a population expected to surpass 1.4 million people by 2046. Housing is critical to support our growing city. The provincial government passed legislation (the “More Homes Built Faster Act”) in 2022 to allow for more multi-residential units to be built on what were previously single lots, and the federal government has identified housing as a key priority. Ottawa’s Official Plan recognizes the need for more housing units across the city, and the new zoning by-law was created to reflect this.
We also need to ensure our neighbourhoods are livable for all. Over the past several months, I’ve been working with community associations, individual residents, and city planning staff to bring forward some minor amendments, to ensure zoning consistency in neighbourhoods like Woodpark, to increase the quality and quantity of bike parking, and to encourage car sharing in multi-residential units. For more information on the new zoning by-law and how it impacts your neighbourhood, you can check out geoOttawa for the citywide updated zoning map. Be sure to turn on the “New Zoning By-law – FINAL DRAFT” option under “Zoning Resources”.
Reminder: Automatic Rent Reduction
With February 1st right around the corner, I wanted to share a reminder about the Automatic Rent Reduction notices that were sent out by the City’s revenue services team last fall. All multi residential rental buildings with seven or more units that were built before 2002 received a property tax reduction of 4.9 percent. Before this reduction, multi residential properties paid a higher property tax rate than single family homes and smaller multi residential buildings. The rent reduction was intended to make property taxes more equal across the city. As stated by MPP Chandra Pasma in her community newsletter earlier this month:
“If you are receiving confusing information from your landlord or being told that you cannot reduce your rent, please know that the rent reduction applies automatically. Under Ontario’s Residential Tenancies Act, if property taxes go down by more than 2.49%, rent must be reduced in response. Any measure from your landlord to increase your rent or to dispute a rent reduction must be approved by the Landlord and Tenant Board. Your landlord cannot unilaterally decide that a rent reduction does not apply or calculate a different level of rent reduction than what the City has advised tenants.”
Because some landlords are disputing this rent reduction with the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB), our office is unable to provide definitive next steps for residents. Tenants can:
- Pay the legally mandated reduced rent, as outlined in your official rent reduction notice provided by the City, and set aside the difference in case the LTB rules in favour of your landlord. Until the LTB provides a formal decision on this topic, paying the reduced rent as outlined in the letter provided by the City is the best way to protect yourself as a tenant.
- If you choose to automatically reduce your rent, please feel free to use this template letter that includes a calculation worksheet for tenants and provide a copy to your landlord. The template letter was provided by MPP Chandra Pasma.
Should you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office (bayward@ottawa.ca), as well as MPP Chandra Pasma’s office (CPasma-CO@ndp.on.ca)
