Hi neighbour,
As the weather turns colder and flurries start to appear in the forecast, thoughts at City Hall turn to… the 2026 budget! With the draft budget released last week, it’s a busy time at committees to discuss the spending details for each city department. Here’s a look at what’s been happening in the last 7 days.
Ottawa Food Bank Releases the 2025 Hunger Report: Food Insecurity in a Broken System
Last Friday at City Hall, I attended the launch of the Ottawa Food Bank’s 2025 Hunger Report. This year’s report, ‘Food Insecurity in a Broken System’, highlights the connections between the housing crisis, social assistance, newcomer support and food security in our city. The numbers are staggering, and the reliance on food banks continues to grow.
Here are a few statistics that stood out to me in reviewing the report:
- 1 in 15 households were food insecure in 2017. By 2023, that number increased to 1 in 4 (25.7%) households.
- 2025 saw a 101% increase in visits to the Food Bank’s member agencies since 2019.
- In 2025, there were 588,866 visits to the Ottawa Food Bank across the city
I was also struck by the statistic that food bank visits by seniors in Ottawa have risen 90% since 2019. In 2025, 9% of visits to food banks were made by seniors. This underscores the growing difficulty people on fixed incomes face in keeping up with the rising cost of food and housing in Ottawa.
The report also highlighted the direct link between rising housing costs in Ottawa, and food insecurity. This was top of mind for me when we discussed the 2026 budget at the Planning and Housing Committee on Wednesday.
Budget 2026 at the Planning and Housing Committee
At the Planning and Housing Committee meeting on Wednesday, we approved the planning and housing portion of the 2026 draft budget, including $23.3 million in capital funding for affordable and supportive housing for low and moderate-income households. While I’m supportive of this investment, I appreciated the delegation from the Ottawa Mission pointing out that in the 2023 budget the city had allocated $30 million for affordable housing. At Committee, I asked staff questions to learn what mechanisms are in place to streamline approvals for affordable housing, and to ensure the city continues to work closely with Ottawa Community Housing to get affordable housing units approved and built at a pace necessary to meet the growing demand. Approximately two thirds of the city’s investment in affordable housing goes to Ottawa Community Housing (OCH). As their chair, I’m looking forward to working with the team at OCH, my colleagues on Council and City Staff to ensure more supportive housing units and units for seniors and families are built in the coming year. I’m looking forward to discussing funding for more social supports for our city’s most vulnerable at the Community Services Committee meeting next Tuesday (November 25).
Homicide in Bay Ward
Like all Bay Ward residents, I was shocked and saddened to hear of the homicide that occurred on Penny Drive on Monday, November 17th. I am heartbroken for the victim and have spoken with their family to express my condolences. The Ottawa Police Service has kept me informed during the investigation, and we are working with the community to provide support to residents in this difficult time. A reminder that anyone with information is asked to contact the Ottawa Polic Service Homicide Unit at (612)236-1222 ext 5493. Let’s continue to take care of each other.
